After focusing on the tennis-inspired lifestyle apparel market, Lacoste has invested in tennis hardware by acquiring an 80 percent stake in Major Sports, the parent company of Tecnifibre, which is a big player in the global market for tennis strings. It also sells tennis racquets and balls, the latter through Bridgestone. Including sales under license, Lacoste, which has a presence in 120 countries, reached a turnover of more than two billion euros in 2016. Tecnifibre had revenues of €22 million in the financial year ended last September, primarily in France. Lacoste said the new acquisition should help accelerate the international development of Tecnifibre and allow the development of technical products under the Lacoste brand name.

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