Moving Comfort coming to Israel
Company owned by Berkshire Hathaway considered world leader in professional sports bras, women's fitness apparel
Women's fitness apparel brand Moving Comfort, owned by American business magnet Warren Buffett's
investment corporation Berkshire Hathaway, is making aliyah.
Moving Comfort, which is considered a leader in women's fitness apparel mainly in the United States, offers casual sportswear. The company's extensive clothing collection will be presented in Israel for the first time, including sports bras, tank tops, track suits, tights, shorts, skirts, accessories and more.
The company's franchisee in Israel will be R.U.N Sport, which imports the Brooks running shoes brand and owns a chain of stores.
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Moving Comfort is considered a world leader in the professional sports bra category, recording a 30% increase in sales in the past year. The brand is sold internationally and had a sales turnover of $450 million in 2012.
Moving Comfort was founded in the 1970s by two young women from Virginia who loved to run and decided to start a brand for women's workout clothes. They started out in a small sewing workshop, and in 2008 the brand was bought by Berkshire Hathaway, which began expanding its activity around the world.
"In recent years we are seeing women's sports as a growth engine in Israel," says R.U.N Sport CEO Ilan Benisti. "The product presents innovation in the combination between technology and fashion, and provides a solution for professional sportswomen participating in marathons, but also for women who go to yoga classes or jog every evening."
The collection will be sold in Israel in the Brooks stores, with prices ranging between NIS 120-599 ($33-167).
Due to the economic situation and the termination of the activity of two international brands – Benetton and Alcott – in Israel, sources in the fashion industry believe the inflow of foreign brands has stopped. In the past Israelis would stand in line for foreign fashion brands, but the situation is different now – sales have dropped, expenses have increased and the desire for new investments has disappeared.
It turns out, however, that the Israeli consumer's fondness for foreign brands and brands in general overcomes the difficult economic situation. Only last month it was reported that a first store of the Flormar makeup brand, owned by French corporation Yves Rocher, is about to open in Tel Aviv's Azrieli Mall.
In addition, Hamashbir Lazarchan is importing Spanish fashion brand Trucco, American kids' apparel brand The Children's Place will arrive in Israel under a franchise license obtained by Fox, American furniture and design chain Crate & Barrel is looking into the possibility of entering Israel, and the Castro company is still deliberating whether to introduce the New Yorker fashion brand to the Israeli market.
