Bauer Performance Sports acquires Combat Sports

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Bauer Performance Sports to Acquire Assets of Combat Sports

Leading Composite Technologies to Strengthen and Expand Multi-Brand Sports Portfolio

EXETER, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- (Marketwired) -- 04/11/13 -- Bauer Performance Sports Ltd. (TSX:BAU) ("Bauer") today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Combat Sports("Combat"), a leading designer of composite baseball and softball bats, hockey sticks and lacrosse shafts. The acquisition will provide Bauer with advanced composite technologies and strong intellectual property to further strengthen its industry-leading research and development capabilities across its platform of high-performing sports equipment.

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=242945&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1805731&highlight=

If you guys haven't realized by now, you can't think of Bauer as just a hockey brand. This is to enter the baseball/softball market.

Don't expect anything to be done with the hockey side; Combat doesn't have anything proprietary in the hockey category; sticks and gloves are made for them.

[iceman8310 106]

will jagr be using Bauer sticks now? He's been a combat guy the last few years

[shafted 6]

wow, Bauer seem to be buying companies every 6 months! not sure if all this buying up smaller companies is a good thing...

[AIREAYE 248]

Diversify and Conquer.I wonder how they're going to position Combat's, (shafts), Maverik's (everything except for helmets) and Cascade's brands in the long run. Continue to operate them separately, or consolidate?

I would guess that Combat's recent bankruptcy filing played a part in this acquisition? Vulnerability? Easier/cheaper way for Bauer to get into LAX?

[AIREAYE 248]

I see this more as a move into baseball and softball. Bauer has no want to pursue their hockey or lacrosse products.

Wonder what this does to the future of MF...

Indeed. What's/who's MF? Michael Ferland?

Do you think that in the future, BPS will attempt to enter football (soccer)?

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

wow, Bauer seem to be buying companies every 6 months! not sure if all this buying up smaller companies is a good thing...

Combat went bankrupt.

Indeed. What's/who's MF? Michael Ferland?

Yes, Michel Ferland

I would guess that Combat's recent bankruptcy filing played a part in this acquisition? Vulnerability? Easier/cheaper way for Bauer to get into LAX?

They're already in Lax with Maverik/Cascade. Combat is a well-known brand in baseball/softball. Combat makes bats in Canada.

[AIREAYE 248]

Yeah sorry, you're right. I meant baseball rather than LAX; just groggily woke up.

So now they'll be competing with Easton on 3 fronts. I'm not familiar with the baseball/softball industries, but isn't Easton a major player alongside the likes of Rawlings & Mizuno?

[Chadd 916]

There is no room left in hockey to grow their market share, they need to find other ways to increase their revenues through expansion into other areas. Publicly traded companies need to keep growing or they die.

[PMurphy17 25]

They are already in soccer via Inaria.

The issue in soccer will be how retailers receive Bauer mowing retailers grass with their direct to association business.

BPS sure seems like a company that is algining itself to increase the amount of business they do directly with the end consumer.

[PMurphy17 25]

There is no room left in hockey to grow their market share, they need to find other ways to increase their revenues through expansion into other areas. Publicly traded companies need to keep growing or they die.

Baseball Supplier base is hockey of the Late 90's/early 2000's. Far too many fighting for scraps with everyone making gloves that have remained similar in features for decades. Plus there are a ton of brands that make product in niche categories.

Ask Warrior how easy it is to get Soccer business in against Adidas, Nike & Puma.

[DEATHTRON 19]

What do we think this means for my custom blades that came from combat??? Anyone know if True Temper will sell direct to a consumer?

No wonder I have not heard back from them in the last week.

Here we go again!

Zach

[DEATHTRON 19]

I see. Thats one nail in the coffin. I have contacted them (well, facebook messaged them, it is all that I could find) in hopes that they will direct me to another consumer who will let me place orders through. I hope that in some way shape or form, that I can still get my blades from them, as I really enjoyed them, and I do not want to pay another mold fee.

