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Reus and Nairz leave Salewa
Mountaineering-supplier Salewa loses two managers at the end of May: marketing director Herwig Reus and business unit retail director Jürgen Nairz. Both Herwig and Nairz have only worked for the Italian company for a year and a half. Reus participated formerly in the buildingup of Adidas’ outdoor-department and worked for Deutsche Telekom in sports sponsoring, Nairz occupied a role responsible for the retail strategies of sports brands.
“We position Salewa clearly as mountaineering brand”, commented general manager Massimo Baratto the changes in personnel and aims to hire for the vacant positions new staff more closely linked to the alpine world. Reus confirmed to SAZsport the “separation on mutual agreement” and is grateful “for the good experiences with Salewa, where I could not show my strong points enough.”
Europe-distribution back in the hands of Earth Products
The Californian company Earth Products transferred the Europe-wide distribution of the brands Planet Earth (street- and snowboard wear), Adio (shoes) and Holden (Outerwear) to K2 Ski Sport + Mode (Penzberg/Germany) about two years ago, but now has fetched it back. Only exception: the German-speaking countries.
The distribution channel of the three brands in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland will stay in Penzberg. New Sales & Marketing Manager for Earth Products is Wolfgang Buchwieser. The 36- year-old ex-Oakley-Manager stays as before Europe Sales Manager for Ride (snowboards) and Line (skis), additionally he takes over the functions of Walter Dietiker (Zurich), who will work furthermore with his Swiss team for Earth Products.
Nordica let Blizzard build its skies
After the access of Nordica to Blizzard last autumn, the production of Nordica-skis should be displaced step by step in the new required works in Mittersill, Reto Rindlisbacher declared. This takeover by Blizzard is a good strategy for the Technical-group, continued the former General Manager of Völkl, who will now be responsible for the development of the brand to a ski label.
On the one hand, Nordica disposes in the medium term of sufficient own production capacity; on the other hand, a second ski brand goes very well with the portfolio of the Tecnica-group. Blizzard will be managed furthermore by Karl Hofstätter (CEO and co-owner) and Thomas Zettler (Managing Director Marketing & Sales). The product and marketing strategies of Blizzard and Nordica are coordinated with the colleagues of Blizzard, underlines Rindlisbacher, who takes charge of the Swiss market and of all further important ski markets. “As the Tecnica-group in Austria dislocates the Nordica-distribution in the subsidiary in Altenmarkt, I’m very occupied with the sales structure in Austria at the moment.”
EAG places XL-shops under the roof of Eybl
Eybl Experts AG, Austria’s largest sporting goods retailer, announced global restructures: the 13 Intersport-XL-shops operated by the EAG were renamed in Eybl-shops, which should strengthen the brand in the whole country. By that action, the number of the Eybl-branded outlets increases from 10 to 23. According to the ideas of the EAG-management, this step should lead to better marketing effects and should strengthen the presence of the brand Eybl, especially in the south and in the west of Austria. The EAG operates 19 rather price-driven outlets under the flag Sports Experts, whereof 17 are located in Austria and each one in Munich and Regensburg. The 24 further XL-shops are not concerned by this restructure, which are operated by other Intersportmembers in franchise system.
Altogether, the integration of the XL-shops under the roof of Eybl is valued on the market as strengthening of the shop format Eybl. After the merger of Eybl and Sports Experts in 1999, the special trade format Eybl was neglected in comparison to the expansion of the special trade concept Sports Experts. The return to Eybl began with the kick-off of the former EAG- and Intersport-boss Alfred Schwab.
All in all, the 2500 employees of the EAG made altogether 133.000 square metres sales area - a turnover of €390 million in the business year 2005/06 ending August ‘06, which corresponds to an increase of 4 % and, according to own information, market shares in Austria of 22 %. In order to continue this positive trend in 2007, a “total offensive” is necessary, as the new CEO, Dr. Peter Wahle, enunciates it. Wahle places the decrease in turnover in the first months of ‘07 in the “low two-digit percent sector.” The great with hope is the Soccer European Cup 2008 in Austria: fan shops in all subsidiaries should reflate the sales.
