PING Acquires Apparel Company
PING®, a leading designer and manufacturer of golf equipment since 1959, today announced the acquisition of PING Collection Europe (PCE) from Peter McGuigan, its former licensee responsible for designing and distributing PING-branded apparel, including outerwear, throughout Europe and other selected countries.
The acquisition was announced by Andy Solheim, PING’s Vice President of Business Development. Terms of the agreement were not released.
“Bringing PING Collection Europe under the PING corporate umbrella gives us even more opportunity to grow our position as a leader in the soft-goods categories worldwide,” said Solheim, who is responsible for managing PING’s business unit that also includes golf bags, headwear and accessories. “The McGuigan family has been a great steward for the PING brand. We move forward in a position of strength due to their success in building the PING apparel line into a market leader known for providing performance-driven golf apparel throughout Europe.”
The new company, PING Collection Limited, will remain in its current location in Cheadle, England. All employee contracts will transfer to the new company, which will be headed by Mike Forsey, GMM – Director of Strategic Planning, PING Soft Goods. The product creation center will continue to develop PING-branded apparel, which is distinguished by its high-performance fabrics marketed under the trademarks Sensor Cool™, Sensor Warm™ and Sensor Dry™.
“Our long-term strategy is to expand on PING’s reputation as a global golf brand that offers authenticity in every key golf product category,” Solheim added. “PING has significant opportunity for growth on the soft-goods side of the business. With our own apparel group, we can now leverage our success and efficiencies in Europe while continuing to provide golfers with apparel that delivers the quality and innovation that PING was founded on more than 50 years ago.”
