Editor's note: A version of this article ran in the January issue of Bicycle Retailer & Industry News. If you don't receive our magazine (in print or digital format), please sign up for a free subscription at bicycleretailer.secure.darwin.cx/Z2COTRLB.
(BRAIN) — Rize Distribution, a new company formed to bring youth helmets and accessories to "upper tier" chain retailers like Dick's and Academy Sports, is expanding into the IBD channel with its NÜDL and Sprokut product lines.
The company's founder, who has a deep background in the specialty retail channel, said NÜDL offers affordable, fun, feature-packed helmets for kids, allowing IBDs to get into the youth market instead of ceding it to the larger chains and mass merchants.
Rize's founder is Chris Bohannon, who has held leadership positions at specialty brands including Serotta, Orbea, and Allied but learned the youth helmet category specifically during his time with Bravo Sports, where he was global brand director at Nutcase Helmet and then VP of product and brand for Bravo Sports.
Bohannon said that after leaving Bravo in mid-2023 he was contacted by sporting goods retailers asking if he could develop a new youth helmet line to fill a hole in the market. The conversations ultimately led to forming Rize Distribution, the parent of the NÜDL helmet, protection and accessory brand and Sprokut, a line of lights, pumps, kickstands and other accessories. In addition to bike-related products, Rize offers protective gear and accessories for rollerskating, inline skating and snow sports.
Rize's founding crew includes executives from across the helmet and accessory industry, including former Bell Sports CEO Bernie Doering, who is Rize's director of international business.
Bohannon said Rize initially served mid- and upper-tier sporting goods chains, a category that includes Dick's Sporting Goods, Dick's House of Sport, Academy Sports, REI, Scheels and similar retailers, but not lower-tier merchants like Walmart.
Now Rize is increasingly looking to grow into the specialty channel and is building out an independent sales rep force, with rep groups already hired in Colorado, the Northeast and the South.
Bohannon said he learned at Bravo that specialty retailers largely aren't concerned about offering the same brands seen in Dick's or REI as long as the quality is high and they can sell at the same price. Like most brands in this space, Rize has a minimum advertised price (MAP) policy.
"I see the IBD as vital to our success," Bohannon told BRAIN. "We're trying to give them something that is affordable but not cheap, that has a creative tech story," he said.
To some extent, Bohannon wants to sell retailers not just on his brand but on the youth category in general. It's a category that some specialty retailers gave up on, while others find profitable.
"The kids helmet space is interesting for IBDs. I view it as recession-proof if the price is right," he said.
Especially in the holiday season, when IBD foot traffic can be slow, offering youth helmets and protective gear can help dealers make add-on sales with wheeled products, all while "bridging the gap between infancy and adulthood," he said.
As for the NÜDL products in particular, he pointed to features such as MIPS, Fidlock magnetic buckles, and the integrated Twiceme technology. Twiceme connects with a mobile app and allows parents to set geo-fencing boundaries that alerts parents if the child leaves the geo-fenced area. It also has ID and medical information that first responders can scan. NÜDL offers youth helmets with all three of those features for $59.99 retail. Non-MIPS helmets with Fidlock and Twiceme retail for $44.95.
For adults, the NÜDL line includes a MIPS helmet with integrated LED lights that retails for $109.
The youth product graphics and styling were developed following focus groups with kids. After a career developing and selling products for adult cycling enthusiasts, Bohannon said this was the most fun part.
"It's way better than talking to a bunch of cyclists. For one, (kids) are brutally honest. If they want a helmet with a monster on it, that's exactly what they want and they tell you. They have no rules. It's just fun to see what's important to them," he said.
After some success in stores with the first run of NÜDL helmets, Bohannon said retailers asked the company to develop more accessories. The Sprokut and NÜDL accessories compete with brands like Bell, Blackburn, Lezyne and Topeak. The line includes 700-lumen LED light sets that retail for $34.99.
More information: rizedistribution.com.
