Sakar acquires Vivitar brand and IP

Sakar International announced on Monday that it has snapped up the Vivitar brand name and intellectual property from Syntax-Brillian in a move to expand its camera line into the midrange digital-camera market and gain greater visibility.

Sakar, a consumer electronics maker, plans to use the 70-year-old Vivitar brand on digital cameras priced in the midprice range of $70 to $300, stretching its current lineup from the low-range market of $20 to $100.

"Linking ourselves to Vivitar will strengthen our presence on the retail shelf while also enabling retailers to buy more product from a single source," Ralph Sasson, Sakar's chief operating officer, said in a statement that did not disclose terms of the acquisition. "We will now have an even more extensive product line at multiple price points."

Sakar markets a range of consumer electronics ranging from digital cameras and accessories to iPod accessories to digital-music players.

The sale of Vivitar's brand and intellectual property, which comes approximately two years after Syntax-Brillian acquired the camera maker and less than two months after Syntax-Brillian filed for bankruptcy protection, will move Sakar's product offering into a market that competes with the likes of Olympus' point-and-shoot model, Canon's PowerShot SD790, and Nikon's Coolpix S600.