Montrail sales spike 29 percent in 2002

Building on the business fundamentals, as CEO Menno Van Wyk told SNEWS, Montrail’s 2002 sales have jumped 29 percent over the previous year. Reason? A simple emphasis on sales, service and customer partnerships. “We make it easy for our customers,” Van Wyk said, noting that orders — whether preseason or asap — are filled quickly and as asked for. “It doesn’t hurt to build on the fundamentals.” In addition, he told SNEWS, the Torre boot (suggested retail $150) is a “category killer” and has been a “no-brainer” for stores to sell because of its price, fit and performance. Montrail has also been laying the groundwork for increasing its European presence and expects to add additional agents early this year. Still, with no staff and only a couple of agents there, Van Wyk said the company actually managed to produce decent sales. For 2004, the company has all kinds of introductions to make (including the delayed ICE 9 integrated boot/crampon system that will finally debut at this month’s Outdoor Retailer show). SNEWS View: We can’t disclose the numbers, but we can back up what the company claims as an astounding 29 percent growth. Too bad it didn’t reach 30 — Van Wyk had told his staff that if the company reached 30 percent, he’d run the annual Chuckanut Mountain 50K trail ultra in Bellingham, Wash., in March. He can let out a sigh of relief. Guess that’s a glass-half-full, glass-half-empty result.