Karhu Holding Awards Ski License To Startex Oy

Sept. 13, 2012 - PRLog -- Karhu Holding announced today that the company has awarded Startex Oy of Lahti Finland the exclusive licensing rights to the Karhu ski brand.

“With the addition of the ski rights, Karhu Holding now controls both a growing footwear and a growing ski business, says Huub Valkenburg, CEO of Karhu Holding. “We can now look to future with complete confidence.” Karhu Holding is the owner of the Karhu ski brand and Karhu Nordic AB, its distribution company in Sweden. Startex is the current footwear agent for Karhu Nordic in Finland.

Startex will now market both Karhu footwear and skis in Finland, and will coordinate the Karhu ski distribution in the Nordic and European region in close cooperation with Karhu Nordic and its current Startex partners.

Jukka Jarvinen, CEO of Startex Oy says, "The Karhu ski brand has tremendous credibility and is a natural fit for our business model. Over the past several years, Karhu skis, ski boots and poles have seen significant growth and we look forward to continuing the momentum.”  Jarvinen goes on to say that the Karhu ski brand is also a natural complement to Startex’ own Start Wax and Pole product lines.  Startex Oy has appointed Harri Alaltonen, currently export manager for Startex and former Nordic product manager at Atomic Ski, to lead the development of the Karhu ski brand.

"With the addition of Karhu skis, Startex and Karhu Nordic are now uniquely positioned to support our Nordic retail partners with counter-seasonal products — footwear for the spring and summer, and skis for winter and fall,” says Goran Bergsten, GM of Karhu Nordic AB. “Startex has done a terrific job of growing awareness and loyalty for Karhu footwear in Finland. Now they can use our skis to create year-round customer engagement with one of Finland’s most legendary brands.”

ABOUT KARHU:
Karhu, Finnish for bear, is Finland's legendary sports brand. Founded in 1916, the company’s footwear and skis set the standard for technology-driven efficiency - The hallmark of Finnish design philosophy and an integral component of performance. Karhu skis and footwear are sold globally through specialty retailers.  Karhu Holding, B.V. is the parent company to Karhu Nordic AB. For more information on the ski brand, visit www.karhuski.fi.