The Irvine-based arm of a major sports apparel and footwear brand in China launched a website last week, marking its first foray into the U.S. market.
The virtual debut of 361° USA is a departure for a brand whose parent has made significant inroads in China as a brick-and-mortar retailer.
Xiamen-based 361° International Ltd. operates some 7,000 stores, is traded on the Hong Kong exchange, and has a market value of about $600 million.
The wholesale-focused start in the U.S. will roll out under the leadership of a Jim Monahan, a veteran of Orange County’s apparel and footwear industry who took the president’s post at 361° USA.
He joined the new operations from a post as vice president of footwear for Irvine-based Asics America Corp.—the U.S. arm of the Japan-based brand.
The new brand will keep its immediate focus on the challenges of winning over wholesalers.
“Consumers in general are willing, and in some cases eager, to try new product, but at the same time we need to make sure that we get that same level of enthusiasm from the retailers,” Monahan said.
Courting Stores
361°’s team of five, supported by a staff of independent sales reps, is courting sporting goods stores nationwide, including chains such as Dick Sporting Goods Inc. and Sport Chalet; independents such as Fountain Valley-based Snail’s Pace Running Shop; and department and family footwear stores. So far it has deals with Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse and Dunham’s Sporting Goods.
“Our goal is to have (a) presence in every major channel of distribution in the country by year’s end,” Monahan said.
The brand will introduce itself directly to consumers during the Rock ‘n’ Roll
Las Vegas Marathon on Nov. 14, its
first appearance at a U.S.-based sporting event.
Monahan’s team will partner with a local sporting goods retailer to showcase its first products specifically made for the U.S. market: the Chromoso and the 361-Sensation shoes that retail in the range of $60 to $120.
The U.S. operation has another marketing boost on the horizon, thanks to its parent company’s sponsorship of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. The brand will supply apparel, footwear, and accessories to some torchbearers, officials and others.
