Head (company): Difference between revisions
Svgalbertian (talk | contribs) traded as OTC Pink |
|||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
| company_name = HEAD N.V. |
| company_name = HEAD N.V. |
||
| company_logo = [[Image:HEAD.svg|200px]] |
| company_logo = [[Image:HEAD.svg|200px]] |
||
| company_type = [[Public company|Public]] |
| company_type = [[Public company|Public]] |
||
| traded_as = {{WBAG|HEAD}}<br>{{OTC Pink|HEDYY}} |
|||
| foundation = 1950 ([[Baltimore, Maryland]], United States) |
| foundation = 1950 ([[Baltimore, Maryland]], United States) |
||
| company_slogan = |
| company_slogan = |
||
Revision as of 15:59, 5 May 2012
 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. (April 2012) |
 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| WBAG: HEAD OTC Pink: HEDYY | |
| Industry | sportswear and Sports equipment |
| Founded | 1950 (Baltimore, Maryland, United States) |
| Headquarters | Amsterdam, Netherlands (corporate), Kennelbach, Austria (operational) |
Key people | Johan Eliasch (CEO) |
| Products | Footwear Accessories sportswear |
| Revenue | €377.5 million (2006)[1] |
 €4.4 million (2006)[1] | |
Number of employees | 1,966 (2006)[1] |
| Website | Head.com |
Head N.V. (WBAG: HEAD) is a sports equipment and clothing company, known mainly for their alpine skis and tennis racquets. Founded as a ski company in Baltimore, Maryland, the company is currently headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Kennelbach, Austria. It is listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange and the Pink Sheets.
Head's tennis racquets are used by many top players such as Andre Agassi, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Goran Ivanišević, Amélie Mauresmo, Marat Safin, Tommy Haas, Richard Gasquet, Gilles Simon, Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Stanislas Wawrinka, Tomáš Berdych, Ivan Ljubičić, Mikhail Youzhny, Patty Schnyder, and many more. Roughly 30% of the Top 100 tennis players on the ATP Tour currently use Head tennis racquets. Their main rivals are Dunlop sport, Wilson, Prince, Völkl, Fischer, Babolat, Slazenger, Tecnifibre, and Yonex.
Head is also an industry leader in racquetball, where 6 of the top 10 players on the International Racquetball Tour use Head racquets, including current world #3 Jack Huczek and racquetball legend Sudsy Monchik. Apart from racquet sports, Head is also known for their diving equipment and skiing equipment. Most recently, Head had started making badminton racquets and bags.
History
The company was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1950 by Howard Head, after he took a ski trip and was astonished to see his skis were made of wood in an era when metals and plastics was replacing wood in many product designs. Head worked at the Glenn L. Martin Company where they used a form of aluminum and plastic laminate to build the fuselages of aircraft, and he felt the same material would make an ideal ski. After two years of constantly breaking skis, by the winter of 1950 they had a design that not only stayed together, but made turning dramatically easier.
The Head Standard would rapidly grow in sales through the 1950s, until it and other Head designs were capturing over 50% of the US market during the 1960s, making them the leading ski manufacturer in the U.S. and U.K.. Head resisted the change to fibreglass construction and was known for interfering in day-to-day operations. In 1967, Howard Head hired Harold Seigle as company president, and became the Chairman of the Board and CEO. Bored of the results, in 1969 Head sold the company to AMF in 1969, and took up tennis. He later bought a controlling interest in Prince Sports.
In the late Sixties, a tennis division was created when Howard Head figured out a way of strengthening the tennis racquet by introducing the aluminium frame. The idea became a success and was first introduced in the 1969 U.S. Open. After Howard Head's departure, one of the tennis players that Head sponsored, Arthur Ashe, won Wimbledon, defeating favored Jimmy Connors in 1975. Also during the 1970s, Head acquired a diving manufacturer, Mares, and a ski binding company, Tyrolia. While under AMF ownership, Head manufactured tennis racquets in Boulder, Colorado, and Kennelbach, Austria. Also in 1969, Head signed Olympic champion ski racer Jean-Claude Killy to endorse a new metal and fiberglass ski, the Killy 800. Head subsequently developed an entire product line of Killy skis.
In 1985, Minneapolis-based Minstar Inc. acquired Head through hostile takeover of AMF.[2] Two years later, Head started making athletic footwear, and introduced the "Radial Tennis Shoes". The following year, Head opened a new plant in Austria in order to produce more tennis racquets. In 1989, management bought out Head, Tyrolia, and Mares, to form HTM. The takeover was backed by private equity firm Freeman Spogli & Co. In 1993, HTM was sold to tobacco conglomerate Austria Tabak. Johan Eliasch, the current chairman, took over the company in 1995.
In 1997, Head created the first titanium and graphite tennis racquet. Over the next two years, Head acquired three more companies, DACOR, BLAX, and Penn. Penn tennis balls are used in many high profile tournaments worldwide, while Penn racquetballs are the official ball of the IRT and U.S. Racquetball Association. Penn once produced tennis balls and racquetballs in Phoenix, Arizona. In March 2009, Head shut down the Penn ball manufacturing factory. Now all tennis balls are produced in China.
In 2007, Head launched a more modern look for the brand and started making badminton gear, including racquets, bags, shoes, and apparel. They also modified their logo, using thicker type.
Licensees
Head licenses the following: Apparel, Bags, Bicycles, Eye-wear, Footwear, Gloves, Golf, Head-wear and Accessories, Skates, Socks, Toiletries, Watches, Underwear, Others, Balls and Fitness Equipment.[3]
Head sponsorships
Alpine Skiing World Cup
Men:
|
|
Women:
|
|
Notable former players
Men:
Women:
Tennis
|
Women:
|
|
Notable former players
Men:
|
|
Women:
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Annual Report 2006" (PDF). Head N.V. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
- ^ Daniels, Lee A. (15 June 1985). "AMF Agrees to Offer By Jacobs of $24 a Share". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ^ http://www.head.com/corporate/licenses.php
- ^ Aksel Lund Svindal - http://msn.tv2sporten.no/ovrig/lund-svindal-bytter-skimerke-faar-gullkantet-avtale-3182196.html
- ^ skiracing.com - May-2010
- ^ fisalpine.com - Apr-2011
External links
