Carlton Sports
Carlton Sports is a British sports equipment brand, focused on badminton and table tennis. Originally established in 1946, Carlton is currently part of the Frasers Group (formerly, "Sports Direct International").[1]
Type | Subsidiary (?–85) |
---|---|
Industry | Sports equipment, textile, footwear |
Fate | Acquired by BTR plc in 1985, becoming a brand |
Founded | 1946 |
Defunct | 1985 |
Headquarters | England |
Products | Badminton rackets, shuttlecocks, sportswear, athletic shoes, table tennis equipment |
Owner | Cinven (1996–2004) Frasers Group (2004–present) |
Parent | Dunlop Slazenger (1985–96) |
Website | carltonsports.com |
Badminton equipment by Carlton include rackets, shuttlecocks, sportswear, athletic shoes, and bags. For table tennis, Carlton offers rackets, balls, nets and postsets.[2]
Overview
The former Carlton company became a subsidiary group of Dunlop Slazenger International, located in Greenville, South Carolina.[3] When DS was acquired by Sports International, Carlton was part of the group of brands traded.[4][5]
Throughout its history the company has introduced a number of advances to the manufacture of badminton equipment, which ranked its as the first in innovations such as to make an injection molded shuttle, to design and make all-metal racquets, to use stainless steel in the manufacture of racquets, to design a flex system between shaft and handle, and to make a one-shot injection molded shuttle skirt.[3]
The company claims to have sold more nylon shuttlecocks than any other company around the globe. English player and Olympic medalist Nathan Robertson was one of the players using Carlton equipment.[6]
References
- Leading brands on Sports Direct Int., 16 Aug 2020
- Carlton table tennis products on Sports Direct.com, 16 Aug 2020
- Carlton company profile on World Badminton website (archived, 20 Nov 2006)
- Game, set and match for Dunlop Slazenger by Alistair Osborne, The Daily Telegraph, 5 Feb 2004
- Wood, Zoe (2016-12-27). "Sports Direct sells Dunlop for $137m". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
- Carlton brand on Sports Direct, 16 Aug 2020