Tent displays are a prerequisite for foundation retailers
Outdoor brand Gelert has announced it will stop supplying supermarkets and concentrate on supporting specialist outdoor retailers.
As part of its new Outdoors Made Easy strategy, it will create a network of favoured retailers with exclusive rights within their geographical area to stock certain technical Gelert products.
Steve Stretch, international new business development director at Gelert said: “This distribution strategy seeks to recognise and support the premium camping retailers in the UK, Eire and across central Europe with key markets including Benelux, Germany, France, Scandinavia and Northern Europe.
“Our current brand and retail position highlights quality, value, choice and profitability and will allow quality specialist retailers exclusive rights to our range of top-tiered products and accessories, while providing the ease and excellent value that our non-specialist retailers demand.”
The company said it was also supporting specialist retailers in extending sales outside the traditional camping season with a tighter more focused product collection of footwear and clothing, sleeping equipment and Christmas gifts including undergarments and accessories including hats, gloves and scarves.
“This new distribution strategy forms part of Gelert’s overall marketing initiative and positioning of ‘making the outdoors easy’,” Mr Stretch said.
“As part of this initiative we have pared down our range, concentrating on offering only the highest quality outdoor gear and placing a higher emphasis on innovation.
“For 2013 we are launching a number of innovative new products which have been exclusively designed by Gelert to offer affordable, high quality goods, focused on making the outdoors easy.
“The partners will be evenly geographically distributed, giving our foundation retailers a real market advantage in their local area.”
Gelert’s new ‘foundation accounts’ will be open to quality trade customers who specialise in outdoor and camping products.
They must have a minimum of 20 tents pitched or displayed for the full camping season, or be a retailer with a quality tent show programme, have a minimum of two competitor tent brands, be committed to a minimum of two tent styles and four different lines for the first quarter of 2013 and carry an additional three other categories from Gelert.
All foundation accounts must also be approved by the Gelert board directors.
