Rossignol Group sells Raidlight and Vertical Brands back to founder
Rossignol Group has sold Raidlight and Vertical activities to Benoît Laval. According to the agreement, all of the two brands’ activities go to Mr Laval, who founded Raidlight, except for Outdoor Experiences activities.
In retaining Outdoor Experiences, the group said it is determined to support those activities in the region as they “diversify, develop and promote their tourist destination around outdoor sports”.
According to a statement from Mr Laval, Raidlight and Vertical are remaining in Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse in the Alps and that customers are “always welcome to come both to test the products and to visit the store, Made in France factory, and spend a few hours or a few days running or hiking, the head office being the departure station for marked trails, showers, changing rooms”.
He also said that, despite excitement around the purchase, there is “no triumphalism” in the current and imminent economic climate. “We are very careful,” he said, “and we will have to be thrifty, agile, and innovative.”
All employment contracts for Raidlight and Vertical employees will be transferred to Benoît Laval, and Rossignol Group will provide accounting, logistics and IT support as Mr Laval launches the business.
“The acquisition of Raidlight-Vertical in 2016 [reflected] the shift from our winter-season model to a four-season strategy that covered mountain activities all year round,” said Bruno Cercley, Rossignol Group president and CEO.
The group now provides mountain enthusiasts with the shoes, clothes and technical accessories needed for their sport or activity, he said. Outdoor Experiences “enables us to enrich the customer relationship by offering, in addition to equipment, certified activity resorts for a complete experience”.
Image: Rossignol.
