In return, Dassler would give help and assistance to make LCS a big company again. Guelfi meet Horst Dassler (who was in charge of Adidas by then) and they secretly agreed to Adidas would buy a controlling stake in LCS. Le Coq Sportif shop at Mercer Street, London, pictured in 2016 The French government became aware of LCS' critical situation, and appointed entrepreneur André Guelfi to take over the company and save it. The offer was declined by Mirielle Camuset –Emile's daughter– more based on her political thoughts (as she had been a member of the French resistance against Germany during the World War II) than a commercial point of view. That quick move and some bad decisions by the Camuset family made LCS lose a substantial piece of the market and Adidas offered to buy the company, which would have regained ownership of the three stripes in France as part of the deal. Adidas signed a sponsorship agreement with Eddy Merckx, the raising star of cycling. As Adidas lost the lawsuit, it struck back against the French company with the objective to push it out of the business. That led to a legal battle between the two companies that almost caused the demise of LCS. In the early 1970s, Adidas, dissociated with its share in the market, began to sell textile products, realising that the Camuset family had registered the three stripes symbol in France. įormer logo, used (with slight variations) from 1968 to 2012, when the gallic rooster was restyled This logo remains in use in China, South Korea and Japan. Terms of the contract ruled that Adidas focused on footwear while LCS took over of textile products. By 1966 Le Coq Sportif was the biggest sports brand in France and that same year the company signed a deal with Adidas to produce the three stripes clothing products in France. The company redesigned its logo (the triangular shape with a rooster inside) and put it onto the yellow jersey for the first time in 1966 it was one of the first sports manufacturers to make its logo visible. The company also signed an agreement with the French Olympic Committee so athletes wore LCS sportswear at the 1960 Summer Olympics at Rome. During those years, LCS also signed agreements to be the official kit provider for the France national football team (from 1955) and rugby teams. The company was Louison Bobet's jersey supplier when he won three consecutive Tours from 1953–1955. That jersey had been introduced in 1919 but rejected by riders who didn't want to be so visible to rivals. Le Coq Sportif reached its peak in the 1950s, with its first huge success in 1951 when the brand signed a deal to make the yellow jersey for the Tour de France. Ten years later, the company launched the first tracksuit ever, the chándal (also known as "the Sunday clothing"). The Camuset family started manufacturing sports clothing in its factory in Romilly-sur-Seine in north central France, releasing its first catalogue (which mostly included cycling jerseys) in 1929. The company was established by Émile Camuset in 1882, initially within the woolen industry and then entering into the sportswear business, with some sources stating that it was his son who encouraged him to do it.
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