Pearl Izumi, the cycling apparel and footwear brand that belongs to the Shimano group, has decided to pull out of the running category and instead focus on cycling. The exit from the running business, which makes up just over 10 percent of Pearl Izumi's turnover, is effective from January 2017. The company has been building its sales in the running segment for the last 13 years. It intends to focus on softgoods for performance cycling, mountain biking and triathlon. Pearl Izumi said that Chuck Sanson, the manager in charge of the category, is to stay with the company, and that the group has not planned any related layoffs in Europe. Pearl Izumi's European activities are currently based in Germany but several core members from the team are moving to the new head office for Shimano Europe, which is under construction in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. They will become part of a new softgoods organization for the group in Europe.

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