Fila entered into a long term master license agreement for Latin
America with DASS Group S.A. of Brazil. The territory covered by the
license agreement includes the entire Latin American region, including
Central and South America and the Caribbean. Filas existing third
party license agreements in the region were assigned to DASS Group in
connection with the licensing arrangement. In addition, DASS Group
acquired Fila Argentina and assumed responsibility for Filas
operations in Argentina.
Yoon-Soo (Gene) Yoon, Chairman and CEO of Fila Luxembourgs parent
company GLBH Holdings S.a.r.l., stated, “DASS Group has been extremely
successful over the last several years in developing the Fila brand in
the Brazilian market and we look forward to their continued success
with the entire Latin America Region.”
Vilson Hermes, chairman, Dacilo Dilly and Armin Knab, executive members
of the advisory board of the DASS Group, stated, “2007 has already been
an exciting year for the DASS Group. With the execution of the Master
License, DASS Group has captured the attention of the industry as a
result of it strong future presence in the Latin American marketplaces.
We welcome all Fila licensees in the region and staff members of the
Fila Argentina subsidiary into the family, adding a powerful new
dimension to our Group. Integration of our operations is our highest
day-to-day priority. It is our firm belief that Filas international
concept of a new corporate brand identity will serve to enhance our
future success.”
Fila and DASS Groups vision is to reinvigorate the Fila brand by
collaborating on a global core marketing and communication network, by
positioning Fila within the DASS Group portfolio to appeal to consumers
who define sport outside traditional convention, prioritizing comfort
and fit and by celebrating individuality in sport and life.
DASS Holding is the consolidation of the merger between Dilly and
Classico in 2003 to integrate the brand management expertise of
Classico with Dillys experience in the manufacture of footwear. The
DASS Group unites 13.000 customers which in 2006 marketed more than 10
million units of sporting goods, achieving sales of USD 246m). The
company runs 10 production facilities distributed all over Brazil
employing a workforce of over 9000 people. DASS derives from the two
names “Dilly” and “Classico” and has been chosen to both preserve the
history of the two companies and capture the essence of the new
corporate positioning.