Asics rep told me to take a hike

Thank you.

The only other thing I would add to what you said is that often times a brand in ASICS position would use not being in the new store as leverage to increace business in the existing account.

It happens all the time.

leroy wrote:

Thank you.

The only other thing I would add to what you said is that often times a brand in ASICS position would use not being in the new store as leverage to increace business in the existing account.

It happens all the time.

Yes it certainly does. There usually is some expectation that the existing account will increase order sizes or bring in more SKU's of inventory to justify the preferential treatment given. ASICS currently is in an extremely enviable position: everybody wants 'em. Over the years, I've seen Nike and Reebok enjoy the same status among runners and running store owners. Today, neither is very strong among serious runners. ASICS has been on a tear for the last 5-10 years, accounting for as much as 60% of total sales in some running stores. Even ASICS has its problems, though, in that they need to expand business with apparel and other categories (e.g. basketball,walking, etc.) Still, ASICS has done a lot of the right things that Nike, Reebok and others failed to do. They treat their elite dealers very well with an annual meeting with first-class treatment at very nice locations. They "pick the brains" of their better dealers and ACTUALLY LISTEN to them. Their quality is excellent; I don't see them fading ala Nike and Reebok.

just wait...asics continues to lose market share to brooks, mizuno and saucony.

Tech shops are sick of competeing with the Dicks and Sports Authorities who can blow out the 2120 for 69.99$ every week. Plus the fits of asics of been conistently getting worse. They may not fall so far back as Adidas or RBK but they definately shot themselves in the foot oevrsaturating the market and sacrificing the quality of their product.

Very insightful, andre dawson... this is true about Asics losing Market Share.

Dunno, Andre, we see Dicks (and others) doing the $69.99 2120 thing, but ASICS sales are staying very strong. Not to say that there isn't concern, but sales have not been affected in our market(Minneapolis/St. Paul) YET. ASICS can't have it both ways: you can't cultivate that niche market with running stores AND get the "big box" business, too. ASICS' image has always been one of quality and commitment to the runner. Hope it lasts, but usually something has to give. Problem is ASICS can't make it just being hot in running specialty stores; to grow, it must expand into bigger markets, like Dick's, Sports Authority, etc. (The "big boxes" don't know how to sell a tech running shoe, so they must discount to move 'em out) Specialty running stores give the product integrity and a type of endorsement that the big boxes want. It's what happened to Nike,Reebok, NB, etc. I doubt if you would find a running shoe manufacturer that would be content to sell ONLY to running and other specialty stores. Economically not feasible, although a couple of more esoteric companies like Vitruvian do that. (IMO,Brooks probably comes closest to that,keeping distribution MOSTLY to running stores.) As far as quality, I haven't seen a significant drop with ASICS, but maybe others have. Actually, it's not healthy for one company to dominate for so long, and it's good for others to cut into that market share. Mizuno, Brooks, Saucony,NB, and others will definitely keep ASICS on its toes, so to speak!!

andre dawson wrote:

just wait...asics continues to lose market share to brooks, mizuno and saucony.

Tech shops are sick of competeing with the Dicks and Sports Authorities who can blow out the 2120 for 69.99$ every week. Plus the fits of asics of been conistently getting worse. They may not fall so far back as Adidas or RBK but they definately shot themselves in the foot oevrsaturating the market and sacrificing the quality of their product.

Idea for running store

do not sell shoes sell service

carry a wide variety of shoes and offer a fit for fee service along with a best price web search or some such online angle plus delivery or pickup service

do sell gear

maybe rehab

training programs

a place for runners to meet

but forget the shoes

If you are looking to open up a running shop, it is really hard to start from scratch. The best idea would be to look into a franchise. You can't get accounts with many of the top companies until you are established for a few years. You'll have to go with Puman, Avia, and other lower level brands like that.

No, leroy that is not me; I always use my own name with e-mail. But I can sympathize with the new guy. And yes he is screwed.But by selling other brands he can be a success. According to the most recent data Asics 2120 #1 in both m/w. My #1 shoe was into the teens in ranking. But I still hade an over 25% increase in business last month and look for more of the same thru the summer.

And yes I know 25% of ZERO = ZERO. But the doors are open have been open (for 7 years) and will continue to be open.

Peace

yes, you may indeed have to start with the 2nd-tier shoe lines at first.....Puma, Avia, etc. But, depending on your market, Nike, NB, Saucony, Brooks, Mizuno, etc are very good options, if you can get them. Promote service and you can overcome not having Asics. If you do a good job, the Asics rep may eventually see the merit of opening you up with Asics. Sometimes it's a good thing not having too many shoes starting out. (Your cash flow initially may not be enough to adequately pay all your vendors) Cover all the areas with product you have, give good service, and you will succeed. When I opened my store twenty years ago, Saucony blackballed me, because of pressure from the existing running store chain. Saucony was important, but I sold around them, never trashed them, and about a year later, the Saucony rep practically begged me to carry the line. I had become a better store than the more established store!! Franchises can be a good way to go, if you have that kind of money, as you can locate just about anywhere with all shoe lines.[quote]shoeguy wrote: