IZOD buying Tommy Hilfiger

Word on Wall Street is that IZOD IndyCar Series sponsor parent company, Phillips Van Heusen (PVH) is poised to purchase the globally popular Tommy Hilfiger brand, which will elevate the company to annual sales approaching USD$5 Billion.

This emphasizes the importance of PVH as a sponsor for the IRL. Though their IZOD brand is the one that is positioned with the series and Ryan Hunter-Reay, there are obvious opportunities across the entire corporation that could benefit IndyCar and their opportunities in foreign markets.

The majority of PVH revenues come from outside the USA as well. It is truly a global brand. The sales channels that have been established by the Hilfiger brand will also allow PVH to expand other brands into the European markets, especially IZOD and Arrow.

With a major corporation in PVH as a title sponsor, the IRL is obviously under extreme pressure to increase the value of the series, as corporate boards tend not to have a lot of patience with marketing programs that fail to yield expected ROI.

Let's hope that the current cost cutting does not end up as a shot in the foot.