BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Madison has announced that from the end of this season it will cease being the exclusive distributor for all currently distributed Easton Bell Sports brands.
The news comes despite a long relationship, spanning several different management teams at Easton Bell Sports and having grown the Giro helmet brand 20 fold in the UK during Madison’s tenure.
The distributor said: "Madison is unable to support the future strategic direction of the Giro brand and with the brand still badly damaged within our territory by the significant grey imports of helmets during 2012 which were never originally destined for the European Economic area, it has been decided that it is time to go our own ways.
"As part of a Madison strategic review of the brands we carry and suppliers with whom we want to work, we have also decided to exit from Bell, Blackburn, Giro snow, Easton EXP and CoPilot on the same timeline as Giro.
"We will continue to supply and support our customers with these brands as best we can during this time."
Madison CEO Dominic Langan added: “Madison has worked tirelessly to build the EBS brands in the UK over many years so it is of course sad to come to an end of this particular chapter in our history. However, Madison’s strategy is to embrace exciting opportunities and to work with new progressive international brands and to build for them a successful, long term and sustainable business in the UK and Republic of Ireland, always with the best interests of our customers in mind.”
