Jart Skateboards, one of the few European manufacturers of skateboards, recently opened a U.S. subsidiary in Los Angeles, which will be operational by the summer. It wants to introduce its own brand, called Jart – or crazy in Spanish slang – to the U.S. market where up to 60 percent of the world’s skateboards are consumed.
Run by three enthusiastic brothers, Igor, Ander and Igor Iraola, its first move will be to form a skate team in the country, in order to increase the brand’s notoriety there. The sales office will also help support and grow the operations of its distributors in Canada and South America.
Production levels in the factory based in the Spanish Basque country came to 100,000 boards in 2006. As it now stands, 35 percent of the group’s production is for its own brand, while 65 percent is under contract for about 250 different European brands. The group wants to increase the proportion of manufacture for its own brand to reach 50 percent.
The brand was one of 10 winners at the Surfexpo show held last September in San Diego. As a result, the group received help from organizers of the show to promote their brand in the country. Jart was initially intending to seek out distribution deals at the show, but following its success there decided to opt for a full-blown subsidiary.
