The Schwan-Stabilo group has agreed to acquire the Maier Sports group with 160 employees.
The deal will add the ski and outdoor apparel brand Maier Sports and the Gonso bikewear brand to Schwan-Stabilo group’s outdoor division, which already includes backpack specialist Deuter and alpine sports brand Ortovox.
“We have been following Maier Sports closely for some time now and we have the deepest respect for all that has been achieved in the times of Gerhard Maier in Köngen,” says Martin Riebel, CEO of Deuter and the Schwan-Stabilo Outdoor GmbH. “It is a company firmly rooted in outstanding textile and fitting
expertise. Also, over the past years it has built a corporate culture
focusing on team spirit and a sustainable company growth in the fields
of ski and outdoor. We are very happy to welcome the two brands to our
family and we are convinced that they will perfectly complement our
outdoor division.”
Maier Sports is based in Köngen / Germany is renowned as a fitting and trouser expert with a strong innovative drive and top quality. A reputation underlined by numerous awards and test wins as well as patent pending inventions like the multiday trekking jacket, or the pioneering role in PFC-free impregnation for outdoor and skiwear. It is the German engineering tradition and the thorough understanding of product and market that defines the company. It is shaped by a keen sense of the customer’s needs and shows great strength in realizing those demands in market oriented products.
The transaction also includes bikewear pioneer Gonso, “the soul of German cycling.” The first synthetic cycling shorts were developed and produced at Gonso’s home in the Swabian Alps. Today Gonso offers a comprehensive collection of highly functional bikewear for relaxed riders and ambitious cyclists alike. And the perfect fit is also key to Gonso’s outstanding performance.
“With our new acquisitions our group’s outdoor division is complete for now,” said the group’s CEO Sebastian Schwanhäußer. “The outdoor portfolio now holds four strong companies with Deuter,
Ortovox, Maier Sports and Gonso. They are based in a healthy and seminal
industry and will deliver an important contribution to the long-term
stability of the Schwan-Stabilo group.”
Maier Sports GmbH has its own production sites in Turkey and Asia. Product development and design is still located in the headquarters in Köngen, home of the company for more than 75 years, where a sewing department still takes care of service and repairs. The headquarters of Maier Sports and Gonso in Köngen and Albstadt has high confidence in the new owners, who see the acquisition as a strategic and long-term investment.
The transaction is still subject to approval by the German Federal Cartel Office.
