Liberty Mountain and Equinox signed an agreement to merge their distribution businesses. The transaction between these two long-time outdoor distributors is planned for completion in August 2007 after the Outdoor Retailer Trade Show. Under the terms of the agreement, Liberty Mountain's President, Gary Heward, will be President and Owner of the new combined Liberty Mountain/Equinox distribution company. Equinox's President, Robert (Robbie) Cross is retaining control and ownership of Equinox, LTD and will be continuing as President of the Equinox manufacturing operation. Liberty Mountain/Equinox under Heward will be the exclusive distributor of the Equinox brand in the Outdoor Industry.
The newly created Liberty Mountain/Equinox distribution company plans to continue to operate warehouses in both Salt Lake City, Utah and Williamsport, Pennsylvania for the foreseeable future. Cross's Equinox manufacturing facility will also remain in Williamsport.
“The new, combined Liberty Mountain/Equinox is being created in order to improve nationwide distribution service for all of our Outdoor Retail customers,” states Heward. Both companies offer a wide assortment of products, and the new entity plans to continue to support all the different product lines. In addition to the Equinox brand, they will continue to sell Vaude, Edelweiss, Singing Rock, Pieps, Outdoor Designs, Cypher, Ushba, Cava, Kong, Stubai, Stram, Trangia and all other exclusive brands that each of the companies currently distributes.
Heward adds further, “Rising freight costs have caused a drastic increase in the expense to ship all over the country. The two-warehouse structure will allow us to ship to our important customer base in the Eastern United States more quickly and at a lower cost. We feel this merger will benefit all.”
Current plans are to ship the entire product lines of both companies from each warehouse. Most of the US can be shipped in two days by ground freight from one of these two locations. Also, the shorter shipping distances will reduce the carbon footprint necessary to get products to the end user.
Cross comments, “This is an exciting new step for Equinox manufacturing, enabling us to focus considerably more energy toward design and production. We have been looking for some time to develop additional market share for Equinox branded outdoor gear. We believe that partnering with Liberty Mountain will give this effort a significant boost. The choice Equinox has made to manufacture in the United States is clearly choosing the more difficult route. Not taking the easy way is something everyone in this industry can relate to. Having Liberty Mountain's logistical and distribution resources will make the traveling of that path easier. Our two companies share a love of the outdoors and Outdoor Industry, and we are looking forward to a long and prosperous collaboration together.”
Another benefit of the merger will be an improved capability to ship Nalgene branded products throughout the United States. The Nalgene brand has experienced excellent growth during the past several years in large part due to its innovative colored polycarbonate bottles. Nalgene offers the broadest product assortment of any brand in the hydration market. The leak proof, virtually unbreakable Nalgene bottle¹s popularity has spawned many inferior knockoffs. However, the Nalgene brand remains the dominant leader in the specialty outdoor market because of its well-known name and its reputation for being the best, most reliable bottle available. Liberty Mountain/Equinox plans to carry large inventories of Nalgene in both of its warehouses to make availability fast and easy for all its customers.
Both Liberty Mountain/Equinox (Booth 14011) and Equinox, LTD (Booth 7050) plan to exhibit at the upcoming Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City August 9-12, 2007. Everyone is invited to visit their booths to find out more about the exciting plans for the future.
