The Fila brand has over 100 years of heritage with its roots dating back to 1911 and the textile mills of Biella in Northern Italy.

Fila has forever been associated with champions from a variety of sports such as tennis, skiing, basketball, motor racing, golf, football and running. These athletes stand out not only for their memorable achievements, but also for the unique Fila designs they were so closely associated with.

Fila is also prodly worn by musicians, models and celebrities the world over, who appreciate the style and quality that Fila offers. Join us in celebrating a global, sporting, winning legacy that lives on today and proudly into the future.

Click here for the FILA newsletter (in Dutch)

Cult brands are experiencing a boom

MUNICH, February 2013

The demand for cult brands has been constantly increasing over the past years. One of the reasons might be that in a world, which is increasingly faster moving and becoming more complex, customers have begun to appreciate the brand promises of well-known trademarks. However, any provider trying to fully rely on a retro concept is unlikely to be rewarded with sustainable success.

A brand promise must be continuously reviewed by constant innovations and consistent high quality. Based on exactly this commitment, the well-known sports brand FILA presented itself at the ISPO in Munich, the international multi-segment trade show for sports business, exhibiting a fresh forward looking concept.

According to Christoph Schachtner, this can only be achieved with quality products, which are sold by specialist sports retailers.

"FILA must never again feature on the rummage tables of discounters. We are in the process of systematically drying up this grey market", describes Schachtner the current strategy. The focus is on specialist retailers with quality products.

Things have gone quiet lately for the traditional brand on the German market. Too much emphasis had been put on the prices at which the articles were sold. This is now set to change. Hence, FILA’s presentation at the ISPO is not only confined to a brand new tennis collection, which will hit the shops in the spring.

With regard to textiles, the focus is on skiing, fitness and casualwear. The footwear range features functional shoes, running, fitness, tennis and lifestyle. Concerning accessories, the emphasis will be on bags, socks, shoe care products and foot comfort. Design and features are inspired by the brand’s Italian roots.

These include extraordinary materials and a love for detail: the new collection not only bridges the gap to the brand’s well-known quality features but also focusses on continuous development.

 “This clearly shows that FILA still enjoys a high reputation; we are pleased about this development.”

Steve Schennach, FILA press spokesman

Enjoy cooperation

In order to raise customer awareness of the value and significance of the brand again and to provide specialist retailers with an attractive brand environment, a number of marketing activities have been planned for 2013: Hence, cooperation with the fitness studio brand INJOY has already begun: it includes among other kitting out INJOY coaches and employees as well as the associated academy. It is aimed at INJOY Clubs as well as 600 owner-managed studios in Germany.

Fila Cube Porsche CUP

A so-called CUBE, a mobile stand presenting the FILA brand in pedestrian areas of larger cities has already been tried and tested on several occasions. There are already firm plans in place concerning the FILA sponsoring of the most important WTA tennis tournament in Germany, the PORSCHE CUP. Kitting out successful athletes completes the programme, whereby the brand goes back to its roots. The young professional tennis player Julia Görges has just been signed.

Fila and the licenses

All activities are based on the reallocation of the FILA Europe licence to DOSENBACH-Ochsner AG in Dietikon, Switzerland. The company is the leading sports retailer in Switzerland whose range has successfully included FILA products in the past. In 2011, it acquired the licence for Europe (without Russia, United Kingdom, Ireland and Channel Islands) on a long-term basis from the owner FILA Luxemburg. The licence covers shoes, textiles and accessories. DOSENBACH-Ochsner AG is now offering the FILA brand to qualified sports and sports fashion retailers.

 “This will be achieved Europe-wide in cooperation with strategic marketing partners via wholesale businesses or sub-license agreements.”

Christoph Schachtner, Brand Coordinator for FILA Europe in Munich.

DOSENBACH-Ochsner has entered the initial phase by already granting sub-licenses, whereby great importance has been attached to ensure that the quality and design requirements of the FILA brand will be fully complied with and that a specialist retailer-oriented brand appearance will be guaranteed. With regard to tennis, a sub-licence has been granted to Premium Sport GmbH, which is already actively communicating this subject in the tennis scene. "This clearly shows that FILA still enjoys a high reputation; we are pleased about this development", comments FILA press spokesman Steve Schennach the current development. Other cooperation agreements, which apply throughout Europe, have been signed with medico sports fashion GmbH (sport textiles except tennis), Unlimited Sports Group (distributor for fashionable sneakers and sport shoes), Man Socks Italia SRL (socks), BBUK (Accessories) as well as Nanogate AG (foot comfort and shoe care).