The latest news, analysis and data on corporate strategic initiatives, the latest mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, insolvencies and cooperations in the outdoor industry.
Chamatex to open “smart” footwear factory in France with Salomon and others
French textile producer Chamatex has teamed up with Salomon, Babolat and Millet as well as an investment company on the construction of a new footwear manufacturing facility called Advanced Shoe Factory 4.0 (ASF 4.0) in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. ASF 4.0 was founded by Chamatex with the goal of ...
Canada’s MEC to be taken over by U.S. investor; co-op owners feel betrayed
The announced sale of Canada’s best-known outdoor equipment retailer, Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC), to Kingswood Capital Management, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, has sparked widespread discussion across Canada. MEC was founded in 1971 in Vancouver, British Columbia. To be able to shop in the store, customers had to purchase ...
Klarna becomes the most valuable financial start-up in Europe
Klarna, a Swedish online payment service provider with headquarters in Stockholm, raised $650 million in an equity funding round, which values the whole company $10.65 billion. Klarna claims that the valuation ranks it as the highest-valued private fintech in Europe and the 4th worldwide.
Clarus expects Black Diamond and Sierra to grow
In a presentation at this year’s virtual edition of the Gateway Conference in San Francisco, an annual invite-only conference that brings together the most compelling companies with the nation’s top investors and analysts, Clarus called the Covid-19 pandemic a “potential blessing” for its Black Diamond and Sierra brands, as new ...
Lloyds Fonds acquires 2.4% of Polygiene AB
As we reported earlier, the Swedish fabric technology brand Polygiene, which was founded in 2006 as a spin-off of the Swedish chemical company Perstorp, was among the winners in the Covid-19 pandemic thanks to its new antiviral treatment, ViralOff®, which was launched in April. This success also aroused the interest ...
Bradshaw Taylor repositions Le Chameau
After Bradshaw Taylor Ltd, an outdoor sales specialist from Oakham, UK, bought the premium boot brand Le Chameau last November, the family business has invested heavily in the brand. To position it well for the future, company boss Corry Taylor and his team have made drastic and daring changes that ...
Rossignol to sell Raidlight except for Outdoor Experiences division
The Rossignol Group has announced the sale of Raidlight Vertical, a French company specializing in footwear, apparel and equipment for trail running and ski touring, with an annual turnover of around €8 million. It will only keep and expand its Outdoor Experiences division, which organizes trail running, Nordic walking, mountain ...
Russian outdoor goods industry resumes operation
Russian outdoor industry companies hit by the Covid-19 pandemic are gradually getting back to business.
eVent has a new owner
eVent fabrics, a Missouri-based developer of waterproof apparel, has announced that as of June 30, Performax Pro has assumed full ownership of the brand after acquiring it from Parker Performance Materials for an undisclosed sum. Performax Pro, based in Hong Kong, is a provider of performance fabrics in Asia, the ...
Odlo has a new owner
Monte Rosa Sports Holding AG, a company based in Switzerland, has acquired Odlo International, the Swiss producer of functional sports underwear, together with all its national subsidiaries, from Herkules Fund III. The transaction was completed on Wednesday, May 13, for an undisclosed price.