TULSA, Okla. (February 1, 2011) – Zebco Brands, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S., announced that it has acquired Zebco Sports Europe, an independently owned fishing business based in Tostedt, Germany. The acquisition was effective January 31, 2011. 

This move reunites the two Zebco businesses that were sold separately a decade ago. Zebco Brands, which operates in the Americas and Asia, was purchased by the W.C. Bradley Co., headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, U.S., in 2001. Zebco Sports Europe, which operates in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has been owned and operated by Peter Delwes since 2002. Delwes, 64, will continue as Managing Director of Zebco Europe GmbH. He will report to Jeff Pontius, 54, President of Zebco Brands in the U.S.
According to Pontius, the acquisition accomplishes two key goals. First, it assures that the common strategies for the brands are globally established for the long term, and second, it enables stronger growth in Europe.
“Zebco Brands has been interested in expanding its international business, and a reunification with Zebco Sports Europe was a logical first step,” said Pontius. “We are a privately owned business with a long-term focus. Peter Delwes has done a nice job of turning Zebco Sports Europe into a consistently profitable business, but as an independent owner he has been constrained by tight capital markets. With the financial strength of our parent, the W.C. Bradley Co., we can make the investments in staffing, advertising, product development and territory expansion necessary to drive growth.”
According to Delwes, “Having a strong partner behind us who knows the fishing tackle business and wants to drive growth is good for our customers, our suppliers and our people.” He continued, “Our goal is to make the transition as smooth as possible. Zebco Brands has purchased the business, but everything and everyone remains in place at Zebco Europe to serve our customers with excellence today while working on a bigger future.”
Marc Olivié, W.C. Bradley Co. President and CEO concluded, “We are excited about adding Zebco Europe to our family of companies. This acquisition supports our strategic focus of leveraging our competencies and strengths to expand in the global market