Johnson Outdoors Inc. boosted its stable of camping brands last week when it closed on the acquisition of Jetboil.
Jetboil will become part of the Johnson Outdoor's Outdoor Gear business unit, which makes and markets the Eureka! tent and Silva instruments brands. Jetboil will continue to operate from its facility in Manchester, NH. Jetboil co-founder and CEO Perry Dowst will transition to the role of senior advisor, supporting strategic R&D and new products. Chris Lussier, formerly vice president of sales and marketing for Jetboil, has been named regional and international sales manager for all Johnson Outdoors Gear brands.
“It is very much business-as-usual for our customers,” said Lussier. “Their day-to-day contact and sales rep remains the same and there are no changes to 2013 sales and marketing plans and programs for any brand.”
The acquisition is expected to be accretive to JOUT’s earnings in the first fiscal year of ownership. JOUT said it would disclose other details of the transaction in its fiscal 2013 first quarter filings due in February.
Jetboil, founded by cousins and co-inventors Perry Dowst and Dwight Aspinwall, emerged on the camping scene in 2004 with the launch of the award-winning Personal Cooking System (PCS) powered by proprietary FluxRing technology. The PCS ultra-efficient, lightweight design integrated a one-liter pot, wind protected burner and heat exchanger into a single, push-button start unit that cut fuel use and cooking times in half compared to other canister stoves. Since then, Jetboil has broadened its technology and product offering to become the category leader in outdoor cooking systems and redefine consumer expectations for convenience, safety and ease-of-use.
Executives said the deal would offer both companies access to new dealers. Jetboil, for instance, would get access to Johnson’s paddlesports dealers, while Eureka! would gain access to some of Jetboil’s overseas distributors.
“Jetboil is a great brand, a great business and a great success story,” JOUT Chairman & CEO Helen Johnson-Leipold told Jetboil employees Wednesday morning. “And we are honored to be chosen as its steward for the future, and we are committed to continuing the Jetboil legacy of innovation.”
