Bendigo International Inc., a swimwear company based in Hayden Lake, Idaho, has been merged with a Canadian sportswear company, Chipmink, to form a new company, H & H International LLC, that will offer an expanded product line.


H & H International will sell swimwear, sleepwear, underwear, active wear, and casual clothing, all under Bendigo labels, says Herman Roup, who was president of Bendigo and will head up daily operations for the new company, which is based in Hayden Lake. Those items will include products that each company was offering and new lines that will be developed with combined resources.


Were in a far stronger position with products that are less seasonal and less weather-related, Roup says.


He is taking a cautious approach to growth, though, and says he doesnt plan to add to the companys North Idaho work force of six full-time employees and an army of part-time workers.


Roup has been in the swimwear industry for 14 years, 11 of those with Bendigo, which worked with sewing contractors around the world to make swimsuits of fine Italian fabrics.


Bendigo moved its headquarters to North Idaho from California in 1990. It had licensed other companies in 14 countries, including South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, to make and sell Bendigo swimsuits. It also shipped products across Europe, around the Caribbean, and into the Middle East to make its swimwear available in about 20 countries around the world, Roup says.


Its a brutal business, he says. In addition to keeping up with the whims of fashion, the swimwear business is strongly influenced by the weather, much as the ski industry in the Pacific Northwest is, Roup says.


The El Nino weather pattern that brought a poor season for skiers last year walloped normally sunny beaches in California and other big beach-activity areas with fierce storms and lengthy periods of rain. With El Nino, it was a terrible year for swimwear, Roup says.


He says Bendigo had sought to expand its product line beyond swimwear, and the timing was right when Howard Monk, of Chipmink, contacted the company in April about some kind of joint operation. Chipmink, which produced private-label sportswear for numerous Canadian retailers, wanted to tap into distribution channels and brand loyalty in the U.S. and was familiar with Bendigos operation.


With the complexities of international law, the creation of a new limited liability corporation to buy the assets of both companies took time, and the paperwork was finalized at the end of October, Roup says. H & H International expected to send out its first shipments of clothing this week.