VISTA, CA (BRAIN)—Zoot Sports has been acquired by K2 Sports. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
According to Zoot Sports chief executive officer Brian Enge, Zoot had been looking for a new owner the last four months because of the company’s tremendous growth the past four years—when Enge and his business partners took over.
“The complexity just grows when you get bigger,” Enge said. “From an operational and financial side we were looking for a partner.” Zoot grew more than 67 percent in sales 2008.
Enge said a handful of companies were interested in Zoot, but that Seattle-based K2 Sports was the perfect fit, with both companies putting an emphasis on “great products and great service.” Moreover, Zoot will fill a seasonal void for K2, which is best known as a snowsports company, Enge added. K2 Sports is owned by the Jarden Corporation, which purchased the company in 2007 for $1.2 billion. K2 Sports' brands include Adio, ExOfficio, JT Sports, Marker, Marmot, Penn and Rawlings.
“We are extremely proud of what we have all achieved in growing Zoot in the last several years, due to the hard work and dedication of all of our staff,” Enge said. “We are excited to enter a new chapter in our company’s history and we will benefit from the ability to tap into a best-in-class partner with strong operating capabilities and a similar commitment to quality and innovation.”
Zoot will be staying in Vista led by Enge and his team of 20 employees.
“We are excited to welcome Zoot to our family,” said Robert Marcovitch, chief executive officer of K2 Sports. “Zoot is a fast-growing brand whose shared dedication to innovation and quality make them a terrific fit for us and we look forward to their continued growth and expansion into new product categories and geographies.”
Founded in Kona, Hawaii, in 1983, Zoot Sports specializes in triathlon race day apparel and has grown to be a premier endurance multisports brand focused on apparel, wetsuits and accessories to outfit athletes in each discipline of the sport—swim, bike and run.
—Jason Norman
