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Rumors began swirling last week that long-time Scottish cycling clothing and protection brand Endura was laying off employees and closing down their headquarters in Scotland. At first, it wasn’t entirely clear what was happening, or what was really shutting down? So we reached out to Endura, and ended up with UK parent company Pentland Group, who’d quietly bought the Scottish brand all the way back in 2018.
And yes, Endura is relocating, leaving Scotland and heading south to England. But it’s not really just about cutting their work force.
Endura leaves Scotland after 33 years
(All photos/Bikerumor)
Endura was born in Scotland back in 1993, crafting solid cycling gear meant to keep you riding in all weather, and for all disciplines. I’ve mostly ridden Endura’s mountain bike gear over the last couple of decades – jackets, shorts, pads, helmets & shoes. But our whole Bikerumor team has long appreciated their no-nonsense, mostly affordable approach across multiple disciplines.
We even toured Endura HQ back in 2018 where they custom-made cycling kit for pro teams, events, and amateur clubs. Endura made custom cycling clothing in-house in Livingston, Scotland at their HQ for almost thirty years, while their production gear was almost always manufactured abroad. But as custom profitability waned, and especially after financial losses added up in the past two years, even with talk of recent growth, Endura ended custom production early last year, and relocated operations to nearby Edinburgh.
And now their UK clothing Pentland Group parent company is consolidating, moving Endura out of Scotland, to a new combined Hub office in central London, where they will share resources with other outdoor gear brands in the Pentland portfolio.
What’s next for Endura?
Pentland says they have high hopes for the long-term international growth of Endura. And they’re especially focusing on expanding in the US. But they decided that Endura and its other outdoor sister brands, like British outdoor gear company Berghaus, simply had to come together in a new London Hub to move forward more effectively.
Leaving Scotland is certainly going to be a big blow to those long-time Scottish employees, some of whom have worked at Endura for decades. Pentland explained that some employees were offered the opportunity to relocate to the new office. And they explain that the move is not about cutting their workforce. But we’ve seen loads of employee stories on LinkedIn about being let go – like their heads of design, marketing, and some product managers. It’d be a pretty big leap to go from working in a town of 50k outside of Edinburgh to the middle of 15 million people in Western Europe’s biggest metro area in central London. That might appeal to some, but probably not many of the free-thinking “mavericks on a mission” cycling workers at Endura who created irreverent riding gear campaigns, like ‘Aye, y’can.’
So now, we’ll have to wait and see what the transition brings.
Can an Endura based in London retain that fun but practical ethos that defined the cycling brand for decades?
We certainly hope so.
Read Pentland Brands’ official statement below, as it “evolves brand operations to support long term growth“:
Pentland Brands is making changes to its marketing, product and finance operations to strengthen its brand capabilities and support continued international growth.
The changes will see the Berghaus and Endura brands move to a more streamlined product process, designed to deliver innovative products to market faster and more efficiently. Marketing capability will also be expanded in key international markets, building on the recent growth in both brands.
As part of this evolution, Pentland Brands has begun consultation with a number of employees across its UK offices, with some roles proposed to relocate to its new London Hub in Farringdon. The Hub brings creative, brand, digital and commercial expertise closer together, enabling greater collaboration and agility in brand building. Overall headcount across the group is expected to remain the same following the changes.
Chirag Patel, CEO of Pentland Brands, comments: “We know these proposals will be difficult for some of our colleagues, and we’re committed to supporting everyone through this period. At the same time, these changes are about investing in the long term success of our brands. Building the right capabilities, in the right places, to strengthen our competitiveness and continue our growth internationally. Both Berghaus and Endura are performing well, with Berghaus expanding globally and Endura returning to growth after a challenging period for the cycling category.”
Consultation is ongoing, and further updates will be shared when appropriate.