RAPID CITY, S.D. (BRAIN) — After announcing a new MAP policy and online sales restrictions in April, Strider Sports Intl. on June 1 ceased selling to more than 2,500 independent dealers and six national distributors that hadn’t signed on. But as of Monday, June 22, five of the distributors and 800 U.S. retailers returned their agreements and resumed sales, SSI stated.
“This was a pretty scary move — to actually draw a line in the sand and say we won’t sell any more bikes to any buyers who aren’t willing to represent our brand the way we want it represented, even when we have POs in hand. We are very pleased with the response and support from dealers and distributors,” said Ryan McFarland, SSI’s founder and CEO.
“Yes, there were some who complained — one who even called us communists — but in the end, those are the very dealers that caused the price erosion and misinformation problems, and we’re happy to have weeded them out,” he added.
As part of the new policy, SSI ceased selling direct to Amazon and began working with an exclusive third-party Amazon seller, Netrush, whose focus is “proper brand representation, including a commitment to MAP-compliant pricing,” Strider stated.
“The Amazon channel is now cleaner and more accurately representing our brand than at any time in the last three years,” McFarland said. “We’re thankful to already have such a good number of quality distributors and dealers on board and representing Strider, and we're excited for them to have a profitable future with our brand.”
To learn more about the Strider MAP policy or to become an authorized Strider dealer, contact SSI at (605) 342-0266.
