NH-based transporter maker Segway acquired by UK company; Kamen says CEO Norrod is out

NH transporter maker Segway acquired by UK company

BEDFORD, N.H. — Segway Inc., maker of the Personal Transporter electronic scooter, says it has been acquired by a company based in the United Kingdom.

A four-sentence announcement appeared on its Web site Thursday, saying the purchase occurred on December 24, 2009. The statement does not disclose financial details or the acquiring company but says it is backed by U.K. businessman Jimi Heselden, the chairman of Hesco Bastion. According to the statement, Heselden is also an investor in the independently owned Segway U.K. distributorship.

Segway founder Dean Kamen told The New Hampshire Union Leader he has heard nothing indicating the company is leaving the state and said CEO Jim Norrod is no longer with the company, the paper said in a report posted to its Web site Thursday.