MUSSOLENTE, Italy (BRAIN) — Scicon Sports, known to U.S. retailers for bike travel cases and as Ellsworth’s new sister brand, is broadening its product portfolio with the addition of sunglasses, saddles and cycling apparel, with more to come.
The expansion comes thanks to the parent of Scicon and Ellsworth: South Africa’s ASG Group. Little known in the U.S., ASG is involved in many aspects of the industry in Italy, South Africa and Australia.
Besides Scicon and Ellsworth — which ASG bought in 2017 — ASG owns Italy’s Ftech clothing brand, and operates the ASG Bike Science center, which is the official bike fitter to several World Tour teams.
Scicon was founded by Luciano Fantin in 1980; his first product was a spare tubular saddle bag.
In 2006 Dannhauser founded ASG Sports Solutions as the South Africa agent for Rudy Project, Pinarello and Sidi. The company now also distributes Ftech, Scicon, Ellsworth, and Selle San Marco. It owns several cycling events and operates three retail stores in South Africa, with 10 more stores planned there.
Scicon’s expanded product range makes use of several ASG divisions. Saddles, produced in Asia, were developed at the R&D department at ASG headquarters in Italy. Sunglasses were developed with the Italian eyewear company Essilor Sun Solution, the Essilor Group division dedicated to sun plano lenses; they are designed inspected and packaged by Scicon Sports in Mussolente, Italy. Clothing is manufactured by Ftech in Italy.
“Having distribution centers in Italy, South Africa, USA and Australia means that Scicon Sports can benefit from the ASG ‘ecosystem,’ create synergistic collaborations between different business divisions and confidently enter new product categories outside the bike bags for which it is known and loved,” the spokesman told BRAIN.
San Diego’s ASG North America distributes Scicon and Ellsworth to consumers and IBDs. ASG Oceania, launched last year, distributes those brands in Australia.
Another division, ASG Sports Management, based in Monte Carlo, Monaco, provides specialized sports sponsorship, licensing and marketing services.
