The two brands, which already have joint distribution in the USA and in the Scandinavian countries, have secured new distribution contracts in the fast-growing Russian ski market. Blizzard will be sold by Kant, and Dalbello by Performance Sports, starting with the Fall/Winter 2006/07 season.
Kant and Performance Sports both represent several other important brands and have their own stores. Kant, a former distributor of Salomon which has five stores in Russia and a ski resort in Moscow, has indicated that it wants to develop further its wholesale operations beyond brands such as F2 or Salewa. Performance Sports, which distributes Dynastar, K2 and many other brands, is owned by the same people who run the big Trial-Sport chain in Russia (we have plenty of details on these and other Russian distribution companies in our special report on the CIS region - see page 9).
Dalbello previously worked in Russia through Omega Sport, which is apparently concentrating now more on tennis and other sports. The tie-up with Performance Sports, which is one of the best distributors of K2 skis around the world, makes some sense insofar as the Italian brand has been working with K2 on free-ride and free-style products through Glen Plake and is likely to do more with this American brand. It is working together with Elan in Germany. Its distributors tend to offer Dalbello in combination with their ski brands in offering skis sets in their respective countries.
Celebrating its 30th birthday, Dalbello moved into a new and more spacious 10,000-square-meter factory and warehouse in the Montebelluna area in 2004. Thanks in part to improved logistics, which allowed it to accept more reorders, the Italian company is set to increase its ski boot deliveries for the current Fall/Winter season to about 420,000 pairs from 405,000 pairs in the previous one, confirming Dalbello as the world’s fourth largest producer of ski boots, and the only independent one. The volumes include only about 60,000 pairs manufactured annually for others on an OEM basis, with Intersport as the major client.
Blizzard is set to post a 30 percent sales increase in the first year under new ownership, reaching a level of about €28 million for the 12 months ending March 31 instead of the previously set goal of €25.6 million, delivering more than 300,000 pairs of skis.
Blizzard’s product range has been repositioned in a higher price segment. More than 75 percent of its models, including a new Multi-Condition ski, integrate its successful IQ system. Reportedly, he company has already booked an increase in orders of about 15 percent for the next season.
