Old Boots Buy Panties

Some late news - but that's what you get for going on holiday for two whole weeks - and it is that Lowe Alpine has been provisionally bought out from owners William Baird plc by Italian boot giants Asolo.

The deal has to be ratified by Baird's shareholders - the decision is due in early December - but assuming it goes through, the company will cost Asolo a reported £13.45 million. The rationale behind the deal is that the two brands will be complimentary, with one making technical boots and the other technical clothing and packs and provide potential advantages for both companies.

It's long been rumoured in the trade that Baird - a conglomerate best known for supplying M and S in the past, before a controversial falling out - has been seeking to offload Lowe, so the move comes as no great surprise. The company were also the main backers of late, lamented internet outdoor e-tailers 9feet.com which folded last year - see article link below.

Obviously all parties involved are making positive noises about the sale, but for the average Lowe or Asolo customer in the UK, it's unlikely to make much practical difference. Lowe Alpine will still be Lowe Alpine and Asolo will still be Asolo, though you might, in time, see cooperation over distribution.

More generally, it's all part of a general trend towards large, multinational gear companies and the accompanying economies of scale etc, if I remember my primary school economics.