Trespass is taking over control of its business in France and Germany, which were its two largest export markets until Russia’s takeoff over the last years.
In France, the fast-growing Scottish outdoor apparel brand put an end last month to a long-term partnership with its general agent for the market, Celsius. Most of the former French sales representatives will remain with Trespass, but the company is on the look-out for a sales director to supervise them. To crank up French sales, Trespass intends to open a single-brand store in a large city next year.
The brand’s general agent in Germany, SPS, which worked also for Roces and other sports brands, filed for bankruptcy earlier this year as it succumbed to the poor winter. Trespass wants to replace SPS with its own office while retaining its reps, making sure that deliveries will continue to run smoothly.
The brand has been enjoying double-digit growth over the last two years, to reach sales of about €70 million in 2006, as it opened scores of mono-brand stores and expanded its offering to include full-fledged summer ranges. Trespass now has 53 stores in the UK, of which 42 are owned by the company. It also has six franchises in Russia and a handful in other European countries.
Trespass has made strong inroads in Latin America, reaching sales of about $5 million in the region. Three years into its existence, the brand’s subsidiary in the USA should start to make a profit this year as its sales are doubling. Owing to this international expansion, the British market now makes up only about 35 percent of Trespass’ sales.
