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inov-8 W
hat is the heritage behind the inov-8 brand?
inov-8 is a British-born, international brand that is passionate about delivering performance through innovation. The company was founded in 2003 and built upon the vision of producing cutting edge, minimalist footwear that encourages natural running. Originating from the North East of England, inov-8 started out as a specialist off-road footwear brand. Nine years later, our products are sold in 52 countries worldwide, with the brand offering a more complete running and fitness proposition. A team of international athletes ensure that all of our products are tested to the highest standard.
The natural running market has been flooded with brands offering a variety of ‘minimalist footwear’. Are inov-8 just another brand offering the same products as many others? Not at all. From the outset, inov-8 has lived the philosophy that the foot controls the shoe and not the other way. Overly cushioned, raised heel counters have led to an increase in over-pronation amongst many runners. Our philosophy encourages a more natural running style, elevating the underlying causes of this problem rather than offering features and benefits to try and fix it. This philosophy, mixed with our passion for developing progressively, minimalist products
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SGB-SPORTS.COM
inov-8’s Paul Caine speaks to SGB about the brands focus for the future.
ensures that all of our products offer something unique within the industry. This will be further demonstrated later this year with the launch of a number of innovative new product ranges.
Do you offer any services to retailers that are different from your competitors? inov-8 has always strived to offer the best possible value for all of our retailers, and as such we continuously review our internal processes in order to identify areas in which this can be achieved. The company’s forward-thinking approach to collaboration has seen the development of a number of Premier Dealers, and an expansion of our retailer network. To support this growth, we have established a technically trained customer-service department with a state-of-the art CRM system to ensure that retailers receive exceptional support including next day delivery on any lines. Our commitment to developing and maintaining mutually beneficial partnerships has yielded excellent results, demonstrated by the company’s explosive growth.
Has the economic downturn had any impact on your business model? The company’s performance has been very robust in recent years, particularly given the current financial climate. Last year, we enjoyed sales growth of 130% globally and we expect this trend to continue for
2012.To support this
always strived to offer the best possible value for all of our retailers, and as such we continuously review our internal processes in order to identify areas in which this can be achieved
inov-8 has
explosive growth we have made a number of changes internally including the expansion of our UK and US offices, and the purchase of additional warehousing. We have also created a global product and marketing hub, ensuring we continue to attract the best talent. These developments are focused upon maintaining the brands position as the number one choice for the committed athlete within sports performance.
What products will innov-8 be launching in 2012? August 2012 will see the launch of the trailroc range, in response to increasing customer demand for an ultra-grip, dry trail running shoe. This range offers something different, utilising three separate rubber compounds (Tri-C technology) to maximise grip. Through listening to customer
feedback, we will be expanding our performance fitness range, to offer some benefits specific to that sector such as Rope-Tech technology which gives assistance when rope climbing. We are also very excited about the launch of the road-x-treme range next year, which will offer all the characteristics of a traditional road shoe in super lightweight fashion.
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