Karhu (sports brand)

Karhu
FormerlyOy Urheilutarpeita[1]
Company typeBesloten Vennootschap (Limited Liability Company)
IndustrySports equipment, textile
Founded1916; 108 years ago (1916) in Helsinki
Headquarters
Netherlands
ProductsSneakers, apparel
ParentKarhu Holding B.V. [2]
Websitekarhu.com

Karhu is a Dutch sports equipment company based on an originally Finnish brand, focused on running. Originally established as "Oy Urheilutarpeita" in 1916, it was renamed "Karhu" (meaning bear in Finnish) four years later. Karhu's line of products includes sneakers, t-shirts and jackets. In past years, Karhu also manufactured skis. In 2008, the company was sold to a group of investors organised under "Karhu Holding B.V.".[2] The investors responsible for operations are Dutch/American businessman Huub Valkenburg and the Arese family from Italy. Karhu Holding B.V. is based in the Netherlands and is run by Emanuele Arese.[3]

Karhu is renowned for having implemented the three stripes trademark,[4] which was then sold to German company Adidas in 1952.[5][6][7][4]

  1. ^ Karhu history
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference biz was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Adidas osti suomalaisilta kolme raitaa uskomattomalla hinnalla – Sitten maasta lähti koko rakastettu yritys". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  4. ^ a b History Check: Over 100 Years of Karhu on Sneakers Mag
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference smit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Three stripes and Karhu
  7. ^ EU COURT RULES THAT ADIDAS' ICONIC THREE STRIPES TRADEMARK IS INVALID BY HEATHER SNOWDEN on HighSnobiety