The Gobbi family from Courmayeur, which owns Grivel, the Italian manufacturer of mountaineering equipment, has acquired Rossignol’s ski pole production unit in nearby Verrayes, formerly called Kerma. Grivel says that the Rossignol deal means an overall investment worth some €1.5 million for the 700-square-meter factory.
The new company, called Ski Poles Verrayes, will continue to supply Rossignol with ski poles for at least four more year. It will also add the manufacture of Nordic walking poles and other products for summer outdoor activites.
Ski Poles Verrayes will be directed by Oliviero Gobbi, son of Gioacchino, the head of the family. The acquisition was supported by the authorities of the Aosta valley and the local finance company Finaosta because it would keep the area from losing jobs, as Rossignol has started to divest its own manufacturing facilities.
The company is said to employ 35 people, while Grivel has 30 others at its plants in Courmayeur and Pordenone. Grivel was founded in 1818 as a manufacturer of agricultural tools and entered the sports business in 1909, when it presented its first crampons. Since then, Grivel has added ice axes and screws, helmets, backpacks and gloves. Gioacchino Gobbi moved into the management in 1982.
