Last time I looked, Columbia 300 license the AMF brand name.
Not that it matters much, but anyway...
AMF TO LICENSE BRAND NAME TO COLUMBIA
Agreement Covers Bowling Balls, Bags, and Other Consumer Products
Richmond, Virginia, May 5, 2003 - AMF Bowling Products, Inc. announced today that it has licensed the AMF brand to Columbia Industries, Inc. for the manufacturing and marketing of bowling balls, bags, pro shop accessories, and other bowling consumer products.
The agreement goes into effect on July 1, 2003. The length of the agreement is five years with an option for an additional five years based on performance achievements. Financial terms were not disclosed. From a corporate organizational standpoint, AMF Consumer Products will operate as a division of Columbia Industries, Inc.
"Columbia has been a great partner for AMF as an innovative, high-quality supplier who we think will continue making an excellent AMF-branded product and be able to support the brand in the way it deserves," said Ron Wood, General Manager of AMF's Consumer and Support Products Division. "There isn't enough margin in the ball business to be successful when you're not the manufacturer, especially since so much of the volume has shifted to the entry and mid-level price points. Our agreement should allow us to effectively exploit AMF's tremendous brand equity with the potential for profitability for both companies"
Mike Allbritton, President of Columbia 300, is equally enthusiastic about the prospects of success: "Our plans are to manufacture, market and support a full line of AMF-branded products, and to give the AMF-licensed division a lot of operating autonomy within our corporation. We're already looking at hiring a couple of Pros to help us with marketing, and we're exploring some customized product offerings for different geographic regions."
"We are also fully committed to our distributor network, and we've made the decision to sell our AMF products through distributors with a very competitive pricing structure," continued Allbritton. "Columbia's entire business culture is very much relationship-based which has worked to the advantage of all our business partners, from our employees to our vendors right through to our customers."
"The plan is to more fully develop the approximately 300 pro shops in AMF bowling centers as retail points, take advantage of the tremendous consumer reach of AMF centers, and optimize the international distribution network of AMF Bowling Products, " added Ron Wood. "At the end of the day, this agreement allows each company to focus on what it does best."
John Walker, Chief Operating Officer of AMF Bowling Products, believes the Columbia agreement is another demonstration that AMF is taking a new and more aggressive approach to the business: "We are absolutely committed to our mission of offering only high quality products at the right price and with the right service. I can't think of a better business partner than Columbia to help us achieve that goal in the consumer products area."
AMF Bowling Worldwide Inc. is the world's largest owner and operator of bowling centers and is also a leader in the manufacturing and marketing of bowling and billiards products. Additional information about AMF is available on the Internet at
www.amf.com.
Located in San Antonio, Texas, Columbia 300 is the leading manufacturer, marketer and innovator of bowling balls, with distribution in all 50 states and approximately 30 countries internationally. Columbia maintains the most extensive research and development in the industry and is known as a quality and performance leader in both its bowling ball and accessories businesses.
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Regards,
jensm
Edited on 11/29/2004 12:57 PM
