Lowepro and JOBY join a growing number of brands owned by the Vitec group as part of the Photographic Division, which already includes Lastolite, Avenger, LitePanels, Colorama and many others.

Founded in 1967 by adventure photographer and outdoorsman Greg Lowe, Lowepro celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and as it enters middle-age it joins classic brands like Gitzo or Manfrotto, which are owned, with many others, by Vitec. Apparently, Vitec has a passion for camera bags and backpacks, as the company also acquired, years ago, the brand name Kata, which it later integrated into its own Manfrotto family of photo bags.

Lowepro remains the recognized market leader of photographic bags, designed to protect electronic and photographic devices, with its focus on supporting the professional outdoor and adventure photographer, and will perfectly complement the Vitec owned brand Manfrotto, with its range of photographic bags focused on supporting professional urban and studio photographers.

JOBY introduced the GorillaPod in 2006, which transformed the camera accessories market.  The company, which was acquired by DayMen in 2011, celebrates over 10 years of manufacturing and selling the breakthrough, portable and flexible-leg tripod family of GorillaPods.

Vitec plans to integrate the two brands into its Photographic Division, with existing organizational structures under the leadership of Marco Pezzana, Photographic Divisional Chief Executive.

“We are proud to announce that two remarkable brands within the photographic accessories market, JOBY and Lowepro, will join the Vitec Photographic Division,” Pezzana commented. “We pride ourselves on supplying the leading photographic brands to the global market. This natural addition to our business strengthens the already outstanding offering we provide to our partners worldwide.”

He continued, “We believe that our extensive knowledge of the photographic market will enable us to add a wealth of value to these already leading brands. JOBY and Lowepro’s product development expertise, coupled with our established global distribution network, engineering and manufacturing capabilities, creates exciting opportunities for both Vitec Group and our global partners.”