Stronger business for Eider in US market

Eider was founded as mountaineering brand in 1962 by a French tailor and started out producing “eider” down jackets for expeditions, has since diversified into manufacturing ski and outdoor apparel. The Lafuma Group in Europe has created a new “Mountain Division” since the acquisition of Eider and Killy. The division which includes Eider, Killy and Millet will share sourcing, logistics, customer support as well as credit services.

The Lafuma Group is putting a strong emphasis on the brand in the US and has seen a much better sell through due to earlier deliveries this season. Eider has also completed many FW10 line previews in their showroom in Lafayette CO as early as the first week in December, something the brand has not seen before, ensuring earlier lead times and more efficient deliveries. The Lafuma Group America also offers a much stronger organization with marketing efforts which include an in-house marketing manager, a new PR firm with offices in Denver and New York City, for Fall 2010, three outstanding athletes and a new 2000 square foot booth for SIA.

Eider USA has added Tom Lane to its sales force, covering CA, NV, and AZ. Tom Lane has a strong background with parent company Lafuma and is a seasoned veteran in snowsport industry. Dan Eubank, also new to Eider but not to the Lafuma Group will be covering the Midwest and Southeast. The Lafuma group is fortunate to comprise of a great team of sales representative who have been with the line for many years, including Philippe Muller who has worked with Eider France as a sales agent in Switzerland and has been covering the Rockies for the last 6 years and Martin Socha who began in the Midwest has been growing Eider for the last 5 years covering New England and the Mid Atlantic regions. Matthias Giraud, who covers sales in the Northwest is also one of Eider USA’s three athletes. Not only is Matthias a key person to the Eider team, he is also fearless boasting several first descents and ski base jumps. Giraud recently made the first descent and ski-BASE off Aiguille Croche in Megeve, France. Our two other athletes include Asit Rathod, from Hood River OR has reached the summit of Mt. Hood nearly 100 times. In February Rathod will be skiing powder in Gulmarg and heliskiing out of Shrinigar with big-mountain legend, Sylvain Saudan. Fellow Eider team mate Dave Watson will be joining him. Dave Watson is a two-time Everest summiter and the only person in history to have skied the infamous “Bottleneck Couloir” on K2. He spends his winters training ski guides at the only modern ski area in the Himalaya, Gulmarg Kashmir.

Thanks to all these structural improvements and a very strong fall 2010 line, the company is expecting a high double digit growth for Fall 2010 in the US market.

About The Lafuma Group
The Lafuma Group is a worldwide leader in the outdoor and ski industries. The Lafuma Group markets 5 major, renowned brands worldwide: Lafuma, Millet, Eider, Killy, Oxbow and Le Chameau. The US headquarters and warehousing is based in Colorado. For more information please contact 800-514-4807.