Snowgum in voluntary administration

[GPSGuided]

That's a shame! What will all the scouts boys and girls do? All over $15k in disputed rent.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/retail/s ... 2wavg.html

[icefest]

All in line with some of the contents posted this weekend on the forums.

It's still a bit of a pity, but I hope some parts of the business stay with the outdoor industry.

[Penguin]

Snowgum have been selling out product for the last four weeks or so. I asked the counter staff if they were closing down about a fortnight ago, they were a bit cagy with their answers.

The SMH article presents the problems with the distortion in the market by Kathmandu extremely well and in very few words. the same distortion that is happening in quite a few industries.

Sad day and now less competition in selling good and interesting product in the retail space, such a ice breaker and one planet.

[vorpal]

I still walk in Snow Gum zip off pants. Never had a problem with them. Is a pity.

[GPSGuided]

I like Snowgum and their general ambiance. and selling attitude. No real fancy stuff but good basic gears, especially for kids. Ask about Kids outdoors clothing at Paddy Pallin and it's a "Huh?" answer. Same as for many other elitist shops. Kathmandu has a few but typically of very poor quality.

They'll be missed if they do go.

[Minty]

The SMH article presents the problems with the distortion in the market by Kathmandu extremely well and in very few words.

[wayno]

i think its hard to find an outdoor shop full stop that doesnt overprice on it's rrp..

[pazzar]

i think its hard to find an outdoor shop full stop that doesnt overprice on it's rrp..

at the end of the day everyone is out to make a profit, so are you really surprised about over pricing?

[wayno]

no, i've come to expect it..

[blacksheep]

i bet the vultures are circling...place your bets...

[wayno]

mate of mine had a tramping shop in wellington,, landlord doubled the rent overnight... he couldnt afford it, moved to a cheaper shop.
there wasnt enough foot traffic at the new shop to make ends meet, he tried opening a second smaller shop on the main street and got staff to direct people to the bigger shop if the stock wasnt in the small shop which it often wasnt....
but the worst part was the old landlord went to the opposition, offered the shop to the opposition, a chain store and they jumped at it, all his old customers turned up at the old store and just started shopping at the opposition...
he had to buy himself out of his leases in the end and shut up shop after a good thirty years in business...

[Joomy]

*&^%$#! poor management and an inability to follow a pretty simple business model are to blame for the collapse of adventurewear retailer Snowgum, managing director Ross Elliott says.

Fixed that for you Ross.

i think its hard to find an outdoor shop full stop that doesnt overprice on it's rrp..

Depends what you consider to be over priced. Mark up of 100% is pretty standard for retail which is what most of the independent stores do.

[andrewp]

I'm told that the Snowgum store in Moorrabin (Melbourne) is a franchise and it will be business as usual, but they won't be stocking any more Snowgum branded products.

[KANANGRABOYD]

You know, honestly, I was never impressed with Snowgum. Sure when they finally decided to actually supply well known products like TNF, they one-upped themselves.
I have bought a few products from them over the years, however I have been very disappointed with the majority of stores ( in Sydney).
My local Snowgum - the owner is a great gal. She works harder than most other owner/managers of outdoor stores.
But.... how can they compete with the likes of Kathmandu and Macpac to name 2?.
Their own products are nothing exceptional, and the stores are mostly small and sell more adventure travel gear than specific hiking/camping gear - yeah, sure they have their niche.
Her store was basically held to ransom by that honest, good ol' company - Westfields. - yep, just do the research for what they charge for rent etc.......
It's sad when any of these hardworking people lose their businesses. I had lengthy discussions with the local owner over online business and the competition, and they at the time had their hands tied!.
Even Macpac are closing stores! ( Chatswood)!.
Yes Cam, your are right in your comments.
But how to compete with the on-liners that offer almost unbeatable prices.
I've known many an outdoor retailer - 80% of them don't last 3 years.
If only we were 350 million and had REI, Cabelas, MEC et al

[clarence]

i bet the vultures are circling...place your bets...

To which "vultures" are you referring? You're not implying the outdoor industry is full of vultures now, are you? If you're referring to other players as vultures, I'm interested to know what the "TBA" bit is.

Clarence

[clarence]

i think its hard to find an outdoor shop full stop that doesnt overprice on it's rrp..

Please explain.

Many items of good quality outdoor gear are hardly more expensive now than they were twenty years ago. Several are less expensive.

A macpac canyon in 1991 was about $470, a JH dandelion sleeping bag was around $500 and olympus tent was near $750.

Spend a week trying to run a retail store and you'd realise what margins are really required to stay in business.

Clarence

[GPSGuided]

Don't think Snowgum ever offered gears that suited equipment geeks. No surprise of your (KB) perception. They seemed to lack the trendy designs pushed by Kathmandu, MacPac and MD in their private product range, but all decently solid basic gears if one can overlook those fancy geeky stuff.

Forget about waiting for REI here. Just go there and shop!

[GPSGuided]

A macpac canyon in 1991 was about $470, a JH dandelion sleeping bag was around $500 and olympus tent was near $750.

What are their pricing now?

[KANANGRABOYD]

Don't think Snowgum ever offered gears that suited equipment geeks. No surprise of your (KB) perception. They seemed to lack the trendy designs pushed by Kathmandu, MacPac and MD in their private product range, but all decently solid basic gears if one can overlook those fancy geeky stuff.

Forget about waiting for REI here. Just go there and shop!

