UKC

Wild Country Bought by Salewa

© UKC Gear

The buzz at ISPO on Monday was all about the BIG news from Wild Country - rumours were going round that it had been sold. I managed to get the details from a delighted Martin Atkinson who told me that the Italian company Salewa had bought Wild Country to strengthen their gear range. Wild Country had been based in Llanberis for the last year or so in an awkward alliance with DMM. This deal now frees up both Wild Country and DMM to concentrate on what they do best - making great climbing gear.

The Wild Country Team at the Friedrichshafen Outdoor Show  © UKC Gear
The Wild Country Team at the Friedrichshafen Outdoor Show

Below is the Press release from Wild Country

Wild Country is pleased to announce that it has joined the Italian SALEWA group of companies. The move sees the mountain sports specialist from South Tyrol and the UK's leading rock climbing equipment manufacturer put the seal on a synergy of rock climbing expertise. The SALEWA name has been synonymous with alpine expertise for over 75 years. Bringing Wild Country into the SALEWA family enables it to add the UK company's in-depth specialist climbing knowledge to its own many years of mountain sport experience.

The SALEWA Group is the new owner of Wild Country. The link-up looks set for great success given that the mountain sports brand from Bolzano and the Tideswell climbing specialist share more than just a passion for climbing. Like SALEWA, Wild Country is an owner-managed company. It's no coincidence that both have their headquarters right in the shadows of the mountains. Wild Country will return to the centre of UK climbing, the much loved Peak District. SALEWA's HQ is in the heart of the Italian Dolomites.

Both firms trace their histories way back and are renowned for their innovative product ranges. They share a common ethos based on a commitment to clean climbing. Through the merge, the mountain sports specialist from South Tyrol continues to develop and grow its business. Wild Country brings an unparalleled heritage and technical knowledge to the mix and will reap the benefits of being part of a larger group.

Wild Country was the brainchild of climbing enthusiasts. It specialises in high-quality, technical rock climbing products. The product range encompasses gear for all climbing disciplines – trad, sports, bouldering, indoor and alpine. The English climbing specialist's products will continue to be proudly marketed under the Wild Country brand name.

"With the merger, we have combined two companies who speak the same language. It marks the realisation of a dream to have this genuine climbing gear brand on board", confirms Heiner Oberrauch, President of the SALEWA Group.

The Wild Country brand is, with immediate effect, a member of the Salewa Group portfolio alongside the brands Salewa, Dynafit, Silvretta and Pomoca.




5 Feb, 2012
Very interesting, I guess they are buying Wild Country for the name and market entry. Technical expertise My arrse, all of Wild Countries key products are made and designed by DMM. Does Salewa make its own stuff? I know they have cams and nuts in the Salewa range, the nuts look like the typical serial copied zero-g nuts.
6 Feb, 2012
Salewa makes very good soft products. I have a down bag by them and its great. They make some hardware but its crap. This is good news for wild country as they have been asleep at the wheel for a while, and Salewa are pretty turned on when it comes to marketing on mainland EU.
6 Feb, 2012
Well please say a little more as I don't get your point. I presume you are saying that there is something wrong with mad rock harnesses - but what exactly?
6 Feb, 2012
Have to admit that I havent had a look at these for years, but they always had an inferiori quality feel about them. This doesnt mean that they werent safe, buti n coparisons to other brands.... Yeah, Salewas core stuff is soft goods, feels like the hardware is mainly made and designed by others and just added to their range...
6 Feb, 2012
Scarab, your comments are ill informed, somewhat wide of the mark and fairly disengenuous to everyone who works at Wild Country. Wild Country manufacture some gear at DMM as well as some other places but like in most manufacturing processes we create drawings and models - using an independent designer - from concepts and ideas that Wild Country personnel create. Wild Country has a wealth of experience and technical knowledge and consistently has produced innovative and exceptional gear. Some recent examples would be Zero Friends, Rockcentrics, Helium biners - all of which were world beating and superb technical concepts. If you were correct and Wild Country had no technical know-how did you think DMM just invented some world beating products and then gave them to Wild Country to sell? For sure Wild Country have utilised DMM's manufacturing skill but as several of DMM's people were shareholders in WC then that's not surprising. However, the ideas and the concepts through to the drawings are always done before the manufacturing process is started - and that is a large part of the 'technical expertise' - to come up with an idea and get it into a position where it can be manufactured. Wild Country is a vibrant and skilled company with committed personnel who value creativity and take immense pride in their work and their ability to innovate and create new and exciting products - something for which we are renowned.
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