Fairhaven, Massachusetts, United States: Acushnet Holdings Corp has acquired KJUS, a premium global ski and golf sportswear company.
The KJUS brand was born from an uncompromising commitment to performance, following brand namesake Lasse Kjus’s historic feat at the 1999 World Ski Championships, where he medalled in each of the championships’ five disciplines.
KJUS was co-founded with Didi Serena with a vision to make the finest and most technologically advanced skiwear and the belief that cutting edge innovation could lead to improved performance. Under his stewardship, KJUS has today grown to be a leader in technical performance wear.
Building
upon this technical performance and design expertise, KJUS entered the golf
outerwear and apparel markets less than a decade ago with a focus on comfort,
freedom of movement and all-weather protection, and it has since achieved a
loyal following with performance-minded golfers and a premium positioning at
leading golf shops worldwide.
“We have been impressed by KJUS’s success in golf apparel and are extremely
excited to bring KJUS into the Acushnet family,” said David Maher,
President and Chief Executive Officer, Acushnet Holdings Corp.
Maher added: “We see many similarities in our roots, with both our founders having turned their personal passions for a sport into a vision of product and performance excellence. This shared commitment to innovative, high-quality and performance-driven products lines up squarely with our company’s existing focus on the dedicated golfer.
“We
believe KJUS’s premium positioning in the ski and golf markets provides
significant opportunities as we work with current KJUS management to maximise
the brand’s potential.”
Serena, former KJUS Chairman, said: “From KJUS’s inception, our focus has been
on crafting the next generation of sportswear, constantly pushing the limits of
what’s possible.
“By
staying true to our unwavering dedication to innovation and craftsmanship, we
achieved great things in a relatively short time – and of this I am extremely
proud. Becoming part of such a like-minded company and associated with the
iconic Acushnet family of brands is a truly exciting next chapter for KJUS. We
believe this will open up significant growth opportunities and help the KJUS
brand to realise its full potential on the global sports apparel stage.”
Acushnet expects to continue to run KJUS’s operations from its global and North
American headquarters in Hünenberg, Switzerland and Boulder, Colorado.
The ski and golf divisions will be run by long-time company leaders Nico Serena and Brooke Mackenzie, respectively. Luke Reese, who has been instrumental in the establishment of the KJUS golf business, and Didi Serena will continue their involvement with the company as special advisors.