Riddell announced the divestiture and sale of certain assets associated with Kollege Town Sports, a division of the company’s apparel business, to BSN Sports.
Kollege Town is a team sports and corporate apparel dealer, which was acquired by Riddell in 2015 to operate the company’s apparel business. BSN Sports is the nation’s largest direct marketer and distributor of sporting goods to the school and league markets and a division of Varsity Brands. The divestiture includes a large portion of the Kollege Town sales force, sales management and customer service, and fanaKTive capabilities.
“We appreciate the years of service, hard work and contributions of the Kollege Town team,” said Riddell and BRG Sports President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Arment. “This development provides Riddell the opportunity to advance our core football protective equipment business in an incredibly dynamic marketplace. Riddell will continue to lead the industry forward as it brings new protective technologies to the field that help athletes perform at their best.”
In addition to football head protection, smart helmet technology and accessories, the company will maintain an apparel offering focused on Riddell branded football practice apparel, team sports stock game and custom uniforms, as well as a full complement of basics, coaching and spirit wear.
In a separate release, BSN Sports said the acquisition will include approximately 50 sales representatives, sales management and customer service professionals, and Kollege Town’s fanaKTive graphic capabilities.
Terry Babilla, BSN Sports’ president, said, “We have admired the Kollege Town team for many years, and share their commitment to providing customers with the broadest array of high-quality products paired with innovative programs that maximize team budgets. The combination of our two organizations also adds to BSN Sports’ presence in key Midwest markets – including the addition of more than 50 committed and passionate sales professionals to our platform. We look forward to their contributions and to ensuring that Kollege Town’s customers recognize tangible and positive impacts from the combination of our two great companies.”
Babilla concluded, “With the addition of Kollege Town, BSN Sports continues to build upon our successful growth trajectory with more than 380 sales professionals added in the last twelve months, including valuable teammates in Florida, Utah, Missouri, South Carolina, New York, Washington, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado, Iowa, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. We will continue to seek out partners that share our mission and have a passion for building lifelong customer relationships.”
Photo courtesy Kollege Town Sports
