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Saw on internet that Isis private equity group have invested around £12- £14 million in Inov-8.
Isis invested £10 million in Wiggle 4years ago, they sold Wiggle last year for £185 million......not a bad return.
http://realdeals.eu.com/mid_market/i...ff-with-inov-8
So they'll want to recoup their outlay ? Expect Inov-8's to be priced around the £150 bracket soon !!
You never know with that kind of investment the prices could come down!
They'll have to come down quite a lot to be competitive...
What ever you think of their prices it's an amazing achievement to flog a business for that much after less than a decade trading.
If investment is there to make inov-8 a truly global brand (already making significant in-roads in the US, albeit in different sports: mountain/trail running, cross-fit, etc.) then this could end up driving costs down if they can leverage this to benefit from greater economies of scale. Then again, this might be offset by any increase in their branding & marketing budget.
We'll see, I guess, but fingers crossed...
Interesting that you don't consider them competitive, yet they totally boss the off-road running market in the UK in terms shoes on people's feet at events. Not sure what this investment will mean for the brand in the UK, but I'd be surprised if prices come down.Quote:
Originally Posted by plodding bear
Not competitive = not as cheap as Walshes? I know they're creeping up there, but given the latest breed of new brands in road running all coming in at £100+ (Newton, for instance) still can't really fault the price of them. You pays your money, you takes your choice...
I just picked up 2 pairs of the new Roclite 309 for £60 a pop at Sportshoes, so there are bargains to be had if you shop around !
Spotted on Facebook that Rat Race are doing a one-day only 35% discount on Inov8 stuff today, discount code FBINO35
http://www.ratrace.com/inov8/
I just struggle to see how some brands can sell perfectly good shoes at less than £60 - 70, and others have to charge over a ton for shoes which whilst admittedly very good, aren't all that much better and by general consensus don't seem to last as long as their rivals.
I liked inov8 when they appeared a few years back, they were good basic shoes that did the job; but now there's so many different pairs, different 'sports' catered for, I can't help wondering if they've somehow lost sight of the values they used to espouse. I know they're a business, but they used to be a business with running at heart. Now they are just another business with profit at heart it would appear.
That's like saying an Audi isn't competitive compared to a Skoda ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by southernsoftie
Walsh don't seem to be that bothered anymore. They haven't updated their shoes for so long and the new trail shoes they did were on a par with the likes of the Wave Harriers, Swoops and Kanadias - hardly innovative.
The Inov-8 shoes are very good shoes - they might not be for everyone but you can see that someone is making an effort to create great shoes and yes, they will make the occasional dog.
I first saw them in Europe about 5 years ago in Scarpe & Scarpe, Italy alongside the big brands and thought they would progress.
Good luck to them. I know how much investment is involved just to bring one product of this type to market and it's of mortgage proportions.
I bought Inov8 a few years ago and thought them expensive then but I was told I needed them for the grip. Anyway, I ended up injured as they had great grip but no cushioning. I went back to trail shoes and bambi on ice running. Cost isn't really an issue to me it's more "do they have a model that does the job with me in mind?". I have paid over £100 for my last 4 pairs of road shoes but they work for me.
Went to a well know stockist in Sheffield to try to find a pair of fell shoes that in races I didn't spend most of my time on my butt. After some excellent advice I ended up with Inov8 333 and they are fab. Lugs that big that it's great cushioning and I have yet to slip over in them.
As a matter of point on cost - I havnt got a clue. Bought other stuff too and just entered my pin. When looking for essential items I try not to look at the price as it might influence my choice.
Do we need to ask why an Audi A4 is more than a Citroen C5?Quote:
Originally Posted by plodding bear
Before you sell a shoe, design and development. Tooling costs - do you have half sizes, fittings, are they true sizes or cheats. What materials are used? There are meshes and meshes.
I can tell you that the sole on the Adidas Kanadia will cost pin money compared to the sole on a Salomon. The mesh used in the Kanadia is likewise quite crude. They are good value for money, but horses for courses.
Volume - another consideration. The Kanadia must sell 100s of 1000s of pairs across the world so the tooling per pair is insignificant. The overall makeup of the shoe is also quite simple and so a more basic factory will be used with lower labour charges and overheads.
Factory - does it meet CSR standards.
In terms of life expectancy, you have to look at many performance athletes. They want the best grip, the lightest upper, durable enough - there are always compromises and improved durability in a shoe will perhaps mean less grip, less flexibility and heavier shoe.
You take your pick, there are plenty of options out there but I would suggest Inov-8 have got it about as right as anyone in the off-road market at the moment.
Big investment would probably lead to a saloman style of shoes. Targetting the mass markets. Maybe no bad thing as I honestly can't see how having 6 different types of essentially the same shoe can be that good a business strategy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yaks
Too right. Don't think I ever paid full price for a pair of Inov8s - £70 was the most I forked out, for some Roclite 295s and that was £25 off the RRP at the time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jez Hellewell
Course, if you must have The New Model Right Now, then you pay for it ....
