The team at 361° Europe has found that, contrary to most retail industries, running retail as a category is ‘doing exceptionally well during these troubling times.’ At the onset of the pandemic in April and May, when things came to a standstill globally and the UK was sent into lockdown, the run shoe brand notes that ‘no new sales to retail partners were achieved.’
Despite this, the 361° UK team has overall doubled its sales in 2020 when compared with the same period in 2019. The company points out that it has been ‘doing a lot of repeat business and enjoying ‘top up’ orders from nationwide stores.’
Certain models of shoes have gone out of stock, and August 2020 marked its busiest month on record. 361° Europe puts its success down to a focus on supporting its retail stores – rather than the typical pandemic approach of shifting towards a direct-to-consumer online model.
“When Covid-19 struck Europe, the brand’s sales dropped to zero,” said 361° Europe’s Managing Director Jurian Elstgeest. “But in each market our local sales teams stayed in touch with retailers, making sure they understood the situation and figuring out solutions to support each other.
“We lost sales to bigger brands but stuck to our long-term strategy to be a partner for local retailers.”
He continued, “When retail started to reopen we saw the payback of this strategy. We were instantly getting new partners stocking our products and saw our business flourish immediately. Our brand is growing, retailers are selling shoes and, most importantly, runners are being served with great products, so they can continue performing beyond their expectations.”
As a brand, 361° has avoided an increase in online business or offering reductions on RRP, even going as far as to close an account when it was discovered to be selling on eBay at a reduced price.
The company adds that it wants to be seen as supportive of the physical ‘bricks and mortar’ market, as well as being trusted and respected by its partners. 361° notes that it took it upon itself to act in this way as a ‘long-term strategy, rather than to have a short-term solution to the crisis caused by lockdown.’
Since the lifting of the first European lockdown, the brand reports that its loyalty to retail partners was rewarded with ‘increased wall-space in retailers, as well as increased support for marketing campaigns and activity.’ Accompanied by a ‘boom’ in running, this has allowed 361° build further momentum.
Sales achieved in September 2020 were reportedly almost as successful as the brand’s record-breaking August. The team hopes that this continues into the future when the pandemic passes.
361° was founded in 2016 with the initial goal of creating an entry into the world of running shoes. The company notes that… ‘Even though the world doesn’t need another running shoe brand, we felt we could build ourselves a niche with an honest story and a great product. And we believe the right place to get a great pair of running shoes is your local specialist running store.’
