BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
This piece first appeared in the January edition of BikeBiz magazine – not subscribed? Get a free subscription.
NEW HORIZONS
Revelyst has announced the expansion of its dealer-direct and direct-to-consumer model for the Giro and Bell brands in the UK. BikeBiz catches up with senior UK country manager Robert Robinson to discuss the changes
In October 2023, Vista Outdoor’s Outdoor Products Segment — which contains Bell, Giro, Fox Racing and other bike-related brands — unveiled a new name when it spun off from the rest of the company.
The new name is Revelyst, Inc., which the company said combines “revel” and “catalyst.”
Revelyst, which is headquartered in Bozeman, Montana, is led by CEO Eric Nyman, who joined Vista initially as CEO of the Outdoor Products Segment.
At the time of the announcement, Nyman commented: “We are excited and proud to introduce Revelyst to the world.
“Revelyst is a collective of maker brands united by an obsession with craftsmanship, a consumer-first culture and helping people achieve their greatest outdoor aspirations. We will leverage operational expertise, shared financial resources and cross-collaboration to deliver products and technologies that support consumers in wide ranges of pursuits.
“While today we are best known by the innovations that we make, our journey to becoming the greatest house of brands in the outdoor industry is focused on the wildly human experiences that we make possible.”
Fast forward to now and changes are now afoot for Revelyst brands on these shores.
Both Giro and Bell are joining Fox Racing as part of Revelyst’s expansion of a dealer-direct and direct-to-consumer model.
“Switching to a customer-centric model is a transformative step in our mission to bring the world-class design and innovation of Giro and Bell closer to our UK audience,” said Jeff McGuane, Revelyst’s Adventure Sports President.
“We are grateful for our collaboration with our partners over the years, and this evolution reflects our vision to deliver a more tailored and engaging experience for our customers.”
BikeBiz staff writer Simon Cox took the opportunity to grab five minutes with senior UK country manager Robert Robinson to talk about how this will impact retailers, the changing state of retail, and what plans are in the works for both brands.
Revelyst may be a new name for many people reading this, can you tell us a little bit about the company and the new setup?
Revelyst is the US-based parent company for more than 30 respected brands that design, manufacture and market performance gear for the outdoor world.
In recent times here in the UK that has meant Fox Racing, but from Jan 1, 2025, that will also include Giro Sport Design and Bell Helmets. Two amazing world-class brands that have global respect and are industry leaders.
They are great additions to our portfolio, and with them both being under our umbrella as brands in themselves, rather than through a distributor, it will mean greater focus and integration for both of them.
The retail landscape and consumer habits are constantly changing. How does this affect the way that you work?
Yes, consumer buying habits have changed considerably over the last few years.
With Fox, we have a huge focus on a Direct-to-Dealer model where the stores get a true brand experience and direct support.
Physical ‘brick and mortar’ stores are the key to our success, and we will continue this with Giro and Bell, whilst using the same multi-channel approach that we already do with Fox.
Do you have a new team of people coming in to work on the Giro and Bell brands?
At Fox our background is in mountain bike and motocross, so we have made sure that our new hires bring with them a deep knowledge and understanding of road and gravel cycling, especially for Giro.
Christine Reeday will cover the North and Matt Wallis is covering the South for the new channels. Our Fox MTB team Sean Deere, Chris Sage and Tommy Milner will head up MTB for all brands. It’s a dedicated team that love cycling.
We’ve recently opened a new UK-based 5,000m/2 warehouse that is managed for us by a worldwide leader in third-party logistics.
We also have our permanent showroom that’s located just outside of Gloucester where we have the complete Giro, Bell and Fox ranges on display.
At key times throughout the year we have a steady stream of dealers visiting, viewing the next season’s ranges and placing forward orders.
So with no distributor, you ‘are the brand’?
Absolutely. We are the brand. We’ll be bringing the complete Giro and Bell ranges. For Bell that is helmets, and for Giro that is everything from helmets, to shoes and apparel.
As a group we now have three helmet brands which could be confusing, but each brand has a unique offering and identity that appeals to certain shops, and sections of the market and their buying habits.
What’s coming up for Revelyst over the next few months?
Our team will be out on the road visiting stores as we look to create our Bell and Giro network. We already have a strong and established Fox network across the UK and Ireland.
The team will be building and segmenting this in the coming months, alongside expanded community initiatives and events designed to celebrate and support the UK cycling communities and retailers.
