Fila (company)
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| Private | |
| Industry | |
| Founded |
Biella, Italy 1911 |
| Headquarters | Seoul, South Korea |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Products | |
| Parent | Fila South Korea |
| Website | www |
Fila, Inc. is a South Korean sporting goods company. It is one of the world's largest sportswear manufacturing companies.
Fila was founded in 1911 in Italy, but since a takeover in 2007 by Fila Korea, Fila is now owned and operated from South Korea. Headed by chairman and CEO Yoon-Soo Yoon, Fila has offices in 11 countries worldwide.
Fila was created in Biella, Italy, by the Fila brothers in 1909. It originally started by making clothing for the people of the Italian Alps, now manufacturing sportswear for men, women, kids and athletes.
The company's primary product was originally underwear, before moving into sportswear in the 1970s, initially with the endorsement of tennis player Björn Borg. The brand got more popular after moving into sportswear.
The original Italian ownership shop Holding di Partecipazioni sold the company to US hedge fund Cerberus Capital Management in 2003, after the company over-committed itself to expensive athletic endorsements, at a time when margins were under pressure. Cerberus owned Fila through holding company Sports Brands International, which owned and operated all Fila businesses around the world with the exception of Fila Korea, which was a separate company operating the brand under licence.
In January 2007, the global Fila brand and all its international subsidiaries were acquired by Fila Korea from SBI, which made it the largest South Korean sportswear company. Fila Korea currently holds all of the rights to the worldwide use of footwear and clothing brands of the parent firm.
In 2009, ANTA Sports acquired the rights to use the brand in China (the company "Full Prospect"), from Belle International, Fila Korea still owned 15% shares of the joint venture company "Full Prospect".
On May 2011, Fila Korea Ltd. acquired global golf equipment maker Acushnet Company, becoming the new owner of leading golf brands such as Titleist for $1.23 billion.
The women's Fila line of sportswear includes clothing for such sports as tennis, running, cross training, golf, swimming, and Fila's own line of vintage clothing.
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Wikipedia