Brunotti, the Dutch-based action sports brand, is expanding its international sales by moving into France and Belgium. The company has teamed up with two independent agents in France, who will work only for Brunotti and will receive financial support from the company to operate their business from Annecy. For Belgium, Brunotti has sealed an agreement with G Force in Antwerp, which already sells Icepeak and Colmar.
The company has been moving cautiously in international markets since it overhauled its brand strategy three years ago, by divesting or halting four other brands. Brunotti then started adopting a more focused approach, roughly halving its product offering. It now concentrates on the mid-price level, except for the more technical Rider Developed Product (RDP) range launched in 2005. The strategic change entailed 22 job losses, relating to the brands that were divested.
The Brunotti brand’s sales have since grown substantially from about €19.5 million in 2008 to €24 million last year, and with a target of about €30 million this year. The expansion was driven by Germany, which is Brunotti’s largest market. About 68 percent of its sales are generated outside the Netherlands, but several large markets have yet to be covered. Plans are to take up positions in Spain, Portugal and the Scandinavian countries in 2011 and in the U.K. in 2012.
Brunotti’s collections are currently sold in around 1,300 doors throughout Europe.
Separately, the brand has put an end to its footwear licensing agreement with Eegim, the Dutch trading group. From the beginning of this year the European license switched to Palm & Pines, a company set up by two former Brunotti footwear sales managers.
