FEATURE | EFTTEX – A NORTH AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE
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very happy with what the show offers
for his company. “Gary has really put
the show together for us this year, he
knows the market well here.
EFTTEX is a great opportunity for us
and there is lots of business to be done
here. We like how the show moves from
place to place. For example, when it
was located in Poland we saw many
new companies and it opened us up to
a completely new customer pool. Since
2010 in Valencia we’ve attended every
show and will continue to do so.”
You could say that the American
Tackle Company is now a veteran of
EFTTEX but there are also companies
exhibiting for the fi rst time. Take lure
brand Northland Fishing Tackle for
example. They made the trip over from
Minnesota and we caught up with sales
manager Dan Rude to fi nd out why.
“We are present in the European
market,” said Dan. “But we’d like to grow
and expand here.”
“We’d certainly like to have
a presence in Russia and the
Scandinavian markets, as well as
Germany and the UK. We’re here to
gauge the market and to fi nd out which
type of distribution tactics work best.
We want to gain business, increase
sales and learn more about this
fascinating sector.”
Another company fairly new to the
EFTTEX experience is 13 Fishing. The
company is making great strides in
American. Mike Sullivan, Vice President
of Sales, told Tackle Trade World
that they are the “fastest growing
reel manufacturer in the US.” This is
testament to the company’s quality
products and fantastic marketing,
which is capturing the imagination of
an American audience.
“This is our second year of exhibiting
at EFTTEX,” said Mike. “After doing so
well in America the natural next step
was to take our fantastic products into
Europe.
“The two main reasons we are
here is to attract distributors and
for brand awareness. We are looking
for distributors in each market. The
language barrier is a big hurdle and
having a distributor in each country,
that speaks the native language, will be
a great help.
“The goal we have with each
distributor is to let them market our
products in their territory.”
Mike Sullivan, 13 Fishing.
Jim murphy R L Winston
Josh Gullion, Livetarget
Damon Stamoolis, (right) Pacbay
Top end, fl y rod brand, R. L. Winston
Rod Co., rates EFTTEX highly and it is
using the show to gain a ten per cent
surge in European sales.
“Currently 25 per cent of our sales
are through export, we are looking to
increase this to 35 per cent,” said Jim
Murphy, Vice President of the iconic
American brand.
“We came for the fi rst time maybe 25
years ago, I have to admit to a kind of
sleepy approach to the export market.
“Two years ago, they hired me and
I spent six weeks travelling Europe
setting up retail channels. I wanted
to be fairly exclusive. We look for a
retailer in each country, the distribution
network is too expensive.
“The main reasons we come to
EFTTEX is to meet existing dealers,
show off our new products and to
reinforce relationships - also to be
nosey and see what is going on in the
market!
“Our retailers market our products
and right now we have the best-selling
rods in Farlows, London.”
Livetarget, the makers of lures and
associated products, visited the show
for the fourth time in 2018 and the
third time in a row. Josh Gullion, from
the company’s sales team, was on hand
to talk Tackle Trade World through its
European export initiative.
“Right now we have a small
international market compared to
the business we generate in North
American,” said Josh. “We are looking at
Europe to change this.”
“Ideally we are looking to obtain
distribution in every European country
and we are very focused to then provide
our distributors with compelling and
engaging online content to drive sales.
“There is also a possibility that we
will use an agency in Europe to tailor
our marketing to a European audience.
“We now offer our European
customers and distributors exclusive
products such as the Hollow Body Craw
and we are introducing our amazing
line of soft plastics into Europe. We’re
really excited to see how the trade
responds.”
A veteran of the EFTTEX arena
is Eagle Claw, the giant American
hook manufacturer. What keeps the
company coming back to EFTTEX after
over 25 years of exhibiting at the show?
International Sales manager, Nick
Clark, was on hand to explain all.
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