Amer Sports strengthens its Ball Sports business through acquisition of the iconic, market-leading baseball brand Louisville Slugger

Amer Sports Corporation
STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE
March 23, 2015 at 4.00 p.m.

Amer Sports strengthens its Ball Sports business through acquisition of the
iconic, market-leading baseball brand Louisville Slugger

To accelerate its Ball Sports business, Amer Sports Corporation has acquired
global brand, sales and innovation rights to a leading American baseball brand,
Louisville Slugger from Hillerich & Bradsby Co. (H&B). Louisville Slugger, one
of the most well-known brands in baseball globally, reported annual sales of USD
75 million in 2014. The acquisition price is USD 70 million in an all-cash
transaction. The agreement is subject to H&B shareholder approval and the
customary closing conditions. The closing of the acquisition is expected in the
second quarter of 2015.

Founded in 1884, Louisville Slugger is an iconic American baseball brand, the
Official Bat of Major League Baseball and the market leading wood bat.
Louisville Slugger designs and markets wood and non-wood bats, gloves, bags and
protectives.

The acquisition is a logical step in Amer Sports strategy to re-ignite growth in
Ball Sports. Baseball is one of Ball Sports' chosen strategic growth areas,
which already includes two leading brands, Wilson and DeMarini. The acquisition
enhances Ball Sports' product portfolio and provides Amer Sports with a strong
position and meaningful growth opportunities in the baseball and softball
category. The acquisition impact is expected to be neutral to Amer Sports EBIT
margin excluding non-recurring items in 2015 and accretive as of 2016.
"The acquisition of Louisville Slugger contributes to our objective to
accelerate profitable growth in our Ball Sports unit", says Amer Sports
President and CEO Heikki Takala. "The acquisition improves and strengthens our
baseball and softball portfolio with wood bats and patented innovations in non-
wood bats, as well as fielding gloves, bags, protectives and accessories. We
will realize important operational scale and synergy benefits as well as
opportunities to further leverage the Louisville Slugger brand. We are proud to
become the home for another iconic consumer brand, and we look forward to
building it toward an even greater future."

The global baseball and softball market is approximately USD 2.2 billion, of
which USD 1.4 billion is in the US. Baseball and softball have approximately 20
million active players in the US. The sports are played in over 100 countries
globally, including Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Australia and throughout North,
Central and South America.

Wilson manufactures and sells high performance gloves, bats, uniforms, apparel,
protective gear, accessories, and player development equipment and training
tools through its Wilson, DeMarini and ATEC brands. Wilson will market and sell
Louisville Slugger as a stand-alone brand, like its DeMarini brand. Under the
terms of the agreement, H&B will manufacture all Louisville Slugger-branded MLB,
Minor League Baseball, amateur player and souvenir wood bats for Wilson. H&B
will continue to manufacture wood bats at the Company's downtown Louisville
factory.

Conference call
Amer Sports will hold an English-language conference call for investors,
analysts and media today at 2:45 p.m. GMT/ 4:45 p.m. EET. To participate, please
call + 44 (0) 20 3427 1909 (UK/international dial-in number), +1 718 354 1152
(US), or +358 (0)9 6937 9590 (Finland), confirmation code 6062716. QR code
attached.

Webcast link: http://edge.media-server.com/m/p/ue6djjdy.

The conference can also be followed live via www.amersports.com. A replay of the
conference call and a transcript will be available later at the same internet
address. The replay number is +44(0)20 3427 0598 (UK/international dial-in
number), +1 347 366 9565 (US) or +358 (0)9 2310 1650 (Finland), passcode
6062716#.


Media kit
A media kit with additional information on Wilson baseball/softball and
Louisville Slugger brands, as well as images and logos, is available at
www.sluggerpress.com.


For further information, please contact:
Päivi Antola, Director, Corporate Communications and IR, tel. +358 20 7122 537

DISTRIBUTION:
Nasdaq Helsinki
Major media
www.amersports.com

AMER SPORTS
Amer Sports (www.amersports.com) is a sporting goods company with
internationally recognized brands including Salomon, Wilson, Atomic, Arc'teryx,
Mavic, Suunto and Precor. The company's technically advanced sports equipment,
footwear and apparel improve performance and increase the enjoyment of sports
and outdoor activities. The Group's business is balanced by its broad portfolio
of sports and products and a presence in all major markets. Amer Sports shares
are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki stock exchange (AMEAS).

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