Loubsol, the French maker of sports sunglasses and goggles based in the Jura region of France, has been sold to Batteur, a specialist in health and beauty products. Sport-Guide.com reports that its owner, Robert Clément, now 70 years old, has been looking to sell the company for several years. He told the publication that the delay had not been over money, but rather over what the purchasing company had planned for Loubsol – some interested parties had planned to relocate the company's operations and some others wanted only the brand name. The new owners have pledged to take jobs to the region.
In 2011, Loubsol had sales of €3.6 million and reported its first-ever loss, of €81,000. The company has been losing ground since the mid-2000s. Clément told Sport-Guide.com that the company suffered from the vagaries of the weather, enduring a drop in sales of goggles last year and in sunglasses this past summer.
Clément will stay on at Loubsol for six months to a year to aid in the transition. As of Jan. 1, Jean-François Dobbely, a former manager of Batteur and a member of its board, will take the position of general manager at Loubsol.
Batteur, based in Hérouville Saint-Clair, comprises 30 brands including Laboratoires Gilbert, Sabiluc, Océan Terre Biotechnologie and Skeena, another brand of sunglasses and goggles.
