PORTLAND, Ore. -- French sportswear brand Le Coq Sportif is closing its Portland-based North American subsidiary.

Le Coq relaunched the once-popular brand to U.S. consumers in February with a line of clothing and footwear. It targeted resorts, boutiques, tennis clubs and private athletic clubs.

Tim McCool, chief executive of Le Coq Sportif North America, said the company decided to focus on the strong demand for its tennis-centered products in Europe.

"With such rapid growth, they've decided to focus all of their efforts in Europe," McCool said this week. "At some point, Le Coq Sportif will re-enter the U.S. marketplace in a way that will better ensure success."

Le Coq becomes the third apparel brand to close or curtail operations in Portland this spring. Adidas AG's North American unit, Adidas America Inc., announced layoffs in April, and startup Nau Inc. shut down earlier this month, idling more than 60.

Le Coq employed seven in its Portland offices.

Industry observers say Le Coq's closure will have little impact on the athletic and outdoor sector's health in the Portland area.

"Here you have a European company that's trying to re-ignite an old classic brand, and they're going to put their focus on Europe rather than the U.S.," said Ross Regis, owner of recruitment firm Search Synergy Inc. in Portland. "You can't argue with that strategy."

Le Coq became a marquee name in the 1960s, '70s and '80s when Adidas owned the brand. The company faltered in the 1990s, and disappeared from the American scene.

Ione Clair, assistant pro shop manager at Mountain Park Racquet Club in Lake Oswego, told The Oregonian newspaper the brand was so popular when she started at the shop a quarter-century ago that shoplifters targeted it.

But the shop decided not to carry the revived line.

"What they showed us was so very, very European-looking," Clair said. "We saw one men's shirt out of the tennis line that we thought we could sell."

McCool said Le Coq hopes it can return after the U.S. economy rebounds and the dollar regains value.