Endura bought by Speedo owner Pentland Brands

Pentland Brands, the owner of sports and fashion brands including swimwear business Speedo, has bought the cycle clothing firm, Endura.

Founded in 1993, Endura, which supplies the Movistar UCI WorldTour team, will continue to be based in Livingston, Scotland a be run by its existing management, who say t.he company will be able to expand its distribution and reach more customers.

It joins Speedo, outdoor supplier Berghaus, rugby specialist Canterbury of New Zealand, Mitre, Boxfresh, SeaVees, KangaROOS and Red or Dead in the brand line-up at Pentland, which is also active in footwear licensing and is the majority owner of the JD Sports chain.

Endura director Jim McFarlane, who founded the business, said: “Endura has been my life for 25 years, so I’m understandably protective of it and dismissed numerous other approaches in the past.

“Pentland stands out as an exceptional home for Endura, placing it within a family of world class brands under the umbrella of a family owned company that is long-term in its outlook and aligned with our culture and values.

“The innovation opportunities and the shared vision of manufacturing in Scotland that could extend to other Pentland brands in future, are both hugely exciting prospects to me.”

His fellow director, Pamela Barclay, said: “Pentland are passionate about brands and developing them over the long term.

“They’re absolutely committed to preserving our attitude and our authenticity.

“This is essential to a community as fervent as ours. We have, and will always remain All Tribes, One Clan.”

Chirag Patel, chief operating officer of Pentland Brands, commented: “We have a strong track record of nurturing brands that people love, so Endura is a great addition to our portfolio – we believe it has huge potential. 

“We’ll be supporting Jim, Pam and their team by giving them access to our extensive resources and network that, as a global brand management company, we can offer.

“There are so many opportunities in bringing Endura into Pentland Brands,” he continued.

“We’re both family owned, so we understand the importance of people and culture, and our brands focus on innovation and bringing disruptive ideas to market.

“We’re delighted to have the Endura team as part of our Pentland family.”

Pentland, which achieved sales of £2.9 billion in 2016,  is chaired by Stephen Rubin, whose family founded the company in Liverpool in 1932. It is now based in Fichley, north west London.