Kamik has started to adjust its marketing material to put more emphasis on its Canadian identity and production. The adjustment, which is part of an effort to widen the brand's appeal in Europe, will become more apparent next year.
The move comes after the appointment of Cristiana Bija in the newly-created position of European marketing coordinator in March. She has a background in marketing in an unrelated industry and is based in Oberzell at the German office of Genfoot, the Canadian company that owns the Kamik brand.
Kamik is most widely known among European consumers as a children's winter footwear brand but the company wants to make it clear that it has a broader range and a strong track record as a Canadian outdoor footwear maker. This will not lead to any adjustments in the logo or the products, but the message will be spread through marketing and point of sale material, as displayed at the OutDoor fair last month, and possibly with public relations activations.
Genfoot has manufacturing plants in Canada and the U.S., which jointly make up about 73 percent of the production for the Kamik brand, but none of the products intended for the European market come from the U.S. factory. The group's capacity was raised by about 20 percent in Canada and by 30 percent in the U.S. since 2015, after very cold winter weather in North America in the previous year led to a sharp sales rise.
The Kamik brand's sales were roughly flat in Germany last year but its European turnover was on the rise due to increased sales in Scandinavia as well as added distribution in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The European weather situation is leading to a decline in sales of winter boots but an increase in the turnover for rain wear and children's sandals.
The brand teamed up with Hej International for its distribution in the U.K. and Ireland last year, which added customers for this summer, but the agreement was subsequently terminated. Hej International distributes Wigwam, a brand of sports performance socks, and the firm is related to Kozi Kidz, which specializes in children's outdoor garments. Kamik is working on another solution for U.K. distribution, which should be in place for next summer.
As previously reported, the brand is also adjusting its team in Germany. Thomas Brock, former country manager for the Mammut Sports Group in Switzerland, started from the beginning of June as country manager for Germany and Austria at Genfoot Marketing Europe, which sells Kamik and Aku in Germany and Austria. This job was held for many years by Hagen Marschner, who was also key account manager for Kamik in Europe. The company is hiring a replacement in this second position, to start in September.
At the same time, Genfoot has closed down an office in Switzerland that handled invoicing for European countries. The company moved these functions to Venlo, in the Netherlands, where its third-party distribution center is located. The group explains that this move simplifies procedures for the European market.
