Zurich/Metzingen – The start-up ph. AG is expanding into the USA with its regeneration agent KA-EX. The Swiss-made product will now be available at 34 Earthbar locations in Southern California, 28 of them in an in-store concept with Equinox, the operator of luxury fitness studios.
Ph. International, the Stuttgart-based subsidiary of Zurich-based ph. AG, is launching its regeneration product KA-EX on the North American market. It will initially be available in Southern California, in 34 stores of the Earthbar grocery chain. 28 of them are located in the luxurious Equinox fitness studios between Los Angeles and San Diego.
However, this is only the first step in the company's expansion in the USA, according to Pedro Pablo Schmidt, a pharmacist with a degree from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, developer of KA-EX and founder of ph. AG, is quoted in an article by startupticker.ch. After that, an expansion "to Equinox in New York as well as to Whole Foods and other premium retailers" is planned.
KA-EX consists of 25 biomolecules designed to optimize recovery after intensive sport. According to the manufacturer, this accelerates regeneration and reduces physical or mental fatigue the next day. They are also said to have positive effects on muscle growth and endurance.
According to KA-EX, it already supplies several thousand athletes and is available in over 30,000 sales outlets across Europe. Users include more than 30 teams, including the Swiss national football team, some of the best football clubs in Europe and a professional cycling team. In Switzerland, the regeneration drink is also available in pharmacies, at Coop and Coop Pronto as well as in various fitness centers.
Currently, ph. AG is currently raising 750,000 Swiss francs for the roll-out at Equinox. A financing round of CHF 3 million is planned for the end of this year in order to launch KA-EX on a larger scale in the USA. The move is expected to generate annual sales of between 30 and 50 million Swiss francs for the company. ce/mm