The Italian brand of dance and fitness clothing and footwear has signed up new agents and distributors in several markets since the appointment of a new international director, Mike Thompson. Based at Freddy's sales office in London, he joined the company in April 2008 from Timberland, where he acted as European commercial director.
Go Sales & Brand Development, a Berlin-based agency that has been taking care of Hummel and Sergio Tacchini, has been assigned to sell Freddy in the important German market. A company in Antwerp, DB Line, is Freddy's new distributor for the Benelux countries, and one of his managers, who has been associated with Timberland in the past, is providing input on international marketing.
Freddy continues to handle France, Spain and the U.K. directly through its own sales employees, who are scouting for suitable locations for new Freddy stores in Paris, Madrid and Barcelona, to be added to the 24 existing stores. Outside Europe, the company has signed a new distribution deal in Korea with Inthef. New are also SportsCo for Australia and New Zealand, and MGS for Israel. The Korean distributor is developing a special line of Freddy branded outerwear on a licensed basis for its market.
The brand is now firmly established in 16 countries outside Italy. New distribution partners are set to come on board in early 2011, notably in Denmark and the United Arab Emirates. Thomson is also working on other markets such as China, Brazil, India, Russia and Turkey.
The company's total sales are said to have been more or less flat last year. Profitability remains high. Freddy is making a distinctive statement by defining its collection as ?sloungewear,? a cross between sports and comfortable leisurewear to be worn indoor that should more easily find the right shelf space in the sports stores and the boutiques. The nearest competitors are brands such as Adidas Originals, Juicy Couture, Franklin & Marshall or Superdry.
