Industry: News


Equip buys Lowe Alpine U


K-based Equip Outdoor Technologies has agreed to purchase the Lowe Alpine brand and all its associated assets for an undisclosed amount.


Equip has grown rapidly in recent years following the acquisition of the Rab and Podsacs brands. Following this latest announcement, the Lowe Alpine group of companies in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands will now operate as subsidiaries of Equip Outdoor Technologies. Lowe Alpine was originally founded in Boulder, Colorado, USA in 1967. Latterly it has been in Italian ownership until last summer when its Italian banks forced its owners to seek ‘concordato’ protection from their creditors.


Lowe Alpine will now move back to the UK and its base in Kendal, Cumbria will once again become the company’s international headquarters where its current UK operations and the packs development team are based.


Equip Outdoor Technologies owner Matt Gowar said: “I have long admired Lowe Alpine, and it has been an inspiration to me during the 20 years that I have been working in the outdoor industry. I am delighted to become associated with one of the cornerstone brands of our industry. “The current UK, German and Dutch management teams together with the packs and


sales teams in the Kendal office will provide a great platform to spearhead the growth of Lowe Alpine, returning it once again to its pinnacle position in the outdoors.


“We all feel very excited to have been able to secure the Lowe Alpine brand


ahead of others who clearly wanted it, and we see an exciting future ahead for Lowe Alpine.” David Udberg, the current Lowe Alpine UK managing director, will take over as head of sales and marketing for all Equip brands while the rest of the Lowe Alpine UK management team, consisting of financial controller Shona Taylor, head of packs development Martyn Hurn and sales director Dave Suddes, will continue in their existing roles. In addition to continuing to develop its world leading backpack line, Equip are intent on re- establishing the Lowe Alpine clothing line. Chris Harding, managing director of Equip, will take over as head of design for Lowe Alpine, as well as all other Equip brands. Equip said the intention will be to keep the design and development of Rab and Lowe Alpine clothing completely independent of each other and to have


OutDoor’s Gold standard M


ore than 300 products were entered for an OutDoor Award in 2011, with 46 winners announced across eight categories and 11 chosen for special recognition by winning a Gold Award. Awards were presented on the evening of the first day of OutDoor 2011, with the winners showcased in a special display in the East Foyer of Messe Friedrichshafen for the duration of the show.


Those who picked up a Gold Award included: Hanwag, for its Real Custom Boot project that sees selected retailers use 3D scanners to measure a customer’s foot and bespoke trekking shoes manufactured using the data; Klättermusen, for its Mithril Kevlar jacket; Edelrid, for its Fraggle full-body safety harness for children; Primus, for its OmniLite Ti multi-fuel expedition stove; Valandre, for its Immelman down jacket that uses a chamber system to allow for maximum movement; Exped, for its Ergo Hammock Combi with included mosquito net, rain protection and suspension system; Cascade Designs, for its Therm-a-Rest Neo Air XTherm mattress with a triangular core matrix; Mountain Equipment for its Titan 450 sleeping bag, the first manufactured in-line with the Down Codex Project; Vaude, for its Challenger Alpine backpack; Vingetorix, for its outdoor jacket of the same name that is made of organic cotton amongst other ecological elements; and Mountain Hardwear for its Spinoza


a dedicated development team for each brand. Harding said: “We think that there is a huge potential to develop Lowe Alpine clothing. It is probably the case that it lost its way a little over the last few years, but we are confident that we can build upon its great heritage to bring it back to being a formidable outdoor clothing brand once again. However, it is vitally important that both Rab and Lowe Alpine maintain their unique individuality with each brand having their own identities and positions in the market.”


Gowar, who is to return to the UK after three years in the US establishing the Equip American operation, concluded: “I have had a great opportunity to set up the first US office of a UK technical clothing company. I am now looking forward to this next challenge of re-establishing the Lowe Alpine brand.”


Denton appointed as OIA chief exec


T


he Outdoor Industries Association (OIA) has appointed Andrew Denton as its new chief


executive.


jacket featuring Dry.Q membrane technology. Stefan Reisinger, OutDoor project head and member of the Messe Friedrichshafen board of directors, said: “The outdoor industry stands for a special kind of awareness of life, for a completely different social outlook and, perhaps most importantly, for the spirit of innovation. “That is exactly what became very clear once again during this year’s OutDoor Industry Awards; many market leaders entered their new products in the award to make them stand out from the competition. After all, winning such an award is an official endorsement of a product’s creativity, innovation and quality.”


Denton will takeover from Louise Ramsay in September, who is taking a sideways step to become communications director as part of OIA’s new-look executive structure. Both positions are part-time. OIA said Denton brings 27 years of industry experience to the job having worked in the outdoor sector since 1984, starting his career in outdoor education and then moving on to a series of senior management and ownership roles in major businesses such as Rohan, Mountain Equipment, Sprayway, The Peaco Group and the Outdoor Sports Company (OSC). A keen outdoor activist, Denton is also an accomplished mountaineer, mountain biker, ski mountaineer and triathlete. He is a member of the Alpine Club and has undertaken numerous expeditions.


Denton said: “Through all that time I have retained a passion for the mountains and wild places so to have this opportunity at the OIA, to help us all grow participation and business in the outdoors across the UK, it’s my dream job. I am genuinely delighted and looking forward to the challenge.”


www.sgboutdoor.co.uk 5


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