Exel Plc has appointed Chris Griffin, formerly VP of sales of Exel Sports NA, as president of Exel Sports N.A. He replaces Melissa Cook, the former general manager of North America who left in February.
The Finnish manufacturer of cross-country ski, alpine ski, trekking and Nordic walking poles also entered into an agreement with The Kea Group, a customer oriented fulfillment group in Winooski, VT, to provide customer fulfillment, logistics and warehousing for Exel-branded products in North America.
In an interview with BOSS, Griffin said he continues to plan to grow the cross country business, but to particularly focus on the potential in Nordic walking. He said Exel launched the Nordic walking category in Finland in 1997 and the activity has since caught on in Scandinavia and Europe as well. Over 7 million people worldwide now regularly engage in Nordic walking.
The sport was brought to the U.S. about two and a half years ago, and it's slowly gaining ground through grassroots marketing efforts with an increasing amount of dealers getting on board in recent months. Exel also partnered with Reebok on Nordic walking-specific shoes for sale at running specialty stores, and will likely expand that program to apparel as well.
Aki Karihtala, CEO of Exel Sports, Ltd. and SVP of Exel plc. said the Nordic Walking market in North America has grown exponentially in a short period of time. “We believe it is only a matter of time that the North American market will experience growth reflective of Europe,” added Karihtala. “This market is showing positive signs on the development of the sport and the Exel brand. We are looking forward to worldwide growth in the next few years and we believe these new changes will assist us in reaching our goals.”
