If you have looked for NAKD stock lately and could not find it, you are not alone. Naked Brand Group, once known for selling lingerie and swimwear, went through one of the most surprising transformations in the stock market. The company completely changed industries, shifting from fashion to electric vehicles.
At first glance, this might sound confusing. How does a clothing company end up making electric vans? This guide walks you through what happened, why it happened, and what it means for investors who once held NAKD shares. By the end, you will understand the full story in clear, beginner-friendly terms.
What NAKD Stock Was Known For
NAKD was the ticker symbol for Naked Brand Group, a small company that designed and sold intimate apparel and swimwear. It operated out of New Zealand and owned well-known brands such as Frederick’s of Hollywood and Bendon.
When the pandemic hit and retail stores struggled, Naked Brand leaned heavily on its online business. Despite that shift, the company’s financial results remained weak. Revenue dropped, losses widened, and investors started to question whether the business could survive.
Then came the 2021 wave of meme stocks. As social-media traders piled into companies with low prices and high short interest, NAKD became a temporary favorite. Its stock price jumped as small investors on platforms like Reddit and Robinhood tried to repeat the dramatic rallies seen in GameStop and AMC.
The surge brought attention, but not stability. Naked Brand’s share price eventually fell back as the hype faded and its core business continued to lose money.
Why the Original Business Struggled
Before its brief viral moment, Naked Brand faced problems familiar to many brick-and-mortar retailers. Shoppers were moving online faster than the company could adapt, and competition in lingerie and swimwear was growing. Brands such as Victoria’s Secret, Aerie, and Savage X Fenty dominated the market.
The company’s physical stores were expensive to maintain, and profit margins kept shrinking. Even its e-commerce sales could not offset the steady decline in retail traffic. Management closed many stores and began selling off parts of the business to cut costs.
By early 2021, Naked Brand had become a public company without a clear identity. It still traded on the Nasdaq, but it no longer had a strong product lineup or a long-term plan. The leadership team needed a new direction that could attract investors and keep the company alive.
The Turning Point: A Bold New Plan
In late 2021, Naked Brand announced something few investors expected. The company had reached a deal to acquire Cenntro Automotive Group, a U.S.-based manufacturer of electric commercial vehicles.
Cenntro built electric vans and trucks used for last-mile delivery, an area of the vehicle market expected to grow as more companies shift toward clean transportation. By merging with Cenntro, Naked Brand could reinvent itself in a completely different industry.
The move was not just bold—it was necessary. Naked Brand’s retail business had reached its limits. By bringing Cenntro under its corporate umbrella, it gained access to a potentially high-growth sector, while allowing Cenntro to enter public markets without going through a traditional initial public offering.
For Naked Brand’s executives, this was a lifeline. For investors, it was the beginning of a major transition.
From NAKD to CENN: The New Company Takes Shape
From NAKD to CENN: The New Company Takes ShapeWhen the merger closed in early 2022, Naked Brand Group officially changed its name to Cenntro Electric Group Limited. Along with the new name came a new ticker symbol. The familiar NAKD symbol disappeared from trading screens and was replaced by CENN on the Nasdaq exchange.
That change marked the end of Naked Brand as a fashion retailer. The new company’s focus shifted entirely to developing and selling electric commercial vehicles. Naked’s apparel operations were sold off, and the leadership team began promoting the company’s future in electric mobility.
Investors who owned NAKD shares automatically became shareholders in Cenntro Electric Group. No action was needed on their part. Their shares simply represented a very different company than before.
For many retail traders, the transition from NAKD to CENN created confusion. Their brokerage accounts still showed they owned shares, but the business behind those shares had changed completely.
If you held NAKD stock during the merger, you still owned part of the new company. However, that ownership no longer represented a lingerie retailer. It now represented an electric vehicle manufacturer with entirely different risks and growth prospects.
This change highlights a key truth about investing. A stock symbol is not the same as a company’s identity. When the underlying business changes, so does the reason to own the stock.
How Cenntro Has Performed Since the Merger
After the merger, Cenntro Electric’s stock initially attracted curiosity from former NAKD traders and some new investors interested in electric vehicles. But once the excitement wore off, the price began to slide.
Since early 2022, the company’s market value has remained small, and trading volume has slowed. Cenntro continues to report modest sales of its electric delivery vans and small utility vehicles, but profits have been hard to achieve.
The electric vehicle market itself is highly competitive. Larger players such as Tesla, Rivian, and Ford have strong financial backing and established production lines. Smaller firms like Cenntro must compete for attention and capital in a crowded field.
While Cenntro has shown ambition in expanding its product lineup, the path to steady growth remains uncertain. Investors have responded cautiously, and the stock now trades far below the levels seen during Naked Brand’s meme-stock period.
