fly fishing industry,    fly fishing media,    redington

The Industry Report: Redington Goes Direct, Gear Awards Go Awry

By Tom Chandler 8/29/2011

As Singlebarbed has already noted, Redington is abandoning their dealer-only distribution channel and firing up a hybrid, direct-to-the-consumer sales model.

In other words, they'll pretty much sell to anyone, anytime.

Raise Your Hand If You're Surprised


This isn't exactly a shock; years ago Redington was testing a Shopatron gig -- a hybrid ecommerce/brick && mortar distribution model, though apparently it didn't make the grade.

Of course, this kind of thing is inevitable (we talked about the new realities of distribution right here).

Far Bank -- which chillingly doesn't
rule out similar moves for star brands Sage and Rio a few years down the road -- will likely experience backlash from fly shops, but direct is the new black, and Far Bank can build a spreadsheet as well as anyone.

For the specialty fly shop, the news just gets worse.

Retailerzilla


That's because rumors are flying that one of the biggest -- and one of the most frighteningly effective -- online retailers of outdoor gear is about to stomp into the fly fishing market like a T-Rex into the Seattle fish market, and while bigger isn't always better, this isn't exactly good news for the specialty fly shop.

Frankly, I'm surprised the fly fishing market is worth the effort for a truly big retailer, but even for the big boys, incremental revenue still accrues to the bottom line.

All The News That's...


Interestingly, this news comes not from the fly fishing industry press, but from a general fishing magazine and a couple bloggers.

It truly is a world gone mad.

And this all follows on the heels of a fly fishing show that was once again big on "positive vibe" but smaller than the prior year (I've seen estimates of attendance down 15%).

At the steadily shrinking IFTD show, a Simms' rainsuit -- a largely useless-to-fly fishermen jacket and bib combo designed specifically to help Simms break into the tournament bass fishing market -- won the fly fishing show's "Best Outerwear" designation.

Strange times indeed.

Which prompts us to make this bold prediction; a bass boat will win the "Best New Boat" category at next year's fly fishing show.

Seriously, Disruption Is The New Normal


Disruption in distribution chains is pretty much the norm these days, though the fly fishing industry hasn't experienced anywhere near the same suffering as industries whose products can be distributed digitally (you can download an ebook, but not a fly rod).

Specialty fly shops aren't about to disappear (well, most of them anyway), but their ability to compete without some kind of edge is shrinking.

In other words, before you walk into a fly shop, you make a mental calculation that something about it makes it worth the trip.

If a chunk of a fly shop's customers decide there's nothing there worth the trip, that's the day the fly shop ceases to exist.

See you playing industry journalist, Tom Chandler.
AuthorPicture

Tom Chandler

As the author of the decade leading fly fishing blog Trout Underground, Tom believes that fishing is not about measuring the experience but instead of about having fun. As a staunch environmentalist, he brings to the Yobi Community thought leadership on environmental and access issues facing us today.