That wasn't necessarily my view, WP. The impression I get from some folk on here is that inov8 rip people off because they don't sell their shoes as cheap as - for instance - they can pick up a pair of Walshes. Well, if you want to pay Walsh money, get a pair of Walshes (as I have). If you're prepared to pay more, and like what that extra £ gets you, then go for inov8, or any of the other more expensive brands.Quote:
Originally Posted by Witton Park
I only go to inov8 for my road shoes, where £80 doesn't seem so steep. Even then, I only bought my last pair of fLite 230s because I won a £70 rollover on the bonus ball at work!
As an ex retailer that tells me that the shoes are priced to sell in the sales. true of what ever you buy, windows, carpets, cars, running shoes, etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by ZootHornRollo
if a "product" is widely availably at a reduced price then thats almost certainly the price it was designed to sell at. The initial or RRP is just there to add value to a product so it presents itself as a Bargain when it's "reduced"
yes quite possibly right.Quote:
Originally Posted by IanDarkpeak
The only thing I feel a bit bad about is that these were obviously online purchases - though maybe one or two were from small retailers' websites.
I love shops like Needle, etc but you do tend to find their prices are top whack. And they are not exactly local to me, as I live in London!
As an Ex Retailer surely you would know that Inov-8, Walsh, Salomon, Nike, Asics are manufactureres & wholesale/distributors.Quote:
Originally Posted by IanDarkpeak
They sell their product to retailers:Sports shoe, Blands, Wiggle etc.
Example: Wholesale price= £50 retailers buy stock then we add a percentage to cover overheads( rent/lights/rates/staff wages & profit) then add VAT @20%
Hence the retail price seen on our shelves.
Some brands & styles are sold as loss leaders so the amount of profit is not the same.
Some are brands that don't warrant a bigger mark up ( because the product is *r*p) but will hit a price point.
Some are brands & styles that aren't in demand so your better getting something for it just to turn it over or sell it through.
I'm afraid if you want good products and a good retail experience ( service, advice etc ) then there is a cost.
Good on inov8 for securing their investment, they are a company that definitely seems to be given consumers & retailers what they want.
The money men wouldn't invest if they didn't think they were a sound, profitable & forward thinking company.
Grrrr. Paid £80 from PBs .....Quote:
Originally Posted by Jez Hellewell
Anyhow, what do you think of 'em Jez? I'm taking mine for their first run tomorrow.
What do you expect if you buy from PB?Quote:
Originally Posted by Martyn P
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clash City Rocker
Well, I know. To be fair, you get much better service from PBs (and a freebie bumbag) and Jez will only have got that price (I expect) because he was in the shop and bought a couple of pairs, I know, I've done it myself.
Should have got off my ar*e and gone down there I suppose. 309s are 90 quid on the SS website, pretty much the same as PB.
Not tried them yet Martyn. Just getting the last few miles out of my 312's, but they feel great on ! Will be outing them in the next few weeks...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martyn P
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jez Hellewell
This^^^
I love Inov8 Roclites, but the day I have to pay RRP is the day I go elsewhere. It is getting tougher to find the bargains, though.
The 319 (older version of the 309) are currently a bargain £50 at Sportshoes, or £45 with free delivery if you use the discount code SP4P12. All sizes currently available.
I took the new 309s for a very muddy stomp around Timble, Jack Hill and Swinsty Plantation today. To be honest, they felt much the same as the 295s they're replacing, I didn't notice the extra cushion. Then again, my legs are a bit numb after a local league race last night and around 75 miles up in the lakes last week! Probably not a fair test ....Quote:
Originally Posted by GregC
I have to say, I do like the slipper feel of walsh pb's but they are quite inflexible and have eaten my feet several times when the terrain hasn't been ideal (ie. too hard or rutted). My favourite shoe is the x-talon 212 which does everything I want in a fell shoe, but they are fairly pricey and wear down astonishingly fast. I'll still be buying another pair however when mine are done in, and I'll still continue to use walsh when appropriate till they have worn down as well. I have it in mind that the walsh would make a decent road shoe as the studs wear off.
I also have a pair of mudroc 290's (which destroy my heels), 2 pairs of Harriers (favourite distance shoe) and a pair of baregrips (love these but slow me down on rocky descents). I think after much experimentation I'll likely stick with Harriers for long distance and talons for everything else.
Seems that now the investors have had time to settle in there's been a bit of a change and they're only going to give the big retailers what they want now - mate of mine owns Mountainfeet in Marsden and he's having problems with Inov8 as they'll now only sell in bulk, in advance rather than in small quantities/to special order. As a small, specialist retailer he simply can't afford the outlay upfront or store the volume of stock they now expect the retailers to buy. Which is a shame because it was the small specialists that really got them going as a brand...Quote:
Originally Posted by Fell & Mnt