Veltec has signed an agreement with Descente, Ltd. to become the licensee of the Descente brand for the cycling, triathlon, running and fitness markets, in North America and Europe beginning February 1.
For over 70 years, Descente has been working with world-class athletes, numerous Olympic and professional cycling teams driving apparel innovation and performance. As a result, today the Descente product line consists of top-quality performance cycling, triathlon, running and fitness apparel.
The addition of Descente cycling, triathlon, running and fitness apparel to the Veltec portfolio of products combines the strengths of the Descente brand with the sales, marketing and distribution strengths of Veltec. This will improve the availability and profitability of these Descente product lines for Veltecs retail partners for years to come.
Hideo Kioshige, President of Descente North America, said, “Descentes rapid growth in the cycling, triathlon and running markets is a testament to the strength of the brand and the quality of the people and products. We are confident that Veltecs financial strength, strong marketing, sales and distribution capabilities will take the brand to the next level.”
Organizationally, Descente cycling, triathlon, running and fitness apparel will be a part of Veltecs newly formed soft goods division. To manage this division, Hugh Walton has joined the Veltec team. Previously, Walton was a co-founder of Pearl Izumi and over the last five years he was responsible for rebuilding the Descente brand in the cycling market.
“The combined strength of the Descente line of cycling products with the sales, marketing and distribution power of Veltec, allow us to offer world-class, high-performance cycling apparel, developed by a team of cycling industry professionals,” said Walton.
In 2005, Veltec acquired Shebeest, the leading brand of womens cycling and athletic apparel. Shebeest will maintain its focus and independent product design, development and brand identity. Both the Descente and the Shebeest brands will benefit from the synergies, strengths and resources created under the new soft-goods division of Veltec.
Manfred J. Krikke, who recently joined Veltec as its new CEO, commented: “Descente is an excellent fit with Veltecs line-up performance cycling products. As always, we aim for the highest quality products in each category and believe Descente is precisely that. We are also excited to bring on board an excellent team that has significant experience in the apparel business and are passionate about cycling.”
