Dakine Acquired by Marquee Brands LLC
Marquee Brands announced that they are acquiring Dakine's Intellectual Property and brands in this press release. JR286 has acquired all of the operating assets of Dakine and will become Marquee Brands' operating partner for Dakine.
Marquee Brands is a brand management company which also owns the Ben Sherman, Bruno Magli, and Body Glove brands, along with a few others. JR286 and its affiliated group of companies specialize in the design, development, manufacturing, and distribution of branded and licensed sports equipment and accessories.
According to the release, Marquee Brands and JR286, who will develop Dakine's core categories, will maintain dedicated teams for the brand in Hood River, Oregon, Los Angeles, California, and Annecy, France. Ken Meidell, Dakine's current CEO, will be joining the Marquee Brands team.
We reached out to Dakine for comment and received the following from Chico Bukovansky:
 | When we started working on Dakine Mountain Bike products 19 years ago, it was driven by our personal goals, our love of the sport and feeling like we had something to add to the developing world of mountain biking. Since then our passion for riding bikes, building trails and designing great products for the mountain bike market has never wavered. We have been lucky enough to work with some of the most passionate mountain bike athletes in the business along with a staff that is dedicated to the sport. As we have established mountain bike as a solid business category the Dakine dedication is stronger than ever. The new team at Marquee Brands and JR286 has given full support to our mountain bike division. They recognize that our base in Hood River, Oregon is a great mountain bike destination and gives us quality trails and testing access right out our door. Keeping the staff involved in all the sports and products we are involved in has been a key part of our success and a fact that the new owners' respect and value. We are looking forward to the partnership with Marquee Brands and JR286 and all the solid business background and new levels of support that they can bring to Dakine. |
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
[UPDATED] Final Elite XC Results & Overall Standings from the Mairiporã XC World Cup 2024
41609 views
41609 views
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
Maybe it's time to bring back Roach as a Community owned brand that just makes decent stuff?
- Needs Factory here in Van (@needsfactory)
- TREES Mountain Apparel out of Quebec (@treesmountainapparel)
- Can't Quit Cartel (@cantquitcartel) in UK
- 6SevenRacing (@6sevenracing) in UK
- HandUP gloves (@handupgloves) in US
Just a few but totally agree - resurrect Roach!! #cantkillaroach
On one hand, this kind of buyout represents living the dream for the owners of these companies. But damn if it isn't a terrible trend towards total homogenization.
I use there kit as a "go to first" brand,(most if not all my kit is there's) I've never had cause to use there warranty as yet, but just having it there is a real plus. I did have a 19 year old pack of there's give up it's small pocket zip, which I didn't have fixed, (never asked) but the fact it lasted nearly 20 years of daily abuse, went along way to settling my mind on quality.
Adding to that, I've had Dakine UK and EU reps, running half way around the world trying there best to find me old stock kit that's in some backroom store, long forgotten, as I HAD to have it. that's serious customer service, and then some! and if that suffers due to this takeover, then it will be a very sad day indeed.
One thing for sure; that Dakine tailgate pad isn’t so cool anymore, is it?
They dont stand behind their warranty policy.
When called out they gripe and offer a “Generous 40% discount” instead of repair or replace if sefective.
Since they were bought by hurley theyve lost their soul and quality, its only downhill from here.
Weak pockets, crotches, and backpack zippers. Overpriced shit, stupid modern design with little function and short lifespan.
If you want quality, look elsewhere.
Think you're thinking about Billabong? They bought them in 2009. Then Altamont Capital Partners bought them both in 2016. They also own Brixton. Fox Head. Etc.
I personally don't like companies like this. They buy up brands and treat them as commodities. They treat the employees like ass. Generally what you start to see is less unique products... more regurgitated products. More work put on less people so that profits appear better than they are, etc. They make the companies appear like they're more profitable than they are and then flip them for profit.... that's why they've sold 3 times in 10 years.
My hopes is that having the current CEO in place will give them some stability. The goal with some of these guys is to buy brands with potential. Give them access to a larger audience. Plug in some new power employees. Otherwise leave them alone and watch them grow. But often times you have like when Vista bought Bell... they just put their fingers in too many places and screw it up.
Soooo.... hopefully it's a good thing for Dakine not a bad.
As for warranty... all my products from them have held up well. All of them.
My mistake, billabong
That's surprising as I've purchased many Dakine products, and have only had to warranty 1 item which was a backpack. I went into a store to buy a new Dakine pack as my 11 year old pack's zipper stitching started coming undone (which I thought was fair given how much I used and abused it daily over 11 years). The guy who worked in the store told me that "Dakine has a lifetime warranty on their pack zippers" and to go through their online warranty return process.
I did just that, and got a response from a Dakine warranty person later that day. I took a couple of photos and emailed them, and the next day I had a $100 online store credit where I "bought" the equivalent of my old bag which came under $100. Free replacement warranty backpack arrived 3 days later. Couldn't have been happier with the result.
I hope they end up even stronger after this change of hands.
Them: Thank you for your recent Dakine Warranty submission. We have evaluated your product and it has been determined that your product is from 2005.
Dakine offers a Limited Lifetime Warranty against manufacturing defects within the normal scope of use, (and for backpacks and luggage, this is 10 years).
