Brunotti, the Dutch based action sports brand, has developed an eco-friendly surf board as part of its efforts to raise its sales of equipment. The Ambient bio-based board is made with a honeycomb paper core and other mostly natural materials from renewable resources and a low carbon footprint.
The launch comes as Brunotti is building up its equipment range. The number of items in this offering has multiplied about tenfold to 200 products and the team in charge of Rider Developed Products (RDP) has been enlarged from two to six people. This RDP range comprises equipment as well as technical apparel, such as wetsuits. It covers many more international markets, reaching 52 countries against 17 for Brunotti's apparel range.
The company is projecting a sales increase of 18.5 percent to about €30 million this year, owing to the equipment range as well as broader improvements after an adjustment in its business approach. It leans on a never-out-of-stock program with more than 150,000 items, enabled by Brunotti's distribution center of 6,000 square meters in Nijkerk, in the Netherlands. About 18 percent of the company's sales last year came from replenishment.
Another move that should push up sales is the Brunotti's entry in the Italian market. While the brand is named after an Italian surfer, Claudio Brunotti, it had never structurally worked in the Italian market. The company teamed up with Italian sales agents this year, some of them previously working for the closing Quiksilver office.
Brunotti currently makes about 80 percent of its turnover in the Benelux and in the German-speaking countries, after its move into the Swiss market two years ago. The plan is to open a full-fledged Brunotti office in Italy at a later stage, with a warehouse that could already be operational later this year.
Brunotti says the construction of the Ambient board is suitable for surf boards as well as kite-wave boards, windsurfing and SUP boards. The 75 percent recyclable honeycomb paper is meant to avoid the use of polyester, which has dominated the industry for many years. The first deliveries will be in August.
Brunotti says that the development is part of its efforts to reduce sea pollution. It works together with organizations such as the Plastic Soup Foundation to try and keep the oceans clean.
