Besides taking on the distribution of Bula hats for the German-speaking countries (see previous story), Chris Sports Europe will be introducing a Canadian brand of ski gloves, Kombi, in the same territory. To support this and other new distributors and to help find others in other markets, Kombi will have a stand at the Ispo show for the first time, starting next Sunday (Hall A3).
Chris Sports and other European importers are acting as sub-distributors of the brand. The current European distributor, Sportmarket AB of Sweden, has been successfully representing the brand in its own domestic market for more than 20 years. About five years ago, the contract was extended to the other Nordic countries, and two years ago to the rest of Europe.
Made in the Far East and marketed by a small family-owned company in Montreal, Kombi will celebrate its 100thanniversary in March. At Ispo, it will celebrate its 50thanniversary as a manufacturer of gloves through a limited-edition model with a Gore-Tex membrane. It has been associated with W.L. Gore since 1981. Kombi is already one of the major players in the North American market and has a presence also in Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
In Europe, which was previously a relatively virgin territory for the brand, Sportmarket has most recently recruited sub-distributors in the U.K. (Solo Sport), Belgium (Lubelco Sportswear), France (Ride On Distribution) and the Czech Republic (Arena Praha).
Sportmarket has helped Kombi's design team in Montreal to develop a more colorful collection specifically for the European market. Sportmarket had been the Swedish distributor of Columbia Sportswear until a few years ago. It still distributes Quiksilver, Fischer, Swix, Garmont and Keen in the national market.
