Announcing this ambitious goal, Mathieu Bazil, appointed general manager of this French surfwear brand at the end of last year, said it should be partly achieved by raising the ratio of sales outside France from less than one-third to one-half of the total turnover, which declined by 14 percent to €67.3 million in the year ended last Oct. 30. Sales in the domestic market are expected to increase by between 15 and 20 percent, according to the present business plan.
The company, which is the property of the recently refinanced Lafuma Group, is looking at Spain, the Benelux countries, Belgium and Italy for additional growth. It is considering the opening of its first Oxbow store outside France in Spain, probably in 2011.
To brand, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last month, is being repositioned by shifting the target from the 25-35 age group to a younger 15-25 group. Bazil, who previously worked for Adidas and DC Shoes, said the technical part of the collection will be reinforced. Oxbow has just released a new wetsuit in neoprene, called Spflex, which is said to improve body movements and blood circulation.
To help improve the look of its collections of garments and accessories, especially on the graphic side, Oxbow has hired a new artistic director, Lionel Rouault, who previously worked on specific product segments at Billabong and Rip Curl.
