Why is this happening? Latitude 64 and Dynamic Discs made the decision to acquire Westside Discs because we believe that there is so much more to accomplish with the brand that is not marketed with the greatest potential. We believe that with our combined efforts, we can ensure that the Westside brand will remain relevant and at the forefront of disc golf.
What does this mean for Westside as a brand? This acquisition means that the brand is going to have more support and resources from the two larger brands infrastructure. We believe that Westside Discs had certain limitations to grow as a brand due to a lack of marketing, advertising, and promotional efforts. When many people think about Dynamic Discs, they think of a brand that focuses on marketing. We believe that we will be able to put forth stronger efforts to market the Westside Discs brand that will have a positive impact on the disc golf market. Having Latitude 64 on board as equal partners means that we have a lot of resources and staffing at our disposal to grow the brand. One of the most important aspects will also be that we can make sure that all three brands are making decisions that we feel will have the best results for us to grow the sport and grow the business.
How does this affect products? Will a Westside Harp still be a Westside Harp? There will be no change or effect on products. The Westside Harp will remain the Westside Harp and continue to be one of the best selling discs amongst all three brands. We do intend to introduce additional products to the market and utilize our product development teams that have a lot of expertise and experience.
When will this take place? Actually, Latitude 64 already finalized the agreements to purchase Westside Discs in late September. Dynamic Discs and Latitude 64 are currently working together to finalize the agreements to have equal ownership. We felt like the right time to announce this to the disc golf world was when David Berglund, CEO of Latitude 64, visited Dynamic Discs in Emporia, Kansas on November 15th.
What exactly is happening? Is WSD being dissolved? Is there a new owner? The changes that are taking place will not be visible by many. Janne Penttilä founded Westside Discs in 2009 and is pursuing new interests after successfully selling the business to Latitude 64 and Dynamic Discs. The ownership of Westside Discs will be 50% Latitude 64 and 50% Dynamic Discs with decisions being made between the two companies on the best direction to lead the brand and the best products to bring to market. The biggest change is that the Westside Discs Finland distribution center will no longer be operational. All of the European distribution for Latitude 64, Dynamic Discs, and Westside Discs will take place from the Latitude 64 production and distribution facility in Skelleftea, Sweden.
What does the future look like for WS now? We would like to think that the future of Westside Discs is very bright with more resources and quicker decisions that can be made for the brand. The 2018 season will include three new disc releases for Westside which will include an overstable wider-rim driver similar to the Dynamic Discs Enforcer, an overstable midrange that has similar flight characteristics as the Latitude 64 Anchor with a different feel in the hand, and a putter that will be released in late May for the Trilogy Challenge.
What is Westside’s history and their evolution as a brand? Westside Discs was founded when Janne Penttilä Finnish entrepreneur and disc golfer started investigating who he could partner up with to produce his own line of discs. His decision was to join forces with Latitude 64 in the neighbouring country of Sweden. At that point in time Latitude 64 had been in business as a manufacturer for 4 years and saw potential in working with another brand. Westside was located in Finland, arguably the fastest growing disc golf arena during the last decade, and set up its own distribution center. As time has past up until now it gradually became more evident that distribution could be handled in a more efficient way if everything was gathered at one large warehouse in Sweden where all Trilogy discs are manufactured. This fact, combined with Janne’s desire to pursue other business ideas, led to this deal to take over the operation of Westside Discs altogether.
