Electric’s new strategy flows through Europe

By

Olivier Guyot

Published
Jan 30, 2013

Electric wants to move beyond board sports. That is the core message of the brand’s recent announcement, which was acquired by PPR together with Volcom in late 2011. The action sports brand founded in California in 2000 has always positioned itself in the world of surf and ski, both for the distribution of its eyewear and goggles and for its textiles and accessories collections.

“This is a very exciting time for Electric and our retail partners. By building on our strong foundation as the eyewear category leader in action sports, Electric’s new company vision is to become a global premium sports and lifestyle accessories brand,” said Bruce Beach, CEO of Electric, in a statement. “Electric’s unique sense of style, design, and purpose will be reflected in our refreshed identity, elevated range of existing products, and entrance into complimentary product categories.”

Along these lines, the brand is now introducing two new winter sports goggles and is expanding its snow helmet line, as reported by FashionMag last August. The brand is also preparing to launch a watch line this quarter, priced between 150 and 1,115 euros and accessories for electronic devices. For its existing clothes and accessories lines, Electric intends to focus on bags and small leather goods.

“The strategy will be based on product development and brand expansion in Europe and Asia,” said the brand’s statement. To mark the change, the brand is treating itself to a new visual identity that is supposed to communicate its premium quality and timeless style. Electric says it “plans to sell its products in premium lifestyle boutiques, department stores and sporting goods chains, as well as in select online retail sites, including Electric’s newly launched e-commerce platform in the United States.” The integration into retail networks has been assigned to chief commercial officer Eric Crane, who left Nixon for the job.

Geographically the brand is focusing on Europe and announced the opening of a new office in the Hossegor surfing area in France and the arrival of a new managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa for the month of March. The brand has indeed undergone some changes since its takeover and the resignation of the previous Europe CEO Olivier Dedieu last June. The brand sees Europe as "a currently untapped market" and will exhibit at the Ispo to promote its evolution. Next up is a focus on Asia. International brand manager Bob Cherry will concentrate on Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong and China.