UK Saracen Acquired By Madison

WARWICK, UK – Distributor Madison has taken over brand name Saracen and all the related intellectual property from its owner and founders Rick and Paul Stanforth. The company Saracen will continue to trade as normal until the end of March 2009 following which it will bring the business to a close.

“We are most pleased to hand over Saracen to an organisation that is incredibly well placed to further develop the brand”, says Saracen chairman Rick Stanforth. “It has been a huge part of our lives and we are looking forward to watching the brand continue to grow during the next stages of the brand’s development.”

Although Saracen was not formally for sale, it was no secret that owners Rick (65) and Paul (60) did not have successors and were looking for a new input to secure the brands future. Since the brothers started the company in the 1980s some one million Saracen bikes have been sold in the UK and it has been on the forefront of the UK Mountain Bike scene boasting team riders such as Steve Peat and Rob Warner.

“We have been looking to acquire a bike brand for some time and Saracen presents us with the best opportunity”, explains Dominic Langan, CEO of Madison. “With the energy, focus and investment that Madison brings we expect the brand to go from strength to strength.”

“The purchase of the brand is only the start of a major new investment program from us, including building a new design team with an emphasis on engineering, technical excellence and customer support.” Madison is an experienced developer of strong UK-specific bicycle brands for the independent bicycle retail sector. It is Madison’s aim to launch the all-new Saracen range for 2010.

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