Amer Sports Expands Portland Design Center

Cresa Represents Amer Sports in 13.3K SF Relocation and Expansion of its Design Center in Portland

PORTLAND, May 6, 2013—Niall Travers, Eric Turner, and Matt Newstrom, principals at Cresa Portland, recently represented Amer Sports, one of the world’s leading sporting goods companies, in a 13,280 SF office lease. Amer Sports, a publicly traded company, is relocating its Portland Design Center to 1233 NW 12th Avenue.

Now located at 1111 NE Flanders Street in Portland, Amer Sports is expanding to accommodate its rapid growth. Amer Sports, a multinational company that develops and markets sporting goods, plans to occupy a portion of the first floor of the two-story, 80,000 SF, standalone office building. The building is owned by a joint venture between Laird Norton Corporation and Unico Properties, LLC and was represented by Joseph Vaughan of Jones Lang LaSalle.

According to Travers, the company, headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, needed to expand its footprint, was committed to growing in Portland, and wanted an open, modern, and creative space that would reflect its progressive culture.

Cresa Project Managers Newstrom, Charlie Wolff, and Jane Snyder will oversee buildout activities and upgrades for the site, slated for completion by August 2013.

Under one roof, Amer Sports’ Portland Design Center houses two main functions: It is the home for the action sports brands Bonfire Snowboarding and Nikita for girls, and it directs the global marketing for Salomon Snowboards. It also houses one of the company’s global Apparel and Gear Product Creation Teams, which provide services to several brands within the group for its apparel and gear lines.

Amer Sports Global Commercial Director for Apparel and Gear, Armin Boehm, said the decision to expand its Design Center in Portland is due to the region’s population of active, outdoor enthusiasts, creating a deep pool of apparel talents.

According to Boehm, “Our mission is to provide the world’s best sports apparel, while improving performance and increasing the enjoyment of action sports and outdoor activities. Portland, the sporting goods capital of the world, offers us a perfect platform in terms of community, talent, and great enthusiasm for the outdoors. Our team is eager to move to a larger office facility which is designed to embrace creativity, communication and the spirit of our brands.”

Internationally recognized brands include Salomon, Wilson, Atomic, Arc’teryx, Mavic, Suunto, Precor, Bonfire, Nikita, and DeMarini.

Patrick Quinton, Executive Director of the Portland Development Commission (PDC), said, “PDC had a unique opportunity to partner with Unico and Amer Sports to help this company expand and, we hope, attract additional athletic and outdoor companies to the building. As a global brand, Amer’s choice of Portland for its continued growth is a testament to Portland’s strong industry cluster and its ability to attract top talent.”

Cresa Portland is the metro area’s largest corporate real estate advisory
firm exclusively representing tenants.

Cresa is an international corporate real estate advisory firm that exclusively represents tenants and specializes in the delivery of fully integrated real estate services, including: Transaction Management, Project Management, Strategic Planning, Workforce and Location Planning, Subleases and Dispositions, Portfolio / Lease Administration, Capital Markets, Sustainability, Industrial / Supply Chain, and Facilities Management. With more than 55 offices, Cresa is the largest tenant representation firm in North America.

Amer Sports shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki stock exchange.
Amer Sports’ business is balanced through its broad portfolio of sports and products and a presence in all major markets. The offering of sports equipment, apparel, footwear, and accessories covers a wide range of sports, including tennis, badminton, golf, American football, soccer, baseball, basketball, alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, fitness training, cycling, running, hiking, and diving. In 2012, the company’s largest geographical markets in terms of sales were the United States, Germany, France, Japan, Canada and Austria.
Amer Sports sells its products to trade customers (including sporting goods chains, specialty retailers, mass merchants, fitness clubs, and distributors) and also directly to consumers through brand stores, factory outlets, and online. On December 31, 2012, the Amer Sports shared sales network covered 33 countries.
Amer Sports’ strategy emphasizes excellence in consumer-centric product creation. Through continuous research and development, Amer Sports seeks to develop new and better sporting goods that appeal to consumers and its trade customers. Products are designed to improve the performance of all athletes – both beginners and professionals, help them achieve their goals, and provide them with more enjoyment from their activity of choice.
In 2012, Amer Sports net sales totaled EUR 2,064.0 million. At the end of the year, the company’s market capitalization was EUR 1,325.0 million, and the Group employed 7,186 people.