Uhlsport Explained

Uhlsport GmbH
Type:	Private
Founder:	Karl Uhl^[1]
Location City:	Balingen, Baden-Württemberg
Location Country:	Germany
Key People:	Dirk Hendrik Lehner, Martin Goppelt (Managing Directors)
Industry:	Sport, Textile
Num Employees:	200 (2021)
Area Served:	Worldwide
Revenue:	ca. 67 million euros (2017)

Uhlsport GmbH is a German sporting goods manufacturer. Originally established in 1948 as "Haase & Uhl OHG" and later renamed "Karl Uhl GmbH", the company became "uhlsport GmbH" in 1994. It is an international company which has its permanent headquarters in Balingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

The company manufactures and distributes its products through the brands Uhlsport and Kempa.

History

The company was founded in 1948 by Karl Uhl. Early production focussed on manufacturing leather studs for football boots, and in 1953 uhlsport also began to produce football boot soles for sports shoe manufacturers.^[1] In the years which followed, more products were added, including shin guards, sports bandages, footballs and goalkeeper gloves, until finally uhlsport GmbH had developed a full range of football equipment. Since 2002, the company has been operating a multi-brand strategy for football and handball.

Brands and products

The brand "uhlsport" specializes in football, especially goalkeeper equipment.^[2] Since 2002, handball equipment has been marketed through the company's own "Kempa" brand.

The German company operates an indirect distribution strategy with subsidiaries in France, Spain, and Sweden and with country managers in UK, Benelux, and Switzerland. Uhlsport has a further 80 distribution partners across the world. In 1998, the Uhl family sold the company to the Daiss family.