Surf brand Mistral acquired by Dutch investor

Watersports and lifestyle brand Mistral, has been acquired by the Dutch brand equity investor NMG. The Haarlem-based investor will take over 100 per cent of the shares and will take an active role in guiding Mistral in accelerating its international growth.

Mistral is active on four continents and in more than ten countries, resulting in a turnover including licensed sales of approximately €80 million in 2021. The brand’s workforce consists of around 60 people worldwide. Mistral’s collection varies from windsurfboards, surfboards, wingfoils and SUP boards to clothing, footwear and lifestyle products.

Ado Huisman, Mistral’s owner, says: “The success of recent years can be attributed to the strong brand that Mistral has been for decades. This powerful heritage allows us to be relevant instantly in relatively new categories. Of course this offers many opportunities in a rapidly developing market like water sports. Because of our focus on branding, I selected a partner with a strong brand vision to add the next legendary chapter to the Mistral book. Evidently we did not act on this overnight, given the fact that the first talks with NMG took place years ago.”

Mistral was founded in 1976 and stood at the cradle of the windsurfing sport with its own R&D team.

Arnaud van der Vecht of NMG comments: “Mistral is no longer just the windsurfing brand it used to be. The brand is clearly still surfing a big wave, with windsurfing now being responsible for only part of the turnover. We respect Ado Huisman and his team for what they have achieved.

“Mistral has the stature, radiance and credibility to extend this success even further by building more own business under the Mistral brand. We are looking forward to a great adventure.”

The transaction between NMG and Mistral was supervised by Marktlink. Advisory for the two parties was in the hands of Baker & McKenzie (Mistral) and Vriman M&A Lawyers (NMG).