The Canadian hat manufacturer showed a line of outerwear for the first time at the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City a few days ago and is going to replicate that at Ispo in Munich. Targeting freeskiers, it is going to be offered to retailers by a completely revisited and expanded network of Bula distributors set up in the last few months by a new international director, John Walbrecht, who worked most recently for Spyder Active Sports. Formerly with Dr. Martens, the well-connected executive took the place of Bob Singer after many years last June.
Filmar Corporation, parent company of Bula, decided to launch the new coordinated outerwear line after a successful diversification carried out by its Norwegian distributor, Skigutane, under a licensing deal. The addition of skiwear and other types of outerwear to its line of Bula headwear has had the effect of boosting its annual sales under the brand to $15 million.
The new global collection of outerwear is expected to represent 15 percent of Bula's total sales this year, contributing to boost its turnover by 40 percent to a projected level of around 50 million Canadian dollars (€36.6m-$50.0m). Its sales grew already by 25 percent in 2010, thanks mostly to increased orders from major retail accounts in the U.S. The expansion of its international sales network will be an additional factor of growth this year.
Bula now has distributors in most major markets except for South Korea. New ones have been appointed in 29 different countries in the last few months, including Another Distribution in China, Island Wave in Hong Kong and Great Life Science in Taiwan, for example. In Europe, Chris Sports Europe has taken on the distribution for Germany, Austria and Switzerland; and Megasport for Spain, Andorra, Portugal and – in a strategic move outside the Iberian Peninsula – in France as well, where it has hired a salesman who previously worked for Quiksilver.
Other new recruits in Europe are Familia Distribution for the Benelux countries, N Distribution for the Czech Republic, Water Action for Greece, Acrol for Hungary, JSC Modus Otil for Lithuania, Frost Distribution for Poland, Kenner Distribution for Romania, GM 3 for Slovenia and Croatia, and Sporting Group for Turkey.
Invoiced in euros, they and their retail customers are going to be supported by a new third-party warehouse set up in Rotterdam to handle customs clearance and to respond more quickly to reorders.
Reacting to the rising costs and unpredictability of sourcing in China, where it was previously purchasing 20 percent of its products, Bula recently decided to concentrate all the production at its own knitting factory in the Montreal region, which employs 200 people.
Retailers are also expected to benefit from the launch of an original new “I'm naked without my Bula” advertising campaign, featuring sexy photographs of half-naked men and women. Buyers and journalists are invited to pass by Bula's booth at Ispo to get a copy of a calendar with these pictures.
