Backpack Beakons?
Deuter's (the back pack company) parent company Schwan-Stabilo Group, announced this week that it has acquired Ortovox (the transceiver manufacturing company). So what does this mean? It means greater strength for the two brands and a synergy to use Deuters' expertise in pack to improve upon Ortovox products while Dueter can then use Ortovox to enter new markets. Sounds pretty good all around? Have a read over the official press release if you want more info:
Heroldsberg, 13 July 2011: on 1 July 2011, the globally active Schwan-Stabilo Group took over Ortovox Sportartikel GmbH based in Taufkirchen near Munich, thus continuing the targeted expansion of their Outdoor division. Ortovox is a market leader for avalanche safety products and an expert in winter backpacks and functional sports clothing with merino wool.
Adding to its successful Cosmetics and Writing Products divisions, the Schwan-Stabilo Group created a third division in 2006 with the takeover of Deuter Sport GmbH & Co. KG. The planned expansion of the Outdoor division continues with the acquisition of the Ortovox brand.
Sebastian Schwanhäußer, Member of the Board, explains why the Ortovox brand is an ideal addition to Deuter: “On the one hand, we can use and expand our expertise in backpacks, while on the other hand the strong Ortovox brand offers us a great deal of potential in new markets.”
Following acquisition by the Schwan-Stabilo Group, Ortovox remains an independent company based at the Taufkirchen site. It is managed by Christian Schneidermeier, who has been Brand Manager for the last three years, during which time he and his team were able to double the company’s sales. Ortovox currently employs nineteen people, has subsidiaries in Austria, the USA and Canada, and has representatives in thirty countries.
“We are the voice of the mountains and we offer our customers high-quality products, which help them to experience the mountains safely. We will now be able to strengthen and expand this core brand with the support of a strong parent company,” says Schneidermeier, explaining the aims of Ortovox.
The Ortovox success story began in 1980 with the introduction of the revolutionary LVS F2 avalanche transceiver. Since then, Ortovox has been at the forefront of developments and is a market leader in avalanche safety products. With distinctive designs, the Backpacks division of the company has grown considerably in recent years. However, the greatest growth was in the Functional Clothing division. The brand uses merino wool in all layers of the clothing and thus offers a unique clothing system in the outdoor market.
More information about the acquisition of Ortovox and the new 2012 summer range will be provided at the press conference on Thursday, 14/07/2011 from 3 to 4 pm, in the Liechtenstein Room during the Outdoor Trade Fair in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
