Exel Sports Oy and Björn Dählie agree on international strategic partnership

Press release 18 July 2007

Exel Sports Oy and Björn Dählie agree on international strategic partnership

Exel Sports Oy and Björn Dählie with his company BJ SPORT in Norway have agreed on expanding their international partnership in the field of distribution.

It has been agreed that Exel Sports Oy will start with the distribution of Björn Dählie-clothing brand in Germany and Austria. Distribution will be taken care of by Exel GmbH which is a subsidiary of Exel plc. At the same time it was also agreed that Exel Sports Oy will continue the distribution of Björn Dählie in Finland and Sweden. In Finland the distributor will be Exel Sports Oy and in Sweden the subsidiary of Exel plc, International Gateway AB. In addition, the distributor of Exel’s ski poles, Chrissports, has signed a distributor agreement with Björn Dählie for Switzerland. The distribution co-operation will start with the 2008/2009 line which will be presented at the fairs during the coming winter.

Björn Dählie, 8 times Olympic Gold Medalist says that the partnership with Exel Sports is interesting because of its good distribution network in the most important cross-country skiing and Nordic Walking markets. “As a young skier in Norway I actually started my career using Exel poles and during my career I have had a lot of good memories together with Exel. Product development together with the best racers in the world has always been important for Exel. Today we are joining our forces in distribution and marketing. The Bjørn Dæhlie brand will have a clear goal to be the number one in XC, similar to Exel in the ski pole market. I am also looking forward to working together with Exel in the running and Nordic Walking segment. We are proud to announce that we are coming with a brand new Nordic Walking and running line which will be shown at summer Ispo 2008.”

Aki Karihtala, Managing Director of Exel Sports, finds this co-operation very potential for both parties. “There is a lot of consolidation going on in the sporting goods sector and by joining our forces in the main markets we will have better possibilities to service our customers with a wider offering of products especially in the field of cross-country skiing and Nordic Walking.”

Information about the companies:

BJ SPORT:
BJ SPORT is a Norway-based sportswear company specialized in the sales, marketing and manufacturing of technical sportswear and outfits for Nordic Sports. BJ SPORT is a subsidiary of the BJ SPORT Holding A/S which is owned by Björn Dählie and a Norwegian investment company Katalysator. Katalysator is also an active owner in the sport industry by owning Rottefella, Naxo and Hamax.
Press contact:
bjsport@bjsport.no or visit www. bjorn-daehlie.com

Exel Sports Oy:
Exel Sports Oy, based in Finland, is a one of the leading producers of composite high-end products such as poles for Nordic Walking, cross-country skiing, alpine, trekking, floorball and sports accessories. Exel Sports is a subsidiary of Exel plc, which has internationally 550 employees and a turnover of 112.4 million Euros (2006).
Press Contact:
Aki Karihtala, Exel Sports Oy
Tel: +358 (20) 7541 222 or E-mail: aki.karihtala@exel.fi
Or visit: www.exelsports.net