DECEMBER 21, 2006

Networking a la Spyker

The Spyker Formula 1 programme has been a triumph of networking with connections between the many companies now involved and the latest announcement is a further step in that direction as the team's three-year deal with the McGregor Fashion Group.

McGregor was the company with which Victor Muller, the boss of Spyker Cars, first made his name after he managed and restructured the Emergo Fashions Group in 1992. He led the company to a public listing in 1999 and retained a significant shareholding in the clothing firm. McGregor was taken over this year and is now delisting but Muller is still a shareholder and stands to gain from McGregor's growth.

McGregor will launch a fashion line to be named "Spyker F1 by McGregor" which will be available in 2007. McGregor started out as an American company in 1921. In recent years it has expanded from leisurewear into formal clothing, womenwear and clothes for children.

McGregor is sold through thousands of outlets worldwide but the company also runs 83 of its own stores and the F1 programme is likely to push up this number.