The discussion with Jurian Elstgeest, Managing Director at 361° Europe, explored developments at the performance run shoe brand.
361° has taken an interesting stance since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Rather than shifting its business strategy towards a direct-to-consumer, online sales approach – it has instead chosen to stick by its retail partners.
Jurian outlined that retail partnerships are a core focus of its business. While 361° shoes can be purchased online via the brand’s own website, this remains a small part of the company’s sales.
Despite lockdown, the 361° brand and its retail partners have seen an uplift in sales in 2020. When asked about the consumer shift to online, and the impact of the pandemic on bricks & mortar retail in general, Jurian pointed out that “The problem is starting to appear in the mid-section of retail.”
He argued that, for all runners (experienced and new starters alike), “The advice is always that you have to get a proper pair of running shoes and you have to have advice. The best place for this is a running store.
“The corona-crisis has made it very clear that industries and businesses that were already in trouble are going to be in more trouble. And the ones that were doing well are going to be better. I truly believe that run speciality is in a very good place.”
