The B.O.S.S. Report, the weekly newsletter produced by The SportsOneSource Group that covers the Bike, Outdoor and Snow Sports market, is reporting this morning that The Timberland Company is in the process of closing down its nascent Miōn and GoLite outdoor footwear lines. The move is seen as a sudden reversal of its multi-branded outdoor specialty strategy launched three years ago as the company struggles with challenges at its Timberland brand. The Smartwool, IPath, and Howies businesses are not affected by the decision as they are stand-alone businesses that are managed separately.
Timberland said the decision came early last week after efforts to sell the brands failed. The company will inform dealers of the decision in coming weeks and has indicated they will back warranties on the products and work with retailers to sell through spring inventory.
Timberland shifted its thought process with the launch of its first non-Timberland product line when it partnered with Martin Keen, founder of the wildly popular Keen brand, to design and develop the Mîon brand in 2005.
Timberland acquired certain assets of GoLite LLC, including trademarks, in June 2006 and launched a trail running line of footwear. They licensed the GoLite name back to the brands founders for apparel and equipment. That license is apparently unaffected by the shutdown of the footwear business.
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