IO_Fall20_4

13 Hestra Splits Western Territory Hestra recently announced the division of its western territory and the hiring of Shannon Carey and Chuck Gerst to manage the new territories. In these new roles, Carey will represent Hestra in Northern California, while Gerst and his team at Axis Sports will manage South- ern California and Arizona. The new reps will step into the role vacated by long-tenured territory rep, Peter Ball, who retired this summer. Based in Lake Tahoe, Calif., Carey has worked as an independent rep since 2000 and created her own agency in 2010. Her career began in retail at Any Mountain in the San Francisco Bay Area. Gerst and the rest of the Axis Sports team are based in Solana Beach, Calif. Axis is a three-decade old agency that consists of Gerst, Gary Kropp, Tony Coyne, Elliott Doyle, Banning Ostrow and John Benson. Axis Sports also represents Giro/Bell, BlackStrap, Scott, Camelbak and Enve. AKU Adds Rockies Representation Italian footwear brand AKU has retained Black Dog Sales Group as its new sales rep agency to support sales in Colorado and New Mexico. Black Dog Sales is led by principal Ian Decker, who has more than 20 years of experience in the outdoor industry in the Rockies region, including work with leading brands such as Arc’teryx Equipment, Marmot, Helly Hansen and K2, among others. “Colorado and New Mexico are important regions for AKU foot- wear sales, and The Black Dog Sales Group is a perfect fit for AKU with their established connections with retailers who sell hiking and backpacking footwear,” said Canice Harte, vice president of sales and marketing at AKU Outdoor. Rumpl Boosts U.K. Distribution Efforts Poler Stuff Expands into Wholesale Channel Following a re-emergence of Poler Stuff in December 2019, the Portland, Ore.-based outdoor and lifestyle brand announced its sales expansion into wholesale channels across the U.S. and international markets with the launch of its Spring 2021 collection. Supporting sell-in and sell-through of the new assortment, the Poler executive team is working with strategic retail account partners in the North America, Asia/Southeast Asia and Germany/Austria markets, said the company. Within the U.S., Poler has partnered with three in- dependent sales groups. With more than 20 years of experience, Band Vibes Agency will represent Poler in the Pacific Northwest covering Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Team BK Sales, led by Keith Culver, will oversee California, Hawaii, Nevada and Arizona territo- ries, and The Nutty Rice Agency, based in Manhattan, will represent the Northeast U.S. covering New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. Current international sales territories are led by the Canvas Group in Japan and the Primer Groups in Taiwan, Korea and Australia. Poler has also engaged in a market test with action sports sales veteran, Philipp Schmidt, president of Mosiac Sales Group based in Germany, to grow the brand in the EU market. Rumpl, a provider of technical blankets, has an- nounced a distribution agreement with Unify Brand Partnerships, a distributor of lifestyle, sport and outdoor brands in the United Kingdom, effective on September 1, 2020. Founded in 2004, Unify Brand Partnerships works with U.S. brands including Teva, Cotopaxi, Reef and Hoka One One. “It was clear from our first conversation with Unify that the team understood the Rumpl brand and our mission to redefine the blanket category,” said Wylie Robinson, CEO and founder of Rumpl. “We recognize the vibrancy of outdoor lifestyle culture in the United Kingdom and, as a result, we have worked with select retailers before. This new partnership will elevate our presence by deliver- ing superior hands-on support to our brand as we deepen relationships with consumers and introduce the world to better blankets.” Inside Outdoor | FALL 2020 Rumpl Taps Copendium to Enter New Zealand Rumpl, the technical blankets brand, has announced a distribu- tion partnership with Compendium Limited, a distributor in the New Zealand and Pacific Island region known for representing sustain- able brands within the outdoor and sports categories. Founded in 2013, Compendium LTD has introduced trendsetting brands includ- ing Hydro Flask and OOFOS to the New Zealand market, “with a focus on sustainable brands that close the loop between people and product,” said the company. “New Zealand has always felt like a natural fit for our brand. We’re so excited to partner with Compendium, a trusted, top-tier professional team, to make our first introduction to the market and build deep, lasting relationships,” said Wylie Robinson, CEO and founder of Rumpl. “One of our founding pillars is to look towards the future responsibly. We were immediately drawn to Compendium for their commitment to working with sustainable brands.”