Commencal no longer carried by BTI
And then we had nothing.
Commencal will no longer be distributed within the U.S. by BTI.
They claim that another form of distribution will pickup but the specifics are blurry.
The marketing of the products in the states was less than expected and with ridership in the states at an all time high, this is not good timing.
A few shops just opened accounts and even purchased minimums to become stocking dealers only to find out that they would no longer have access to the line.
Canadian distributors will try to assist with small parts but as most of us know that can be an extreme hassle when it comes to import taxes and shipping costs.
We hope Commencal finds another home here in the states quickly. Wih the release of the new downhill frame, the very new all mountain Meta frame and the success of the Athertons it seems as if this a crucial time to be part of the U.S. sales market.
Just look at as another product that BTI will be out of stock on.
posted by Evolution at 7/19/2011
5 Comments:
fak..I was all excited about the new Meta AM
Ahh mang, those idiots can't do anything right.
As a BTI staffer, I'd like to add to the discussion. This decision was not easy. We respect the people and engineering/marketing efforts of Commencal and hope they do find success in the US market. They/we have gained some notable traction in the USA with their riders and designs over the years, but I need to point out how competitive the market is with all the other established big bike brands. To make matters more difficult, we started building the brand right as the recession hit at the end of 2008 - not ideal when trying to get shops to take on a new, high-end brand like Commencal that still has minimal brand recognition with US consumers. Our Brand Manager did setup dealers going into Summer, but it was not supposed to be a secret for them that we were stepping away from the brand after our current model-year obligations were met. We're sorry people feel the way they do about our decision (as we are), but we've done our best to handle the transition as fairly as possible for all parties. The new DHv3 and Meta-AM are exciting steps forward and should help the future importer regain momentum. BTI loves Commencal and many of us are still riding/promoting the brand with smiles every day and hope all the current and yet-to-be fans will too.
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Well put Demonstro. Your point is well received and understood, it would have been nice to see some more focused marketing strategies. Of course that takes money and that is something many of us are short on.
Thanks for adding to the discussion.
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