Amer Sports, the Finnish parent company of French bicycle component manufacturer Mavic, has confirmed that it is exploring options for the business, including a possible “divestiture” – financial-speak for a likely sale to a trade buyer, management team, or financial investor.
Founded in 1889, Mavic pioneered the aluminium rim, which it introduced in 1926 and since 1973 it has provided neutral service for races such as the Tour de France, where its bright yellow vehicles are a familiar sight. Over the years Mavic-equipped bikes have helped propel riders such as Greg Lemond to victory.
More recently, Mavic, whose products are used by a host of amateur and professional riders across all disciplines, has diversified into performance clothing and footwear.
However, 2009 has been a difficult year for the company, which is based in Annecy, the site of the final individual time trial in this year’s Tour de France. In January, the company announced a voluntary recall of its flagship R-SYS wheels following concerns that the carbon tubular spokes of the front wheel “may break during use in certain circumstances”.
And last month, Amer Sports, which also owns the winter sports brand Salomon and tennis and golf equipment manufacturer Wilson, among others, announced that Mavic’s sales had slumped by 15% in local currency during the first six months of 2009. Mavic achieved full-year sales of €114.2 million in 2008.
I've quoted Chris' account. Point stands that pedestrians are also a risk if you're in the TT position, with view impinged if not fully head-down ...
You must keep a helluva spreadsheet somewhere, wtjs!
Then smash bad driving behaviour very hard...
Nice advisory cycle lanes there (broken lines) - what do they mean? Absolutely nothing!...
The original estimate on the Merckx jersey seemed very low to me (I would have been tempted at just over £800).
I have a Nightrider and it's all reflective from the hips down at the back. Yes the Phantom is black from below the shoulder blades but the arms...
Calls for Oxfordshire transport chief to resign blocked...
That one was completely different though, it was a driver not a car as in the other 3. So 1 in 4 of the stories manage to follow reporting guidelines.
Absolutely they could have. Tarmac is a petroleum-based product and its surface can be very oily when it's newly laid. This is particularly the...
I'm glad the article went into more detail and cleared things up, the headline had me worried that some autonomous building had run rampant and...