Bushnell at Mido for growth in Europe

Bushnell, the American eyewear and sports optics giant, was at Mido 2004 with a plan to gradually bring the other markets up to the level of the United States, where over 60% of its business volume comes from.

According to what was said to Milano Finanza by director general Joseph Messner, the biggest developers were the Bollé and Serengeti brands 'thanks to synergies with optics stores in Italy that could become strategic outlets. The market is already swamped with fashion products' Messner said, 'but we want to offer a mix of sport and fashion, ideal for a young lifestyle. We also aim at creating client loyalty and proposing different types of eyewear to the end-user for different everyday occasions.'

'Bollé eyewear' as explained to Milano Finanza by Arnaud Van Robais, president of the European branch of Bushnell Peformance Optics, 'are suitable, for example, for skiing, snowboarding, cycling and beach sports like surfing, and we are aiming at young Italian athletes in these disciplines as future testimonials. We are also proposing a new collection for the 16 to 25 age group, called Dirty 8.'

80% of distribution in Italy and in Europe is to opticians' stores and to selected sportswear chains, the remaining 20% is to department or specialty stores and duty frees, the exact opposite of what happens in the United States. The same is true for Serengeti, a brand 'known especially in the Us and with a consolidated hi-tech tradition, mainly expressed by its photochromic lenses suitable for various situations, especially driving. 'We' Van Robais explained 'have increased the fashion content and chosen testimonials like Luke Perry and Peta Wilson'.

After a 2003 that closed with 270 million euros in sales (+13% over 2002), the aim for 2004 is to reach 300 million. Last year the European market grew by 16%, in Italy the percentage was double: 'here the market is still very fragmented' Messner concluded, 'but we are counting on growing even more. In January 2003 we opened a branch in Turin, a strategic area because of the 2006 Olympics. Today we have 1,500 stores which are Bollé clients and 600 Sergengeti, we are therefore pleased with the work done to date and aim at investing considerably more in advertising and public relations.'.