Pearl Izumi shutting down running division

LOUISVILLE — Athletic-apparel maker Pearl Izumi USA Inc. announced Thursday that it is shutting down its division that designs and manufactures shoes and apparel for runners in January to focus solely on its division that makes apparel for bicyclists.

The Louisville-based company will eliminate six jobs. Some employees that lost jobs in the running division will join four new employees in the cycling apparel division.

Mike O’Connor, Pearl Izumi’s president, said the redirection was a “tough decision, but it’s time to recommit to our core.” The running division, making shoes and running apparel for the past 13 years, accounted for 12 percent of the company’s global annual revenue. Officials declined to divulge Pearl Izumi’s annual revenue.

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Pearl Izumi, a subsidiary of the Shimano Group, built its world headquarters at 101 S. Taylor Ave. in the Colorado Technology Center in 2013. Pearl Izumi employs 234 people worldwide, with 134 of those in Louisville, according to spokeswoman Lauren Fallert.

Pearl Izumi was founded more than 65 years ago by cyclist Kinji Shimizu, who redefined cycling apparel by researching new fabrics and immersing himself in studying the body in motion on a bike.