Le Coq Sportif, the French sports brand that was recently acquired by Airesis, the Swiss-based investment company, has bought back the rights to its brand name in the USA from Itochu. The Japanese company had obtained the U.S. rights in 2005 and struck a management deal with Jon Epstein, former head of Fila, to run the business in the USA. However, the new owners of Le Coq, who count among them Adidas’ former chief executive, Robert Louis-Dreyfus, are investing heavily in the infrastructure of the company to implement a new international marketing strategy. Headed up by Antoine Sathicq, former general manager of Adidas France, Le Coq has already set up a new subsidiary in Spain and is now opening another one in the USA, with an office on New York’s Madison Avenue. Epstein is apparently leaving as part of the sale, and Le Coq is putting together a fresh American team.