Written By: David Hall
On Date: 9/4/2010
DANISH tackle giant Svendsen Sport has signed a strategic alliance with OPM OY to distribute its brands in Finland. The move comes after recent changes at Pure Fishing, which sees Finnish company OPM end its distribution deal with the associated brands. The new deal was signed late last year with the first batch of Svendsen products due to hit the Finnish market during mid-March.
Matti Seppälä, managing director of OPM, told TTW: “The autumn tradeshows have been absolutely phenomenal for us – bucking all trends of any crisis in the financial markets.”
OPM used its tradeshows to debut the Svendsen product range to Finland’s fishing-tackle dealers. The range includes Ron Thomson, Savage Gear, ProLogic and Okuma products.
Matti continued: “One of the most interesting things was how well the new Okuma reels and combos were received. These items will be a big winner for us.”
Matti was also keen to highlight the importance of lure fishing in the country. “Finland is a land of lure fishers,” he added. “Having Savage Gear on board is important for us in this market. I think that it’s possibly the fastest-growing brand in Europe at the moment and the press coverage that Savage receives is phenomenal.
“But it’s not just the lures, as the massive range of Savage Gear rods is proving to be very popular – it’s perceived as a ‘cool’ brand.” Okuma Europe’s general manager, Magnus Gunnarsson, is very pleased with OPM’s start to 2010. Magnus said: “OPM has already sold double the amount of reels that we sold in Finland during the whole of 2009. Once again it proves to us that it is important to work with the right people in tough markets.” OPM is 22 years old and one of the leading fishing-tackle companies in Finland. It has an annual turnover in excess of €10 million. The company has five warehouses in Kellokoski, about 40km north of Helsinki. Contact: Svendsen Sport T: 45 46191913 E: info@svendsen-sport.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Contact: OPM T: +358 9 2790460 E: info@opm.fi This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Svendsen signs OPM deal