Le sigh. I always thought combat would go out of business when I had to get new blades.

Zach

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Time for that chargeback...

[chippa13 1844]

Yeah sorry, you're right. I meant baseball rather than LAX; just groggily woke up.

So now they'll be competing with Easton on 3 fronts. I'm not familiar with the baseball/softball industries, but isn't Easton a major player alongside the likes of Rawlings & Mizuno?

Easton is huge with baseball bats. Aluminum baseball bats is what got them into the stick game. They made an aluminum stick for some company looking to produce them and decided to get into the game themselves.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Well, archery got them involved in everything, period.

The "some company" would be Christian.

[chippa13 1844]

Thanks, it was going to drive me crazy trying to remember which company it was.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

I'm sure someone else could fill us in if correction is needed, but I think the situation was that Christian used them as an OEM but never patented the concept, which allowed Easton to go ahead and make it themselves then shut them out.

[MC917 2]

Yeah sorry, you're right. I meant baseball rather than LAX; just groggily woke up.

So now they'll be competing with Easton on 3 fronts. I'm not familiar with the baseball/softball industries, but isn't Easton a major player alongside the likes of Rawlings & Mizuno?

I play baseball so I feel I've got some knowledge in this.

Easton, Rawlings, and Mizuno are the three major companies in baseball. Easton is the most popular in terms of bats, Rawlings and Mizuno duke it out for gloves. Quite frankly, Rawlings is the most popular due to their selection and Mizuno charges way too much. Combat is growing in terms of bat sales. If Bauer can use some of their stick technology in baseball bats, they might have something to go with.

[gxc999 7]

This absolutely stinks. There's less and less competition in the gear world by the day. Sande made some of my favorite gloves and Combat makes some of my favorite sticks, gone and gone.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

This absolutely stinks. There's less and less competition in the gear world by the day. Sande made some of my favorite gloves and Combat makes some of my favorite sticks, gone and gone.

Combat did it to themselves...mind you, they were bought at bankruptcy auction.

[HockeySavants 5]

This is good news, considering that Bauer Performance divested itself in 2008.

So if I'm not missing anything:

Mission-Itech

Cooper

Cascade

Combat

Maverik

Have all been aquired by Bauer throughout the years.

[mickz 107]

^^ They recently bought Inaria as well in an attempt to build up their jersey business.

[gxc999 7]

Combat did it to themselves...mind you, they were bought at bankruptcy auction.

I know you're right, and had heard that they were bad off but it still sucks. The crazy thing is just how damned good their sticks were, in terms of performance/durability, they matched ANYTHING on the market. Blades were tremendous, just amazing. I certainly worried with how high the MSRPs on some of their top end stuff was. But even if the 52 Cals had only been $150 from the release, I doubt they'd have sold well. People are simply not giving anything a chance unless it is stamped with one of four brand names in the stick world right now.

The Farrell Sig Series Stick was quite good too, and it was on the market all of 10 seconds. Sande appears to be MIA as well, it's depressing the shit out of me right now man.

[mickz 107]

It's hard to fight the big brands for shelf space. Stores forecast and book based on how much and what they think they can sell. Very few customers will be willing to take a chance on a lesser known brand in the same price range as the big boys. Off topic a bit but I like CCM/Reebok's current tactics into getting as many LHS staff to try their gear; which will hopefully translate into increased sales.

As for Sande, they've been gone for a while. They should've just stuck with gloves. They diluted their brand and went astray when they began to stamp their name on Chinese pants and sticks.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

This is good news, considering that Bauer Performance divested itself in 2008.

So if I'm not missing anything:

Mission-Itech

Cooper

Cascade

Combat

Maverik

Have all been aquired by Bauer throughout the years.

Cooper?

That was a different scenario then; you had a consortium of hockey brands (Canstar) which then conglomerated with Nike and fell all under Bauer.