WHP acquires global trademark rights for Lotto brand

WHP Global has acquired the global trademarks for the iconic Italian sports brand Lotto. The company said in a statement that Lotto Sport Italia S.p.A. (LSI) and its current leadership team, including CEO Andrea Tomat, will continue to operate the Lotto brand in the core markets of Italy, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

The company added that together, LSI and WHP will provide design, product development, marketing, and brand management services to Lotto’s existing network of over 50 global partners across the world who generate more than 400 million dollars in annual retail sales.

“I am excited about this partnership as it is a key step to ensuring the growth of Lotto, a brand with a great reputation and well-known all over the world,” stated LSI’s president and CEO Andrea Tomat.

“Lotto is a legendary Italian performance sports brand rooted in priceless heritage that athletes and fans around the world love. We are very optimistic about the brand’s future as we work in close partnership with Andrea Tomat and the entire team at LSI. There is so much upside here, especially as we look to expand the brand from its current reach to the USA and other major markets around the world,” added WHP Global CEO Yehuda Shmidman.

The Italian sports brand established in 1973, Lotto is known for its innovative performance-driven footwear, apparel and accessories, which feature the signature double diamond logo. Lotto has been worn by professional soccer teams A.C. Milan and Juventus F.C., soccer players Dino Zoff, Ruud Gullit and Andriy Shevchenko, and top athletes including tennis Grand Slam champions Martina Navratilova, Francesca Schiavone, Marion Bartoli and Boris Becker.

Lotto is distributed in over 100 countries and worn by more than 40 soccer teams, over 300 professional soccer players and more than 200 professional tennis players around the world including current world No. 8 ranked tennis player Matteo Berrettini.

The company further said that WHP and LSI will together invest in expanding into new markets and product categories while activating the brand through untapped digital channels and partnerships with world class athletes.

WHP Global is a leading New York based global brand acquisition and management firm backed by equity capital from funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. and leverage financing provided by BlackRock. WHP owns and manages over 3.5 billion dollars in retail sales across its portfolio of brands that includes Anne Klein, Joseph Abboud, Toys “R”Us, Babies”R”Us and Lotto.