24 comments
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[...] as I said before (when Redington announced they were going direct), manufacturers launching direct sales channels can read a spreadsheet as well as [...]
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[...] as I said before (when Redington announced they were going direct), manufacturers launching direct sales channels can read a spreadsheet as well as [...]
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So I'm gonna throw my .02 in here, and it may not be popular, but I wish to express it, as sort of an outsider, now insider pov. I've been a fisherman, all my life...and spent most of that as a bass fisherman, but still loved to fish all species, when the opportunity arose. I loved working a trout stream...my wife, who has been my fishing partner for nearly 23 of those years, picked up a flyrod, many ... more years ago. She has fished for bass off the back deck with a fly for years, but frankly, I refused until about 4 years ago. Why?? I couldnt stand the upity, snotty attitude of fly fisherman AND specialty fly shops. Everytime we walked into one...I felt alienated, and looked down upon. If you don't spend a grand on a rod and reel...you're viewed as a lowlife or aren't a real fisherman. Not a great way to expand your world to new folks and win them over. Now, obviously, I have changed my mind...and it is because of one guide really, who owns a shop down in Bishop who won me over...got me to look PAST those guys who alienated me, and learn the skills and tools of the sport, to enjoy. I most definately do now...and it is another part of fishing I enjoy tremendously, in spite of the specialty fly shops you speak of. I have, since then, met a few others, who have welcomed me....and offered help, and commaradity, even when they found out I own a fishing boat that goes 65mph and chase little green fish for fun too. I will guarantee you this much....the bass fishing industry will welcome Simms, or any other flyfishing company, who makes a good product, and supports their sport, and won't leave them feeling alienated. Futhermore, bass fisherman spend lots and lots of money, and the industry does a damn good job of getting new folks to come into the sport and feel welcome. Something the specialty flyshops, the flyfishing industry, and frankly flyfisherman, should and will need to do, in order to survive.
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We're blessed with a great local fly shop with coffee and camraderie any Saturday morning you're not fishing 4-25 guys hang out tie lie and have a good time. We have one of the big box (basspro) stores in town.. they have a "fly shop" ignorant staff...no tackle I'd fish with ....and schlock for tying materials.... I do my best to support the local guys ...they're my friends but the landscape is changing.... ... more I'll hold on as long as they do and do my best to support them all I can do.
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Ms Bristol; Happy to have you as part of the conversation. And while it may *now* be in the hands of more fly fishers, your statement feels a little specious; Simms *has* engaged a couple bass pros in endorsement deals in order to move into the much-bigger-than-fly-fishing market, and that groups seems like the ultimate target of the product (witness the repeated assertions that Simms is a "fishing ... more apparel" company). Moving into the bass fishing market makes perfect sense for Simms -- and the suit may be stunning and all -- but the question remains this: How does a product aimed primarily at the conventional fishing market (one developed with "input from bass fishermen") score best of show at IFTD? Based on the emails I get, a few other industry folks are wondering too. Which perhaps isn't a question you can answer, but it's certainly worth asking.
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Modelingbob: There's a whole ‘nother world to flinging flies than wading in a trout stream. I believe that, but I also know the number of FF anglers who could use a $900 rainsuit is a pretty small subset of the entire FF population, and that this product is *mostly* aimed the tournament bass fisher market (given the size of that market, it makes perfect sense for Simms). Like I said, it may be a ... more wonderful rainsuit, but I remain stunned by the idea that it won "Best of Show Overall" at IFTD. Based on the emails I've gotten, a number of other people in the industry aren't too clear on how that happened either...
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I don't know the details, but you know those scrapbook stores? I know that they do these nights when you can come in and scrapbook at the store. They supply certain basic supplies, I think, and then you buy the extras that you need. I could imagine fly tying sessions like that. You know for a flat fee the shop provides certain items and then others it can charge for on a per item basis. For instance ... more they could charge a nominal fee per hackle feather. It would allow an angler to get into tying without buying 8 different rooster necks, etc. Or the model could be like a bead shop, where there are bins of supplies that you can choose from and get charged based on what you use. I don't have the details worked out obviously, but there's got to be a way to do something like that, and make a little money and create new customers in the process. Maybe it's not practical...
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I live in Cartersville, Ga., about an hour north of Atlanta. I could order almost all of my fly fishing needs online, but our local fly shop, the Cohutta Fishing Co., has competitive prices and most important, a place to go hang out, have a cup of coffee and talk fly fishing. Online retailing will never be able to match that!
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One thing the box stores can't supply is actual fishing information and a sense of comraderie and community local fly shops provide. Reno lost a great fly shop this year and some of it had to do with having to compete with Orvis, Scheels, Cabelas, and Sportsmans Wherehouse...on top of internet fly shops. But, The Reno Fly Shop had people working in their that actually fished, and could tell you what ... more works on the Truckee. None of the above stores can say that with exception to Orvis. I think for beginning anglers the box stores are more convenient, cheap rod set-ups and the like, but as anglers progress in their fishing they gravitate towards actual brick-and-mortar fly shops because that is where the real information is, and fly shops play a big role as gathering places for the local fly fishing community. I might be a little optimistic being I am a fly shop employee, but I sincerely think this is true.
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I'm offered coffee every time I walk into my local shop, quite a distance from any trout streams (though no more than an hour's drive and set-up.) Bob Mitchell's Fly Shop, in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. Shout out to Mike.
