Market Leader Extends Reach into United Kingdom, South Africa and UAE
(Vancouver, BC, Canada) – Popular golf and sportswear designer Linda Hipp announces that her company, LIJA, has expanded its international presence with new distributor agreements in England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.
Commencing with the Spring 2008 collections, LIJA will be available at more than 50 marquee accounts in these markets. Highlights include the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai – home of the Ladies Masters and the Dubai Classic – and the Fancourt Hotel and Country Club Estate outside Cape Town, South Africa. Additionally, the line will be carried at Scotland’s prestigious Loch Lomond Golf Club and Auchterlonies of St. Andrews, one of Europe’s top golf lifestyle apparel retailers.
“As LIJA has expanded internationally, we’ve experienced a very positive reaction from retailers,” says Hipp, principal designer and founder. “They have been impressed not only with the product quality, feel and fit, but also with our unique color stories and LIJA-exclusive prints. Overall, there is a lot of excitement about how the line transcends the boundaries between on- and off-course fashion.”
For Spring 2008, LIJA has introduced more than 200 pieces of trend-setting contemporary sportswear in five striking collections. Featuring an expanded range of technical blends and luxurious traditional fabrics, as well as an entirely new group of comfortable leisurewear, the latest designs offer functionality and fashionable styling.
LIJA is a staple in finer golf and non-golf retailers across North America, including world-renowned resorts and clubs like Pebble Beach, Doral, Kiawah Island, Whistling Straights and Congressional. The company’s clothing is worn by scores of women golf professionals worldwide.
For more information, call 888.263.1191 or visit www.lijastyle.com to view the Spring 2008 collections.
About LIJA
LIJA is a market leader in fashion-forward styles featuring feminine and comfortable silhouettes inspired by the fusion of sport, leisure and fashion. The brand’s distinctive excellence is driven by LIJA’s passion, commitment and dedication to creating innovative designs.
LIJA has received significant recognition within and outside the golf industry, achieving organic annual sales growth of at least 50 percent each year. Enjoying a rapidly expanding sales force and account base in North America, LIJA recently began selling into the UK, Ireland, South Africa and United Arab Emirates markets.
Recent recognition for the company includes:
2007 “Business of the Year” – Richmond Chamber of Commerce
2007 PGA Magazine – Resort Top Seller
2007 PGA Magazine – Private Course Top Seller
2007 Best of Show Honors at PGA Show – Golfing Magazine
2007 PROFIT 100 Rankings of Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies
2006 PROFIT W100 Ranking of Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs
2006 Business in Vancouver “BC’s 50 Fastest-Growing Companies”
2005 Canadian Golf Company of the Year – Score Golf magazine
North America’s “Top-5 Up-and-Coming Women’s Golf Apparel” – GolfWorld Business
Individually, Hipp has been honored as a grant recipient of the Matinee Fashion Foundation Award, which annually recognizes and funds select Canadian designers, and voted a “40 Under 40” winner by Business in Vancouver.
An avid and highly-skilled golfer, Hipp struggled to find on-course apparel that meshed with her off-course fashion sensibility. Recognizing a market opportunity – and the chance to combine her passions for fashion, golf and business – Hyp Golf was launched in July 1997. The company re-branded as LIJA in late 2004. Chiefly influenced by both European trends and West Coast style, Hipp has garnered a widespread reputation as one of North America’s hottest sportswear designers.
Contact:
Andrea Latta
Buffalo Communications
703.891.3383
alatta@billycaspergolf.com
