Rollerblade brand skates over to Tecnica - Hardlines - Brief Article

DSN Retailing Today, March 24, 2003

Italy's Benetton Group reached an agreement to sell its Rollerblade business to the Tecnica Group, the same company that recently acquired Benetton's Nordica brand. The announcement came one month after a deal involving the sales of Rollerblade to The Hockey Company, known for its CCM and KOHO brands, fell through.

News of the Rollerblade deal comes as sales of inline skates continue to slide. After becoming wildly popular in the mid-'90s, manufacturer sales of inline skates peaked in 1996 at $625 million, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. The next year, Benetton bought the Rollerblade brand along with brands such as Nordica, Prince and Killer Loop as the apparel company sought to diversify into sports equipment. Inline skating sales have since declined steadily and this year sales are projected to total $195 million.

Next up on Benetton's list of brands to divest is Prince Sports Group division, which includes tennis and golf equipment and apparel.