AM and AM Sports are two German brands of footwear marketed until now by Astor Müller, a group based in Switzerland that has decided to concentrate instead on its growing licensing business, represented by footwear lines sold under the Bugatti and Head brand names. Deichmann has acquired exclusive rights to the AM and AM Sports brand names, although it is not yet sure what it will do with them.
A German subsidiary of Astor Müller, MST Shoe Trade & Service of Pirmasens, is taking over the Head and Bugatti licenses. While Head is bringing out a line of performance-oriented tennis shoes developed in-house, the casual Head footwear line of Astor Müller and its Bugatti footwear have reportedly been experiencing annual sales increases of between 30 and 50 percent.
In another new product initiative, Deichmann stores began to feature this month a new private label line, the "Graceland Star Collection by Sugababes," created in collaboration with the well-known girl music band by the same name. The models carry prices ranging from €12.90 to €29.90 a pair. The launch is accompanied by commercial spots filmed with the Sugababes in London.