La Sportiva has taken over control of its distributor in the USA. The new U.S. subsidiary will continue to be run by Colin Lantz, with a streamlined staff. With this merger, the Italian outdoor footwear company, which has started to focus on mountain trail running and light hiking, seeks to achieve synergies in marketing, product line management, research and development and finance operations. The new structure is starting off with a rise of 30 percent in pre-season orders. La Sportiva reached record sales in the USA last year, reportedly reaching a market share of 35 percent in climbing shoes, or 65 percent in the over-$100 price range in this category. Separately, La Sportiva has changed its web address from www.sportiva.com to www.lasportiva.com.

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