HEAD ENTERS BADMINTON BUSINESS WITH FULL LINE OF PRODUCTS, ACCESSORIES

Partnership with Danish Badminton Association, Signing of Pro Players, Mark HEAD Badminton Launch

HEAD/Penn Racquet Sports announced today that the company is entering the badminton business. Beginning in the summer of 2007, a complete line of HEAD racquets, bags, shoes, apparel, and shuttlecocks, will be available at retailers worldwide.

HEAD has been a worldwide leader in the sports of tennis, racquetball and squash for many years, which the company believes will have a significant impact on how it performs in the badminton arena.

“We are one of the top brands in racquet sports across the globe and we’re confident we can compete at the highest levels in the sport of badminton,” said Robert Marte, Division Manager Racquet Sports. “We have the engineering skills, the marketing and product expertise and worldwide distribution systems in place to enter this market in a quick and efficient manner.”

HEAD will offer a full line of equipment, footwear and apparel, geared both to the professional player and the everyday athlete, with a focus on design, innovation and competitive pricing: The HEAD Metallix Series will be the most powerful, high-performance racquets; HEAD’s microfiber apparel will be a functional and fashionable, classic line for both men and women; HEAD’s performance court shoes for men and women will be made of the highest quality materials and offer superior stability, shock absorption and ventilation.

To support the introduction of the new business, HEAD has formed a partnership with the Danish Badminton Association (DBA) as the organization’s exclusive equipment supplier. With this partnership HEAD has also secured a world wide Television exposure through the International tournaments in Denmark, Denmark Open and Copenhagen Masters. Denmark Open is the biggest Badminton tournament in Europe in prize money and will be part of the new International Super Series being introduced by the International Badminton Federation from January 2007.

In addition, HEAD has recently signed two of the sport’s premier players to multi-year contracts. Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen, both of Denmark, will endorse HEAD until 2008 globally.
The company plans a simultaneous rollout globally and will present these Badminton products to retailers during Spring 2007 and consumers will be able to purchase them starting with Summer 2007.