The most common question I've been asked over the last few months is what impact the global recession is having on Orca. As the northern hemisphere rolls through summer we're start getting feedback through our distributors and retailers, and getting a clearer picture.
Markets like the United Kingdom and USmake up a significant proportion of Orca's total sales and ultimately our success comes down to whether the weekend warrior athletes who make up the majority of our customer base see new sports gear as a priority in their discretionary spending.
As I write this blog I'm about to leave our United Kingdom office having been at the London Triathlon - a mass participation event, with over 10,000 competitors. From what we've seen, while a number of retailers are struggling or shutting their doors, huge numbers of people are actually getting out, exercising, and buying gear. It seems that fitness is a way to put aside the woes of day to day life.
Our product development cycle means we are now talking about orders for summer 2010, and it seems that a conservative approach is being favoured by retailers and distributors alike. It's an interesting dynamic with the Orca team's more aggressive approach to growing the brand, balanced with distributors and retailers managing their financial commitments and stock levels.
Our focus is to keep innovating with product, whilst strengthening our distribution channels - more than ever strong relationships around the world are critical for our business. In the next few months we'll be at major trade shows in Europe and the US and it will be interesting to see what everyone is saying about the economy there, and to see what brands are pushing hard.