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That "social" thing is certainly a component, but it does raise an interesting question -- how do you charge for that? How much do you need to make from the guys coming in twice a week for free coffee to keep the doors open and the guys behind the counters? I'm not dissing the idea, but it is little wonder the emphasis in the industry is on finding new fishermen...
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In terms of edge, Headhunters is way, way ahead of the curve (at least in my estimation). When I was on the Missouri last year I visited all the local shops, but bought from you guys, and that wasn't an accident. Also, I'd be careful about making analogies with historical meanings (nations & tribes). The intertubes have a tendency to fracture an formerly homogeneous industry (like fly fishing), and ... more for me, the beauty is that other voices can be heard. In this instance, I was a little shocked when the Simms rainsuit -- which might be a great rainsuit -- won "best of show" and that everyone seemed to be lining up behind that award without so much as a peep. In that instance, I'm more interested in asking questions of a "community" than necessarily preserving it. I will say this; for too long, the outdoor sports have been shackled by people (often writers) who made it all seem harder than it really is, or more difficult, or more exclusive -- and did it all for the sake of their own ego or furthering a career. I'd like to see that scourge disappear into the sunset, and to a certain extent, I credit the fishing reports found on blogs, fly shop sites, forums and others for doing away with a chunk of that despicable stuff.
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hahahahaha....KB,you're 'trolling' aren't ya? We have been fortunate up here in the NW. Haven't lost any shops in awhile(knock wood) but it's still a risky game. As a small business owner myself,I know that despite the rose colored claptrap the media spews,the lupine pest is watching the door with anticipation......and unless the general economy turns,it ain't pretty out there.....
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[...] and Chandler have offered up some pithy commentary over the past few days regarding Redington (part of the Far [...]
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I heard you were changing the liners back to felt, is that true?
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We have the ever present pot of free coffee everyday, and that will be the last thing that goes from our shop...
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Just a comment on the new ProDry suit from Simms, we have more saltwater & AK fly fishing guides wearing these suits than any bass anglers. Remember, it's fishing apparel.
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It's really not surprising that Simms is marketing a high quality rain bib/jacket outfit for FF. There's a whole 'nother world to flinging flies than wading in a trout stream. I spend more days in my boat hucking feathers to saltwater/warmwater species than I do wading in trout streams. It's not just about the Nascar/bubba bass set, although I'm sure Simms is going for them also. But I won't be buying ... more them from Simms as I already have my boat raingear.
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The homey little fly shop with the everpresent pot of coffee has been pushed out of the industry to make room for gleaming and spotless, less personal, well run shops - which now may have to compete with huge gleaming and spotless well run chain stores ...
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THE reason that destination fly shops will survive is: information.....accurate, current and without attitude. Blogs offer this, but there is nothing like a flyshop with a guide service to keep quality information rolling in for the traveling angler. One cannot get an up-to-date fishing report from Redington, Cabelas, Orivs, Patagonia, Sage, Winston or Simms, for that matter. When traveling around ... more on a fishing trip - buy your flies locally! Hopefully, most of the anglers around the world realize this and that will help keep the destination fly shop rolling for years. Fishing guides and Fly Shop owners are fiercely independent. In order to survive we must unite. The fly shops which embrace independent guides/outfitters and treat them like their own, will have an edge. Shops like the Madison River Fishing Company, Headhunters and Beartooth Fly Fishing are already doing this. My clients know where to get their gear and the shops who benefit greatly appreciate it.
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Here's a bold statement; Simms might be the only one of the majors that can prosper selling only through the dealer channel. Just a hunch. Also, I understand why Simms is diving into the bass fishing (tournament) market: it's big, and they don't have any existing dealer network to upset when they sell direct (I still don't understand how a bass fisherman's rainsuit won "best of show" at a fly fishing ... more gathering, though I have my suspicions).
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The fly shop will not last in many places. My prediction is that the big-time destination fly shops in places like Montana and Colorado will survive but fly shops in places like Pittsburgh will not. They are almost already extinct. We've got only one shop left here in Pittsburgh. The one hope is that the shops do a better job of creating a need to exist. That need is not gear. It has to be more of ... more a social thing.
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Very good post Tom. You continue to be one of the only original editorial fly fishing post-masters on the web, and far better than any in print. As a fly shop owner who has (or thinks he has) an edge to offer the consumer, you're making me wonder how many of me and my fellow shop owners will be around in a few years. How big is that edge? -In other words, before you walk into a fly shop, you make ... more a mental calculation that something about it makes it worth the trip.- TC Great point, TC, but I already think we're there. We've built our business around "community", just as the Trout Underground, other blogs and fly shop/outfitters have. The question is, do a bunch of shop/blogger/flip-zines make a nation? or just a bunch of tribes? The tribes usually lose. I continue to be optimistic, hoping that forward thinking fly shops, fly fishermen (and women), and bloggers - such as yourself - will lead the way and bring our community together.
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With Orvis, Hodgeman, Patagonia and now Redington dealing direct, about the only waders available from dealer-only are Simms. How long will Simms sit on the sidelines just to look like the good guy? My guess, not long. KC and company are some of the smartest and most business-savvy people I know and Redington has just given them the green light to bypass the cost of dealer, distribution, and rep.
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