Unfortunately, we are unable to approve your product for warranty due to the age of the product.
Me: The warranty says nothing about 10 years from manufacture date. This pack is in its fair product life with light use overall, but with weak zipper construction as is explicitly covered by your warranty policy. The bag is not worn to the end of its lifetime, it failed prematurely & defectively.
By the way, What was warranty policy when bag was made?
Them: your warrantied item is outside the 10 year period. The term Lifetime/Lifespan does not apply to the owner's lifetime. Our product is not meant to last the lifetime of the owner but the lifetime of the product, which for packs and bags is ten years as described on our warranty information page.
I again reviewed your warranty policy and as previously noted, your warranty policy says nothing about 10 years. Go to the US page and review it. Backpacks are covered for the product lifetime which is determined by taking normal wear. Separating zippers as per your warrantee text, are clearly identified as manufacturing defects, which is a statement I concur with. As such, The kind it was me replacement or repair of the day affective pack covered under the warranty provided. Also the amendment about “product a lifetime, not owner lifetime” was not present at the date of purchase, And either way my circumstance is provided for replacement.
Them: Thanks for the heads up about the warranty page, we are working on updating the text to be more clear to consumers. As I said, unfortunately your bag is over 10 years old and outside of our warranty period. I hope you are able to use the 40% code to get a great replacement!
Me: My point is your companys not living up to irs stated policy. Be upstanding and issue me a repair or replacment free of cost.
Them: Unfortunately we are not able to do that as we must abide by our current warranty policy. We offer a generous discounted replacement code which is a wonderful alternative.
Me: 40% off retail is still at or above your dealer cost, your still making profit. Its not generous, its less than you owe me.
Me: Please forward this thread to your customer service warranty superior.
I am on the verge of sharing your companies dishonest warranty conduct and poor quality with pinkbike yelp google reddit. I would like a positive resolution.
Them:Thank you for your feedback on our Warranty policy. Isabelle passed my your comments.
I understand your frustration, and I am happy to address your concerns.
Our warranty policy is a limited lifetime warranty on packs and bags. The term "lifetime" refers to the lifetime of the product, which we determine to be 10 years. At this point, packs and bags start to wear out and zippers begin to lose their function. It looks like your bag had a particularly long life. It made it to 13 years!
Here is our warranty policy again for your reference:
Limited Lifetime Warranty-Packs & Bags
Dakine offers a Limited Lifetime Warranty against manufacturing defects within the normal scope of use.
Dakine will repair - or - replace, at its discretion, any products found to be defective within the scope of normal and appropriate utilization and still within the lifespan of the product. Dakine will not be responsible for any costs, losses or damages incurred because of loss or misuse of the product.
The term Lifetime/Lifespan does not apply to the owner's lifetime. Our product is not meant to last the lifetime of the owner but the lifetime of the product.
Manufacturing Defects typically show up on new or unused product, early in the product's lifespan. Each situation is different and it is up to the discretion of Dakine to determine the lifespan of the product and whether a product has a Manufacturing Defect or if it is suffering wear and tear.
(Excluded from dakine staff regurgitation of policy, but present):
In the case that a product does have a Manufacturing Defect, Dakine may choose to repair, instead of replacing the item. If a product is repairable we will instruct you on how and where to ship the product to. Dakine will repair the product free of charge.
Examples of manufacturing defects that will be covered:
Straight edge tear along a seam
Stitching defect that inhibits your ability to use the product
Zipper malfunctions:
- Zipper head has separated from the track
- Teeth are broken or warped
- Teeth separate when the zipper is closed.
Examples of wear and tear that will not be covered:
Faded colors / UV Sun damage
Material wearing over time
Gloves used on a rope tow
Tears in the middle of the fabric (not along a seam)
Tears caused by a crash or wreck
Examples of damage caused outside the normal scope of use which will not be covered:
Jagged-edged tear (straight edge tears indicate a manufacturing defect jagged tears indicate a rip)
A rip or puncture hole in the bottom of a backpack
Any material that was ripped or caught on another object
Melted material caused by excessive heat
Improper use of product
Airline damage (see below)
For example... is JR286 going to have anything to do with Dakine or is it just Marquee managing the brand? Just because JR286 is associated with Marquee it doesn't necessarily they'll work with Dakine the same way they work with Nike? Are they going to take over the product lines and increase the cost of the product by 100% in the span of a few years like Nike did with Converse? Or build very expensive, cool looking products that fall apart after you've worn them 4 or 5 times like most of the Nike's I've owned over the last 10 years? Or are they going to let Dakine keep doing what they're doing and just give them access to sales and distribution lanes shared with the other brands... larger capacity, wider availability, etc?
I'd venture to guess that most folks have no clue how it's going to work... clearly me included... clearly.
My only experience has been being apart of transitions in several industries over the last 20 years... several times. And they ALL work differently. LOL!
Dakine's new partners can expand their product line and quality with very little work and in return give Dakine access to expanded markets as well as ease of global distribution.
Side note. I nearly applied for a design position at Nike a few years back. I like the area up there for sure. Much more expensive to buy a house now compared to when I originally looked. LOL!