Established in 1981, Duke are Europe's leading distributors of motor sport and special interest DVDs. Following the recent programming and IP acquisition of Green Umbrella Sport and Leisure, Duke have further strengthened their position in the special interest sector with the acquisition of Chilli Video, the specialist action sports producer and distributor.
Duke, with DVD sales approaching 500,000 units annually and revenues in excess of $10M, have worked closely with Chilli since 1995 and have established a strong foothold for special interest sports titles, specifically in the European mainstream market place.
Peter Duke, Managing Director, said: "We are delighted to announce this acquisition. We have had a long standing relationship with Chilli for many years and look forward to developing the brand further through our extensive distribution network in the special interest DVD market."
Duke's 100% acquisition of the Chilli business takes over trading as a going concern with immediate effect.
Chilli founder and managing Director Stuart Sawyer would like to thank the company's customers and partners for their support over the years and commented "We are happy to see the video division go to such a long standing and professional partner. We have known Peter Duke and his team for many years and, after 12 years trading, cannot think of a better home for the company."
Duke have over 25 years experience in the special interest market and use multi-channel marketing to reach clients and support sales through the likes of Halfords, HMV and internet resellers.
The company's 800+ DVD range includes prestigious sporting programmes such as MotoGP, Le Mans 24 hours and the World Rally Championship. The Duke team of 60 staff are keen to develop the action sports side of the business more aggressively and are looking forward to working with Chilli's production partners and customers.
