Nike Inc. said today it would sell Cole Haan, the Scarborough-based shoes and accessories maker, as well as its Umbro soccer brand in a move to cut costs and focus on its namesake brand.

“Divesting of Umbro and Cole Haan will allow us to focus our resources on the highest-potential opportunities for Nike, Inc., to continue to drive sustainable, profitable growth for our shareholders,” said Nike Chief Executive Mark Parker.

Cole Haan’s corporate headquarters is located in the Roundwood Business Park in Scarborough. Last year, the company said it employed about 100 people in Maine.

Representatives of Cole Haan did not return calls today.

“We are grateful to have a company of their stature in Scarborough,” said Tom Hall, Scarborough town manager. “We’re hopeful that a company with their wherewithall will attract a vibrant buyer and that the new company will keep operations in Maine.”

Nike acquired Cole Haan in 1988 for about $95 million. The deal moved Nike into upscale leather goods, and away from its core atheletic niche. Nike has incorporated its NikeAir sneaker technology into some Cole Haan shoes.

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Now, Nike sees more potential in its signature Nike products along with its Jordan, Converse and Hurley brands, which it says have “unique consumer relationships” that complement the main Nike brand.

Nike spokesman Charlie Brooks said Nike doesn’t have any buyers lined up but hopes to complete the sales by the end of May 2013, when the company’s fiscal 2013 concludes.

The number of Cole Haan employees in Maine has dwindled over the years. The company had 785 employees here in 1994, before it transferred customer service departments to Greenland, N.H. In 1999, it closed its Livermore Falls shoemaking plant.

Cole Haan traces its roots to Chicago in 1928, when it was making flapper-friendly leather shoes. Nike acquired the brand in 1988 in a deal worth about $95 million. Cole Haan moved its headquaarters from Yarmouth to Scarborough last summer.

Umbro was founded in 1924 in Manchester in the United Kingdom as one of the first makers of soccer gear. Today, it also makes soccer clothing and shoes, and it outfits many European and North and South American soccer teams. Nike acquired Umbro in 2008 for $582 million.

Both brands have recently weighed on Nike. The Associated Press reports that in its most recent quarterly conference call, the company said revenue increased at Umbro, Hurley and Cole Haan, but their profitability fell.

 

 


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