ENGLAND rugby’s new kit supplier is to be sold in a £1 deal – three years after retailer JD Sports Fashion rescued the firm from administration.
Pentland – JD’s biggest shareholder with brands including Ellesse and Mitre – will take on Canterbury’s £22.7m debt in its purchase of the firm, which supplies the South Africa and Scotland teams.
Canterbury outgunned England’s long-time supplier Nike to win the Rugby Football Union contract, which will run for four years from September.
Strong sales in New Zealand and Australia during the Rugby World Cup recently helped Canterbury to annual operating profits of £400,000, but it was dragged to a bottom-line loss by fashionwear in the US and Europe.
