Wilson Sporting Goods Completes Acquisition Of Louisville Slugger Brand

CHICAGO, April 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilson Sporting Goods, Co., a division of Amer Sports Corporation, announced today it has completed its acquisition of the Louisville Slugger brand from Hillerich & Bradsby, Co., (H&B). With the close of this acquisition, Wilson retains global brand, sales and innovation rights to the Louisville Slugger brand. The Company will now offer one of the sporting goods industry's most comprehensive and technologically-advanced performance product portfolios to baseball and softball players around the world.

Under the terms of the agreement, which was announced in March, H&B is now the exclusive manufacturing partner of Louisville Slugger-branded wood bats for Wilson. H&B will manufacture Louisville Slugger wood bats at its downtown factory in Louisville. H&B also continues to own and operate the historic Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory and Gift Shop.

"The addition of Louisville Slugger to our growing baseball and softball business allows us to strengthen our current offerings and play a central role in the wood bat business," said Mike Dowse, President of Wilson Sporting Goods.  "We now have a leading position in these exciting sports, and multiple new reasons to connect with recreational, avid and pro baseball players."

Like its DeMarini brand, Wilson plans to market and sell Louisville Slugger as a stand-alone brand, preserving the iconic heritage and roots of the brand globally. The Company intends to accelerate new research and technology initiatives for its bat brands to support every type and level of baseball and softball player.

Wilson manufactures and sells high performance gloves, bats, uniforms, apparel, protective gear, accessories, and player development equipment and training tools through its Wilson, DeMarini and ATEC brands. With the acquisition of the Louisville Slugger brand, Wilson now provides the Official Glove and the Official Bat of Major League Baseball^®.

About Wilson Sporting Goods, Co.
Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods Co., a division of Amer Sports Corporation, is one of the world's leading manufacturer of sports equipment, apparel and accessories. Wilson is a global leader in high performance products for baseball and softball athletes and uses player insights to develop products that push equipment innovation into new territories. In the sports of baseball and softball, Wilson currently makes and sells high performance gloves, bats, uniforms, apparel, protective gear, accessories, and player development equipment and tools through its Wilson, DeMarini, Louisville Slugger and ATEC brands. Through the Company's dedication to creating products that enable athletes at every level to perform at their best, Wilson has earned its place as a leader in sporting goods for over a century.

SOURCE Wilson Sporting Goods, Co.