KARHU, Finland's running brand
announced that it is expanding in Europe. On the heels of launching award-winning Fulcrum footwear in N.
America in 2009, KARHU will soon be available in the Finnish, German,
Austrian and Italian markets in Spring 2010.
Karhu Nordic, a
fully owned subsidiary, has formed a strong alliance with Intersport
Finland and other premium dealers to launch its Fulcrum technology, as
it becomes the exclusive Karhu footwear distributor in Finland and
Scandinavia at the end of 2009.
“With new German, and Italian
partners KARHU will firmly launch itself into the Central European
running market. At the same time we have taken control of KARHU's
footwear distribution in Finland and Scandinavia through our subsidiary
KARHU Nordic AB,” says Huub Valkenburg, chief operating officer, KARHU. “KARHU's Fulcrum technology has been tested and tuned to deliver the
best Natural ride, a position that resonates strongly with today's
runners,” says Huub Valkenburg CEO KARHU.
KARHU reports that
it has reached an agreement with RONO, Run & Style GMBH &
CO.KG, located in Heppenheim, Germany to distribute KARHU footwear in
both Germany and Austria. Run & Style also owns the renowned
running apparel brand, RONO and is well established in the German and
Austrian running specialty and sporting goods trade.
“KARHU, the
brand and KARHU's Fulcrum technology have a distinguished positioning
that many German runners fondly remember from a time when KARHU was the
number one running brand in both Germany and Austria. The updated
technology platform has again been embraced by a number of our leading
running specialist and the initial sell through has been remarkable,”
said Kai Marquardt, president of Sports & Style GMBH.
In
addition, KARHU also announced that it has reached an agreement with
Higro Srl, located near Bologna, Italy to distribute KARHU footwear
throughout Italy. The team behind Higro Srl combines over 20 years
experience in the Italian market from the Benetton Sports Group as well
as Puma.
“KARHU's iconic design language stands out in the
running shoe industry and has been embraced by the running specialist.
We look forward to re-creating the momentum of the brand one runner at
a time,” said Cinzia Pistore, CEO of Higro Srl.
This
distribution comes on the heels of a successful launch year in North
America. This distribution comes on the heels of a successful launch
year in North America. The brand has exceeded expectations and
continued to achieve success in the running specialty market. KARHU's
Fulcrum technology has been tested and tuned to deliver the best
Natural ride, a position that resonates strongly with today's runners.
