Harley-Davidson Announcement
As Motorcycle Mojo has reported previously, Harley-Davidson and Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada, the current exclusive distributor of Harley-Davidson products in Canada, had signed an agreement that would see Harley-Davidson begin direct distribution to independently owned dealers in Canada, aligning Harley-Davidson’s Canada distribution with the company’s global strategy.
Harley-Davidson previously announced its plan to assume direct distribution in Canada no later than July 31, 2017, when the company’s current agreement ends with Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada. The transaction is expected to occur around August 4, 2015, at which time Harley-Davidson will begin operating from its new offices based in Concord, Ontario.
“Over the last 40 years, Harley-Davidson has had a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with the Deeley organization. We will continue working closely with the Deeley team and the independent dealer network throughout the transition to build on this solid foundation. We remain focused on growing the business, investing in the Harley-Davidson brand and keeping our customers at the centre of all that we do,” said Mike Kennedy, Vice President and Managing Director, Harley-Davidson North America.
The new Canadian office will be led by Anoop Prakash, who will immediately assume the role of Managing Director, Harley-Davidson Canada. Mr. Prakash most recently served as Managing Director of Harley-Davidson India.
There’s still no indication as too how many employees will be retained from Deeley’s current staff, however the press release does state that there will be in-house positions to support Canadian operations.
