Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation announced its newest licensing agreement with Nissho Iwai General Merchandise Corporation of Japan for the design, manufacture and distribution of men’s and women’s apparel that will bear the Smith & Wesson name.
The agreement with Nissho Iwai General Merchandising Corporation is the first of Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation’s licenses which expands the brand into international markets. Nissho Iwai General Merchandise Corporation will manufacture and sell custom designed screen printed t-shirts and apparel for consumers in the Japan market.
“The Smith & Wesson brand is a worldwide icon,” said Mitchell Saltz, chairman and CEO of Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. “Our entry into the Japanese market demonstrates the international demand for American brands and further validates the licensing opportunity for the Company.”
Nissho Iwai General Merchandising Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nissho Iwai Corporation, a $41 billion Japanese conglomerate. Nissho Iwai is a major distributor of Smith & Wesson firearms in Japan for the law enforcement and military markets.
“We are very pleased that our longstanding association as a distributor of Smith & Wesson handguns in Japan is expanding,” said Takemasa Inomata, apparel sales manager for Nissho Iwai General Merchandise Corporation. “The Smith & Wesson brand is very well known and highly regarded in Japan. We expect this to be a very successful strategic alliance.”
