Anakie has partnered with Sales Guys to handle their sales and marketing in the United States using a business model that essentially eliminates a layer of distribution and enables the Australian company to offer its women's snowboard apparel at higher margins to retailers.


By skipping over the traditional distributor and dealing directly with Sales Guys,  Anakie is able to offer its retail partners margins of up to 60 percent versus the more common 50 percent that is standard for snowsports outerwear. Sales Guys, which has offices throughout the United states, will provide extensive, on-the-ground support for Anakie's retailers. In the traditional distribution model, by contrast, Anakie would sell to a U.S. distributor, which would sell to reps, who would then sell to retailers with markups occurring at each stage.


“We’ve worked closely with Anakie to redistribute profits back to retailers,” explains Tori Koski of Sales Guys. Koski, a former member of the U.S. Snowboard Team, will handle the brand’s sales and distribution.


Anakie’s partnership with Sales Guys also enables the brand to expand its presence in the United States. Anakie founder and head designer Erin Height spent many years as a Mammoth local, but now directs the brand from Melbourne.


Anakie Outerwear can be found in stores throughout Australia, Japan, and the United States. In the States, the brand has an emerging network of loyal retail partners that span from California to Connecticut. Height views the brand’s partnership with Sales Guys as an opportunity to grow Anakie while increasing the support it provides retailers.

 

“Retailers can be hesitant to work with a company that doesn’t have a strong base in the U.S.,” states Height. “So our partnership with Sales Guys will give Anakie a trusted and known sales force in the States full time.”

With technical outerwear that blends form and function, Anakie is committed to meeting the needs of females.


“One of the main things that differentiates us is that almost everything we offer has a 20,000 mm waterproof rating-that’s unusual for a women’s brand,” explains Height. “The guys get highly waterproof garments. There’s no reason those features should be eliminated from women’s outerwear. We make quality products rather than dumbing them down for women.”

 

Height is quick to add that Anakie is able to offer these technical fabrics with little increase to consumer costs. Each season, the brand focuses on developing tight, cohesive color stories. The whole range is mix and match. This aids retailers in merchandising Anakie’s range in store by offering numerous combinations and choices. The brand places a strong emphasis on how its garments are cut, offering two fits with its pants and three with its jackets. The brand is also debuting a children’s line of one-piece suits.

Anakie is excited to capitalize on both its new collection and new partnership with Sales Guys at SIA.


“Anakie really caught my eye,” explains Koski. “This line is definitely going places and I’m excited to show it at SIA.” Sharing this excitement, Height states, “We’re excited to be working with Sales Guys to strengthen our partnerships with retailers and to help Anakie become an iconic women’s brand in the U.S.” With Height and Koski at the helm, Anakie is well equipped to translate this vision into action.