Why Naked Brand Made the Shift
The move from lingerie to electric vehicles may seem strange, but for management it was a strategic pivot rather than a random gamble. The old business model no longer worked, and continuing to sell clothing would likely have led to bankruptcy or delisting.
Merging with Cenntro offered a fresh start. Electric vehicles were a hot topic in global markets, and the merger provided an opportunity to join an industry with government incentives and long-term growth potential.
At the same time, Cenntro needed a way to go public without a lengthy and expensive initial public offering. Naked Brand’s existing Nasdaq listing provided that shortcut. The transaction was structured so that Cenntro effectively took control of the listed company, turning Naked Brand into Cenntro Electric Group.
In other words, each side got something it needed. Naked avoided collapse, and Cenntro gained direct access to U.S. investors.
What Investors Can Learn From the NAKD Story
For beginners, the NAKD story is more than just a corporate transformation. It is also a lesson in understanding what you own and why you own it.
Many investors bought NAKD shares in 2021 because of social-media buzz, not because they studied the company’s finances. When the hype faded and the business changed, many were left holding a stock they barely recognized.
The key takeaway is that every stock represents a real business. The value of that business depends on its products, management, competition, and ability to make a profit. When a company’s direction changes, its stock’s potential also changes.
For long-term investors, this story reinforces the importance of research and patience. Understanding the company behind the ticker helps you make informed decisions rather than reacting to online trends.
The Current Outlook for Cenntro Electric Group
Cenntro continues to position itself as a maker of electric commercial vehicles designed for urban logistics and delivery services. The company produces small electric trucks and vans intended to help businesses reduce emissions and operating costs.
While that market has potential, Cenntro faces significant challenges. Larger automakers are investing heavily in similar vehicles, and the cost of production remains high for smaller firms. Access to capital and global supply chains are ongoing hurdles.
Still, the company is working to expand manufacturing capacity and grow its presence in North America and Europe. Its future success will depend on its ability to deliver reliable vehicles at competitive prices and to scale efficiently without running out of cash.
For investors, this means CENN should be evaluated as a small electric vehicle company, not as a retail brand. Anyone considering the stock should research the firm’s financial reports and market position before investing.
A Timeline of Key Events
To understand how quickly this transformation occurred, it helps to look at the timeline. Naked Brand traded under the NAKD ticker for several years as a retail company. In early 2021, it gained attention as a meme stock. By mid-2021, it had sold most of its fashion operations. In December of that year, it announced the Cenntro merger. By January 2022, the deal had closed, and the company officially changed its ticker to CENN.
What once took years in corporate restructuring happened in less than twelve months. The pace of this shift surprised many investors and left a lasting example of how quickly small-cap companies can reinvent themselves on public markets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat exactly happened to NAKD stock?
Naked Brand Group merged with an electric vehicle manufacturer called Cenntro Automotive Group. After the merger, the company changed its name to Cenntro Electric Group and began trading under the new ticker symbol CENN.
Why did Naked Brand leave the clothing business?
The apparel business was unprofitable and shrinking. Management decided to pivot toward a faster-growing industry. The electric vehicle merger offered a chance to rebuild around a new market opportunity.
Yes. Anyone who owned NAKD stock before the merger automatically received CENN shares. The stock symbol changed, but ownership remained continuous.
Is CENN stock the same as NAKD stock?
Technically it is the same legal entity, but it operates an entirely different business. NAKD represented a lingerie retailer. CENN represents an electric vehicle company.
Can the old Naked Brand name come back?
No. The apparel business has been sold and is no longer part of the public company. Naked Brand as investors knew it has been fully replaced by Cenntro Electric Group.
What the Future Might Hold
Cenntro Electric’s story is still being written. It has a presence in the electric vehicle space and continues to release new models. The company also benefits from growing interest in clean transportation and government policies supporting electric fleets.
However, the path ahead remains challenging. The industry requires large investments in manufacturing and technology, and only a few smaller companies have managed to achieve profitability. Investors watching CENN should monitor its production growth, partnerships, and ability to raise capital responsibly.
Whether the company eventually succeeds or struggles will depend on how well it competes against bigger players and how effectively it controls costs.
Conclusion
The story of NAKD stock shows how dramatically a public company can change course. Naked Brand began as a small lingerie retailer, became a meme stock during a burst of online excitement, and ultimately reinvented itself as an electric vehicle manufacturer under the name Cenntro Electric Group.
While the NAKD ticker no longer exists, the lessons from its journey remain valuable. Stocks rise and fall, industries shift, and companies evolve. The most successful investors are those who take time to understand the business behind each symbol and make decisions based on facts rather than emotion or hype.
If you once owned NAKD or are now following CENN, remember that knowledge and patience are the most reliable tools any investor can have.
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