The leading Italian brand of bike helmets has set up a new global distribution center, described as an ultramodern facility, to service its direct clients and distributors more efficiently. In an original partnership with its distributors in Austria and Germany, Kalnai and Sport Import, respectively, it will deliver the goods to chain retailers and other key accounts directly from Italy. These distributors will work with them as agents.
The number of agents representing the brand in Italy and France has been expanded. In Italy, MET has linked up with DSB in Bergamo, which already represents brands such as CamelBak, Crank Brothers, Marzocchi and Rocky Mountain. It previously worked for Giro, a direct competitor of MET.
These and other initiatives have been taken by Vincent Lamoureux, who recently left as international director of CamelBak to become general manager of MET. This Canadian-born executive has worked for other sporting goods brands and retailers and moved to Europe 15 years ago.
Promoting it as a brand that is 100 percent made in Italy, Lamoureux has introduced MET now in North America via Canada. He has selected Cycles Lambert as its Canadian distributor, which presented MET’s at the Canadian bike show, BTAC, held in Montreal at the end of September. From there he went directly to the Interbike show in Las Vegas to discuss possible distribution deals with pre-selected candidates for the U.S. market and for several markets in South America.
