Schwan-Stabilo Group Acquires Ortovox

July 18, 2011 - PRLog -- As of July 01, 2011, the Schwan-STABILO group acquired ORTOVOX Sportartikel GmbH, headquartered in Taufkirchen, Germany, as part of the consistent expansion of the Schwan-STABILO Outdoor division. ORTOVOX is the market leader for avalanche safety products and manufacturer of expert-designed winter backpacks and functional sports clothing made from Merino wool.

Ortovox is proud to join the Schwan-STABILO family of brands. Having already achieved success in the cosmetics and writing instruments sectors, the Schwan-STABILO group of companies expanded into the Outdoor category with a 2006 acquisition of Deuter Sport GmbH & Co. K.

The acquisition of the ORTOVOX brand is consistent with the overall company vision and strategy of the parent company. For Sebastian Schwanhäußer, member of the Schwan-STABILO group Executive Board, the ORTOVOX brand is the perfect addition to their outdoor division, which currently includes Deuter. “The strong ORTOVOX brand not only gives us the opportunity to use and expand our knowledge of backpacks but also offers a great deal of potential for us in new markets.”

ORTOVOX will remain an independent company based in Taufkirchen, under the Schwan-STABILO umbrella. The position of Managing Director is being assumed by Christian Schneidermeier, who has been a key player at Ortovox in his role as Brand Manager for the last three years, who, in cooperation with his team, doubled sales during this period.

ORTOVOX has subsidiaries in Austria, USA and Canada, and is represented in 30 countries around the world. “We are the voice of the mountains and offer our customers premium-quality products that enable people to enjoy safe mountain experiences. We will now be able to strengthen and expand this core brand with a strong parent”, commented Schneidermeier.

ORTOVOX’s success story began in 1980 with the introduction of the revolutionary F2 avalanche transceiver. Since then, ORTOVOX has been at the forefront of developments and is the market leader for avalanche safety technology and products. In recent years, the backpack business stream has quickly expanded with unmistakable designs and attention to detail for the end-user. Major achievements have been made in the area of functional clothing. ORTOVOX uses fine Merino wool for every layer of apparel, offering a clothing system that is unique, functional and beautiful.

About the Schwan-STABILO group:
Swan (in German, Schwan): The swan has been the company’s brand image ever since its establishment. However, the animal symbol is more than just an allusion to the family name; it also represents purity and beauty.
o   1865 Gustav Adam Schwanhäußer purchased Großberger & Kurz, a heavily indebted pencil factory, in Nuremberg, Germany.
o   1927 The world’s first cosmetic pencil was developed and produced. The first eyebrow pencil was created from the dermatograph used by surgeons in operations to mark the skin.
o   1925 The chemist, August Schwanhäußer, succeeded in producing a pencil with highly break-resistant, or in other words stable, lead, and the STABILO brand was born.
o   1970 The 1970s saw the launch of the bestsellers STABILO Boss and the STABILO Point 88 fiber-tip pen.
o   At the same time, the still small cosmetics division expanded to include a second
o   1976 New name: the Schwan pencil factory was renamed Schwan-STABILO.
o   1995 The company relocated to the new head office in Heroldsberg near Nuremberg and was reorganized as a holding. 2006 Acquisition of backpack manufacturer Deuter. By entering the outdoor sector, the corporate structure gained a third pillar. For many years now, there had been a clear shift in company focus from production expertise to brand expertise. The acquisition of Deuter as a market leader in backpacks fit perfectly with this strategy. The focus was again on brand development on the basis of a quality product – as was the case for writing instruments and cosmetics.
o   2010 Corporate sales for the 2009/10 financial year was nearly half a Billion USD (as of June 30). Globally, the company employed a staff of 3,879, of which 1,645 were based in Germany. The Executive Board consisted of Sebastian Schwanhäußer and Ulrich Griebel.

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