Sportswear giant Under Armour has continued its charge into the fitness technology sector through the acquisition of workout-focused search engine Gritness.
The deal is the company’s latest move to establish itself in the fast-growing sector, having recently acquired popular apps Endomondo and MyFitnessPal. These deals, which saw Under Armour pay US$475m (€419m, £309m) for MyFitnessPal and US$85m (€75m, £55m) for Endomondo, mean Under Armour now has a community of 120 million unique registered users across its portfolio, as well as a treasure chest of consumer fitness data.
The acquisition of Gritness marks another step in Under Armour’s progress towards building a platform and developer network whereby it supplies the apparel, hardware and tracking apps used in a workout, as well as owning the resultant data. Gritness, a search engine that helps people find and join workouts, is a significant piece of the puzzle, both in terms of its advertising possibilities, as well as its insight into how users approach a workout.
The financial aspects of the deal have not been revealed, while neither company is yet to comment.