Italian helmet maker the Nolan Group has been bought by French motorcycle company 2Ride Holding, makers of Shark helmets, Bering and Segura motorcycle clothing and Bagster bike luggage.
Nolan Group make Nolan, X-lite and Grex helmets and N-Com Bluetooth intercoms.
An official statement about the merger does not give any assurances on whether production will be moved from Italy.
However, it does say 100% of Nolan Group’s products are “conceived, designed and created in Europe, and a good majority of them are even manufactured in the European territory”.
We believe many products in the 2Ride Holding range are made in South East Asia.
2 Ride Holding president Patrick François says they have already begun to work together and intend to “optimise all this Italian, French and European expertise in order to offer our global consumers more protective and easier-to-use products”.
Nolan and Shark helmets
Nolan helmets were the most trusted brand in Australia in 2015, the first year of the Canstar Blue customer satisfaction ratings.
Our assessment of the respected UK SHARP helmet safety ratings found Shark was the most prolific helmet brand in the survey with 24 helmets and all but one scored four or more stars, making it the safest, statistically.
Strategic alliance
The official press statement says the “strategic alliance” between these two European companies “attests to their intent on making significant inroads into the global marketplace and will enable them to pursue their geographic expansion plans”.
“With €150 million in sales revenue and a workforce of around 1000, the Nolan Group distributes its products in over 80 countries worldwide and enjoys a global leadership status in the market of protective equipment for motorcycle and outdoor sports,” it says.