FIELDREPORT
batteries made up 20 percent of our sales. Last year it was 30 percent, and this year it’s 50 percent. With reliability improved, people are turning more to issues like features and benefits, and styling. So that is where we have focused for 2016.” PowaKaddy’s 2016 line-up is essentially a faceliſting exercise of the FW3, FW5 and FW7 carts that were introduced in 2014, bravely phasing out the best-selling Freeway. Those models were something of a streamlining exercise, with all three given the same tough polymer chassis in the form of the PowaFrame – the first time the brand had moved away from an aluminium construction. “That previous range had too many different components and bodies,” recalls chairman John deGraſt-Johnson. “It was a manufacturing nightmare, and that gives quality problems. Standardising addressed that, and also made it easier to explain differences between product, and take people through the progression.”
products, and this should help.” According to Catford, FW7 represents a little over a quarter of the three
trolleys’ sales since their 2014 launch, with the entry-level FW3 taking the lion’s share at around 50 percent. For 2016 though, FW3’s upgrades are purely cosmetic. It enjoys the same new sporty wheels as its bigger brothers – with increased diameter for a smoother ride – though they lack the yellow accents of the FW5 or the silver, alloy-ish look of the FW7s. But apart from some revamped graphics, its key proposition of PowaFrame, plug-and-play battery and ambidextrous control with soſt touch T-Bar grip are carried over. Accordingly, FW3 shows no price rise, with the lead acid version £299.99.
FW7 The move seemed to work. PowaKaddy’s own figures record a sales
increase of some 40 percent in powered trolleys over the past 12 months. Consequently, the new line-up sees only subtle tweaks to the FW3 and FW5, but some more strident changes to the FW7. Thanks to more stylised trims and graphics, that new rear diffuser and low-profile sports wheels, PowaKaddy’s flagship model has been a sportier look, recognised in its relabelling to FW7s. A new, 230W motor, encased in striking aluminium, manages to add power without volume, boosting torque performance up steep slopes or through thick rough. Meanwhile a much-improved colour LCD information screen, complete with USB port, has been expanded an inch to iPhone proportions and now has a calorie-counting function. “It can be disabled, but the R&A has confirmed it is not an aid,” Catford
continues. “We decided to add this function because there is a tremendous push towards fitness and diet today, and it is in step with the health benefits of using a trolley.” Elsewhere, the trolley’s key features have been retained. Automatic
Distance Function lets you send the trolley between five and 50 yards; speed and distance measurements are easily accessed, and easily turned off via the Competition Mode button; a security pin automatically locks the trolley. Plug and play, featured across the range, means wireless connectivity, and accepts both lead acid and the new lithium batteries, believed by PowaKaddy to last up to 20 percent longer than rival lithium- ion options. The FW7 is also available as an Electronic Braking System model – featuring a three-level slowing mechanism – for around £50 more. Models come in a titanium/silver frame with the choice ofcarbon graphite or brushed silver trim, and will be available from £429.99. “Its warranty has also increased from two to three years,” adds Catford. “Retailers told us they want reasons to trade people up to the higher-end
FW7 It’s a similar story for FW5, a model that adds the Automatic Distance
Function with the ability to send the trolley 15, 30 or 45 yards, plus USB charger. FW5, however, is awarded the new diffuser, despite the price staying level at £349.99 for the lead acid option. The trolleys themselves are being shipped now, with final assembly
done at the brand’s base in Sittingbourne, Kent. They will be retailed from March 1, sitting alongside the intriguing new Touch model that debuted at the Harrogate show last October. Sell-in started aſter the show, and Catford insists pre-orders are up by a
massive 40 percent on the same period last year. “Our Preferred Stockist system helps, with retailers getting a five percent discount on up to 12 units with their first order,” he adds. “But these new trolleys are a great example of our policy to refresh the range each year, while introducing new products, features and benefits. “That figure shows we are giving the retailer the right product, and with
the right margins.”
www.powakaddy.co.uk
Threefold: the 2016 PowaKaddy line-up FW3 £299.99 (standard battery); £329.99 (Extended Range); £449.99 (Lithium); £499.99 (Extended Lithium)
FW5£349.99 (standard); £379.99 (Extended Range); £499.99 (Lithium); £549.99 (Extended Range Lithium)
FW7s (EBS version add £50)£429.99 (standard); £459.99 (Extended Range); £579.99 (Lithium); £629.99 (Extended Range Lithium)
SGBGOLF 17
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