SUN VALLEY, ID (BRAIN)—Scott USA aims to increase its presence in the market in 2010 with the addition of several price point bikes, the expansion of its apparel and accessories offerings and the development of a new line of running shoes.
With much of the “heavy lifting” completed after re-launching the brand in the U.S. five years ago, it’s time to move the brand into the next phase, said Scott Montgomery, general manager and vice president of Scott USA.
“We have a 249,000-square-foot facility, a beautiful corporate headquarters, SAP software, a nice b2b site, the Columbia High-Road team, the Scott-Swisspower team, the Scott 11 downhill team. We really have all the bases covered. Now it’s the next phase: keep expanding the dealer base at a controlled level and fill more niches,” Montgomery said, adding that Scott aims to add 100 to 120 dealers next year.
One important adjustment on the bike side for 2010 involves how Scott will do business at the high-end given the softening in that sector of the market.
“What we’ve generally done on the high-end—and my definition of high-end is above $3,000—is we have de-spec’d to be more price competitive. So off with the ti pedal and maybe no pedal at all, substituting sometimes a carbon bar with a no name bar because we just sense that everybody is so much more value conscious,” Montgomery said.
For more on this story including Scott’s marketing strategy going forward and what 2010 product to look forward to, be sure to read the July 15 issue of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News.
—Nicole Formosa