Look I agree with you, however just go into Snowgum tomorrow- I can if you want to show you comparisons.
Their boots, thermals, downwear, fleece etc cannot beat or even match the others.
Some of their stuff was and is great. I love their urban Merino coats for instance.
believe it or not - I actually bought my BD Storm from them ( because my Zebrabiotch broke) , and we were on our way to go to mtns, so they were the only store open. I paid $120AU - . go on the "Bay of Fleas" to compare. Franco and Forest ( and especially Aiden - you need not remark!)
My argument is that they are not "really" focusing on the current market.
As for the J&H Dandelion- OMFG! - I owned one of those *&%$#!, I almost died on my first ski-touring 10 day trip from Munyang to Jagungal and back. Beaks and claws, probably the patient zero of H1N1
However - Olympus is a great tent albeit heavy. Bombproof -YES!.
LOL- J&H - showing your age their Clarence.....
Remember the original Wilderness clothing ( Macpac), and I remember the old LaSportiva Mega's and Mariachers, back when Wolfgang was alive!

[GPSGuided]

Yes KB, I get your points and agree they are not quite with it in the current consumer space. But as I said on one thing, they are the only store I could find useable gears for my Mr13. With their recent sale, I've scored quite a number of item to gear up the boy. Otherwise, I'd have to go to the US for comparable gears in his size. Kathmandu's kids gears are rather trashy in comparison.

I think I'll check out their store on Thu evening again to pick up any end of sale bargains. May stock up on the next size up for him if there's anything left.

[KANANGRABOYD]

Yes KB, I get your points and agree they are not quite with it in the current consumer space. But as I said on one thing, they are the only store I could find useable gears for my Mr13. With their recent sale, I've scored quite a number of item to gear up the boy. Otherwise, I'd have to go to the US for comparable gears in his size. Kathmandu's kids gears are rather trashy in comparison.

I think I'll check out their store on Thu evening again to pick up any end of sale bargains. May stock up on the next size up for him if there's anything left.

Good for you, nothing inherently wrong with them... just my view.

[GPSGuided]

KB: I think your views are correct also. Validates why their business has ended up where they are now. A store like that can't survive on just childrens gears.

[wayno]

i think its hard to find an outdoor shop full stop that doesnt overprice on it's rrp..

Please explain.

Many items of good quality outdoor gear are hardly more expensive now than they were twenty years ago. Several are less expensive.

A macpac canyon in 1991 was about $470, a JH dandelion sleeping bag was around $500 and olympus tent was near $750.

Spend a week trying to run a retail store and you'd realise what margins are really required to stay in business.

Clarence

i'm not necessarily blaming the retailers. as has been discussed before, the high prices often start with the distributors... and to get the foot traffic to make a decent living the shops end up in high rental areas..

[blacksheep]

i bet the vultures are circling...place your bets...

To which "vultures" are you referring? You're not implying the outdoor industry is full of vultures now, are you? If you're referring to other players as vultures, I'm interested to know what the "TBA" bit is.

Clarence

Hi Clarence

Thankfully it's not full of vultures. But the it certainly is not devoid of them either.

The Tba in my sig? I just haven't updated it. I just put that in to replace an association that is once had.


Cam

[blacksheep]

i think its hard to find an outdoor shop full stop that doesnt overprice on it's rrp..

Please explain.

Many items of good quality outdoor gear are hardly more expensive now than they were twenty years ago. Several are less expensive.

A macpac canyon in 1991 was about $470, a JH dandelion sleeping bag was around $500 and olympus tent was near $750.

Spend a week trying to run a retail store and you'd realise what margins are really required to stay in business.

Clarence

i'm not necessarily blaming the retailers. as has been discussed before, the high prices often start with the distributors... and to get the foot traffic to make a decent living the shops end up in high rental areas..

The retail landscape is changing fast. Our habits and accessibility to info are driving that. For a retail store to survive now just opening up the door is not enough. From an outside pov snowgum had tried to change, but only the product mix they sold, and I wonder if that product was special enough..

[puredingo]

Don't think Snowgum ever offered gears that suited equipment geeks. No surprise of your (KB) perception. They seemed to lack the trendy designs pushed by Kathmandu, MacPac and MD in their private product range, but all decently solid basic gears if one can overlook those fancy geeky stuff.

Forget about waiting for REI here. Just go there and shop!

Look I agree with you, however just go into Snowgum tomorrow- I can if you want to show you comparisons.
Their boots, thermals, downwear, fleece etc cannot beat or even match the others.
Some of their stuff was and is great. I love their urban Merino coats for instance.
believe it or not - I actually bought my BD Storm from them ( because my Zebrabiotch broke) , and we were on our way to go to mtns, so they were the only store open. I paid $120AU - . go on the "Bay of Fleas" to compare. Franco and Forest ( and especially Aiden - you need not remark!)
My argument is that they are not "really" focusing on the current market.
As for the J&H Dandelion- OMFG! - I owned one of those *&%$#!, I almost died on my first ski-touring 10 day trip from Munyang to Jagungal and back. Beaks and claws, probably the patient zero of H1N1
However - Olympus is a great tent albeit heavy. Bombproof -YES!.
LOL- J&H - showing your age their Clarence.....
Remember the original Wilderness clothing ( Macpac), and I remember the old LaSportiva Mega's and Mariachers, back when Wolfgang was alive!

That post looks like it came from the pen one patrick bateman himself!...

[Strider]

I can't see it disappearing entirely. More likely it will be purchased by another outdoors retailer.

[GPSGuided]

I can't see it disappearing entirely. More likely it will be purchased by another outdoors retailer.

Hopefully!

[wayno]

kathmandu seem to be making more gear now that seems to be more urban in design, more fashion than function to spread their appeal.. possibly bring in a new ranger of customers.

[GPSGuided]

kathmandu seem to be making more gear now that seems to be more urban in design, more fashion than function to spread their appeal.. possibly bring in a new ranger of customers.

Growing their market spread. The number of people into serious outdoor activities is still a relatively small portion of the community.