Owner of Canari Cyclewear buys Shebeest
Leemarc Industries, parent company of Canari Cyclewear, has acquired women’s cycling apparel brand Shebeest. Veltec, which previously owned Shebeest, had made public its intent to sell the brand earlier in 2011 when it announced that it was going out of business.
“We’re really excited about the acquisition,” said James Johnston of Leemarc Industries. “The brand has tremendous loyalty from a very devoted, consistent consumer base out there.”
Buying Shebeest allows the California apparel company to better reach women. Sales of women’s apparel haven’t been as strong as men’s or custom apparel for Canari.
Mr Johnston said that Leemarc will invest in the brand to rebuild it in the marketplace. Under Veltec, Shebeest had lost considerable market share due to delivery and fulfilment problems.
“Our network of both domestic and international manufacturers and sourcing, our distribution capabilities and our consistency on making sure we fulfil orders, all that has limited Shebeest’s opportunity is a thing of the past,” he said. “One thing it missed was solid operational support. We can give it that.”
