Based on the early success of the Ben Hogan apparel collections launch, Sport-Haley Inc. (NASDAQ:SPOR) and Spalding Sports Worldwide, Inc. have announced an international expansion plan that will include the United Kingdom, Sweden, Mexico and various Caribbean countries as part of a second phase distribution campaign.
The two companies have modified their licensing agreement, which began in May 2001, granting Sport-Haley a license to design and manufacture a complete collection of men’s premium golf apparel under the Ben Hogan brand name. The licensing agreement was initially limited to the United States.
“Our launch of the Ben Hogan apparel collections has exceeded our expectations under difficult market conditions,” stated Kevin M. Tomlinson, Sport-Haley’s chief executive officer. “It seemed natural for our companies to expand on an international basis.”
In addition to the UK, Sweden and Mexico, the expansion includes Aruba, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, and British Virgin Islands.
“We are currently identifying other distributors for those markets and will look to leverage a combination of Spalding subsidiaries and independent distributors on a per-location basis,” added Tomlinson.
“Our expanded agreement with Sport Haley is a great step in building upon our established Ben Hogan brand,” stated Tammy Talerico, director of worldwide licensing for Spalding. “The initial fall 2002 launch of our U.S. apparel line has been well received, and we anticipate the line will be embraced by the international marketplace.”
Spalding www.spalding.com