Polo (company)

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Polo Motorrad und Sportswear GmbH

logo
legal form GmbH
founding 1980
Seat Juchen
management Jutta Warmbier
Number of employees > 897 (March 2015)
sales € 120 million (2014/15)
Branch retail trade
Website https://www.polo-motorrad.de

The Polo Motorrad und Sportswear Group ( own spelling POLO ) is a German company based in Jüchen . The company is one of the leading suppliers of motorcycle clothing, accessories and technology. The retail is the business core of the group, which operates more than 95 branches in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In addition, there is the online mail order business, which is processed via the central warehouse at the company location in Jüchen. According to its own information, the company employs around 900 people and generated sales of 120 million euros in the 2014/15 financial year.

history

The Polo Express Shipping was founded in March 1980 by Klaus Esser and Ulrich Kues in Willich-Schiefbahn . The range was initially limited to four jackets, three pants and two pairs of gloves. The products were marketed through brochures and newspaper supplements.

In May 1980 Esser and Kues opened a shop on the “Bikermeile” in Düsseldorf . The collection included helmets and boots for the first time in 1981.

Increasing motorcycle registrations and the strong growth of the motorcycle industry favored the company's rapid growth in the 1980s. Therefore, in 1983, the company relocated to Viersen in larger premises.

In 1984 the first own catalog for motorcycle clothing was published. In keeping with the spirit of the times, leather jackets and lederhosen determined the range. In addition, during the year the company expanded its range to include accessories, technology, wear and spare parts.

POLO central warehouse in Jüchen

In 1985 the company began its first season as a full-range supplier . For the first time, the annual catalog contained the entire range of Polo products.

In 1996, the headquarters moved to Düsseldorf with administration, warehouse and logistics.

In 2008 the new European headquarters in Jüchen was completed. The head office includes warehouse, dispatch, administration, store, warehouse sales and catering. From the central warehouse, Polo supplies the branches in Germany and Switzerland with goods. The new company premises have a total area of ​​around 80,000 square meters.

The company filed for bankruptcy in 2011 . In the following year, the investment companies Paragon Partners , based in Munich, Tempus Capital, based in Königstein (Taunus), and a British private investor bought Polo Motorrad und Sportswear GmbH. In the period from 2012 to 2015, the company was extensively restructured and reorganized. As a result, the company recorded significant sales growth.

In February 2015, the financial investors sold Polo Motorrad to the British private equity company Equistone Partners Europe .

Products and own brands

The company develops and tests jackets, trousers, gloves and boots for motorcycles and leisure in its in-house design department. Many products are also certified by TÜV . Behind this quality process are complex test criteria that have to be met. The Polo range includes around 46,000 items in the motorcycle clothing, motorsport equipment, helmets, accessories, technology, tools, camping, luggage, leisurewear, books and gift items segments. In addition to numerous own brands, the motorcycle outfitter offers a wide range of renowned retail goods. There is also online trading with a bike database . This lists more than 3,500 motorcycle, scooter and quad models with around 280,000 records.

The best-known own brands of the Polo Motorrad and Sportswear Group include:

  • Helmets: Nexo
  • Clothing and shoes: FLM, Firefox, Drive, Pharao, Thermoboy, Spirit-Motors, Mohawk, Road, Hellfire
  • Protectors: Safe-Max
  • Technology and equipment: Bikecare, Hi-Q Tools, Q-Bag, Hashiru, Racing Dynamic

Web links

Commons : Polo (company)  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jutta Warmbier new CEO at Polo Motorrad . tourenfahrer.de. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  2. ↑ Polo Motorrad: record year with sales of 120 million euros . bikeundbusiness.de, November 12, 2015. Accessed May 8, 2019.
  3. ↑ Boerse-go.de ( Memento of the original from February 26, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Equistone: Strong deal flow expected for 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.boerse-go.de
  4. ↑ POLO Expressversand GmbH Marke-Niederrhein.de ( Memento from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Like a family with gasoline in their blood. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  5. ↑ POLO celebrates the anniversary weekend polo-motorrad.de. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  6. ↑ Polo-Motorrad.de POLO company history. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  7. ↑ POLO Express Shipping is celebrating its 30th birthday . bikeundbusiness.de. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  8. ^ Polo: motorcycle, music, marketing . Rheinische Post, March 18, 2010. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  9. ↑ Motorcycle outfitter Polo is broke . Handelsblatt , December 7, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  10. ↑ POLO Motorrad relies on a sustainable growth strategy. Mittelstand-Nachrichten.de, February 2, 2015 Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  11. ↑ Polo Motorrad sees the most successful season in history . BikeundBusiness.de, June 30, 2014. Accessed May 8, 2019.
  12. ↑ Polo Motorrad sold to Equistone Partners Europe . bikeundbusiness.de, February 2, 2015. Accessed May 8, 2019.
  13. ↑ POLO Motorrad wants to go back to its roots . Auto.de, June 30, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  14. ↑ The new POLO bike database . MotorradReise.tv, October 22, 2014. Accessed May 8, 2019.
  15. ↑ Equistone acquires POLO Motorrad und Sportswear GmbH . Legal Tribune Online, February 3, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  16. ↑ POLO Sport's own brand FLM