MONTEREY, Calif. (BRAIN) — Marin Mountain Bikes Inc., and Hawley-Lambert have announced a new sales partnership for all IBD sales in the U.S. Hawley-Lambert sales reps are now representing the Marin brand, while Marin will continue to stock bicycles at its warehouses in Southern California and New Jersey, maintain some of its regional sales reps, and continue to handle fulfillment, credit programs, warranty and other functions.
"What we’re effectively doing is utilizing their sales group," Matt VanEnkevort, CEO of Marin Mountain Bikes, told BRAIN on Wednesday. He said besides the sales force, he was looking forward to Hawley-Lambert's help in forecasting so that Marin can stock the appropriate levels of inventory.
"We sincerely thank the independent and factory reps that carried us this far but believe Hawley-Lambert to be the partner needed to help us shift to a higher gear," he said in a statement released Thursday. VanEnkevort said he's had a long relationship with Hawley, going back to his days as a retailer and as North American managing director of FSA, which was distributed by Hawley.
Hawley-Lambert currently has 21 reps and two sales managers in the U.S. Before this change, Marin had nine independent reps and two inside reps. "In terms of reach it's huge for us," VanEnkevort said.
Hawley-Lambert now has access to Marin's lineup of mountain, pavement and kids' bikes.
"We really liked the idea of having a mountain bike brand in our portfolio, but as a distributor it's kind of a complicated situation. We were looking for a different way to approach it because the market is changing," said Pat McGinnis, vice president of commercial for Hawley-Lambert. "I've been watching what Marin is doing, and they have some really cool new product designs. And we have a larger sales team and customer base, so they could put more focus on product design and B2C marketing and we can focus on B2B and communication with our dealer base."
As part of the transition, three current Marin reps will continue to sell the brand in their Pacific Northwest, Upper Midwest and Southwest territories. Marin's other regional reps are being let go; they were told about the change on Wednesday. Hawley reps will sell Marin alongside other brands within the Hawley-Lambert portfolio, and receive a commission from Marin. "This is the first time we've done this, but it's really simple if you think about it. We are their independent sales reps," McGinnis said. "It's a complication as a brand to hire independent reps, to find someone where products and territories don't cross over. And our reps are supported with insurance, expenses, etc. So that complication of their life goes away. We'll have a great opportunity to get the brand out to more dealers, and we may get some new dealers as a result.
"I wouldn't be surprised if we started seeing more of this in the industry. It's a new way to work together, and we're excited about it," he added.
Hawley-Lambert reps will be contacting Marin dealers in their respective territories in the coming days.
