Bic Sport has sold Takoon, one of the pioneering brands of kitesurfing, to P&L Design, a company set up and equally owned by two industry veterans, Pierre Engel and Jacques Freydrich. Engel has worked for Tiga and Gaastra in the past. Freydrich has headed up some of Neil Pryde's operation in Europe. Founded by Bruno Legaignoux, inventor of the inflatable kit, Takoon was distributed for a while by Bic Sport and then bought by this big group in 2005, but its sales have been declining in spite of an estimated annual increase of more than 6 percent in the kitesurfing market. Takoon sold only about 2,000 kites last year in a global market estimated at 135,000 units, led by Cabrina, North and Best, each with sales of around 20,000 pieces. Engel, who practices kitesurfing, says he would like to impart a new momentum on the brand before looking for a strategic investor.

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