Posts Tagged ‘Sports Brands’
Bauer Positioned For Acquisitions
April 21st, 2013 by sourcedBauer is looking for acquisitions, says Kevin Davis, the company’s CEO. The listed hockey equipment company wants to make buys to get into new sports, and has a full deal pipeline.
But outsiders think Bauer, with an approximately $400 million market cap, could instead be a target itself because it is small compared to listed sporting goods companies such as Nike (which sold Bauer to a Kohlberg & Co in 2008), Adidas and Under Armour. The company entered the lacrosse market in 2010 and expanded its presence in June 2012 with the acquisition of Cascade Helmets for $64 million. New Balance, the owner of lacrosse equipment maker Brine, has surely noticed and could likely pick up synergies by targeting Bauer.
Read the rest of this article at Forbes.com.
Gator Sports Inc. goes from Garage to Worldwide Sales
August 5th, 2012 by sourcedJust over 30 years ago, Kent Jones, along with his wife and daughter, started Gator Sports Inc. in a garage with just one product. Now the Salt Lake City-based company has more than 20 products and sells them worldwide.
The first product from Gator Sports was a face protector that can be used for skiing, snowmobiling, fishing, hunting and other outdoor activities.
Jones said he came up with the idea for the face protector because he’s always been an avid outdoorsman. While skiing, he’d get windburn on his face and he wanted something that could prevent that while being adjustable, said Jones. Jones heard of a material called neoprene that was being used for jet way curtains in Ogden, Utah. The neoprene curtains had leftover pieces Jones used to make a prototype of the face protector. Now his company works out of a 14,000-square foot warehouse and makes a variety of other products including neoprene socks, face protectors, water bottles and more.
Read more at Deseretnews.com.
Adidas is All In
March 28th, 2011 by Ben RemingtonMaking a run at the big dog is tough, sometimes you get put back in your place, but sometimes you get to run alongside the big dog, and even a few times, you get to be the big dog.
Of Course, there are times when the line between big dog and little dog are blurred, In the world of footwear and apparel, this is the case. Nike is seen as the big dog, owning the market share and occupying the front of everyone’s mind. Adidas, meanwhile, is the runner up, although they boast a history and portfolio of accomplishments that would blow way any other shoe company besides the Swoosh.
But that isn’t stopping Adidas from throwing out a huge marketing campaign crossing all genres of life, and they have the star power to back it up (Katy Perry, anyone?) along with the usual suspects of sports stars under their payroll, Derrick Rose, David Beckham, etc… So if you hear from Adidas soon, that’s why.
I find it interesting that Adidas is making a big jump in the US market, already being a giant in Europe. Nike is the American Dream in shoe form, and Adidas is more of a classic import, made popular by RUN DMC. Adidas is going all in with marketing, again, a usual Nike playground, and it’s a big gamble to drop this kind of dough in Nike’s backyard. But while all of us are aware of Adidas, perhaps the push of this marketing campaign is something that pushes them past the big dog, and that kind of move is worth the risk.
Thermos partners with Under Armour to create new hydration water bottles
November 26th, 2010 by sourced“The leader of the insulated beverageware category for over 100 years and a trusted brand among consumers, Thermos® is bringing its hydration offerings to a new level of performance by partnering with the ultimate sports performance brand, Under Armour®. The partnership will include a line of co-branded bottles that integrate Under Armour branding into Thermos product designs to create a superior line of performance hydration bottles.”
Read the rest of the article at www.snewsnet.com.
Nike Signs James to New Deal, but will the Cavs?
April 10th, 2010 by Cale LokenNike signed a new partnership with LeBron after the original contract is set to expire this year. That deal was signed in 2003 for 7 years, $93 Million and according to sources this partnership is longer.
It is crazy that these players get these kinds of sponsorship dollars, but many times they end up being worth it for the largest brands. According to SportsOneSource, the Jordan Brand is a $1 billion business for Nike and commands 75% of the market share of all basketball shoes sold in the U.S. The rest of Nike’s basketball shoes (including the Kobe Bryant and James lines) hold 20% of the market. Adidas and other non-Nike basketball shoes have a market share of only 5%.
This deal was more predictable than LeBron staying in Cleveland, so this doesn’t come as a surprise. It will be interesting to see if LeBron stays in Cleveland. The team is winning and has a great chance to win it all this year. If they don’t win this year, they better try to acquire an above average to great player to support LeBron, otherwise he may be gone. Chris Bosh would be a great addition to the Cavs, otherwise there will be several other free agents the Cavs could sign.