Outdoor firm rebrands Karana camping gear

The range to be rebranded is called Karana, which the company says has suffered because of a recent focus on offering cheaper prices.

At the same time, Outdoor Innovation plans for the first time to open shops in neighbouring countries, starting in Malaysia this year and gradually expanding throughout Southeast Asia within five years.

The new business strategy focuses on offering high-quality and innovative products, as well as a larger variety, to differentiate itself from its four main competitors. This follows a number of years in which too much attention has been paid to offering cheap prices, which damaged Karana's image and resulted in a margin drop, said managing director Wasit Sirodom.

The new strategy is expected to help Outdoor Innovation achieve sales of Bt150 million this year, up 25 per cent from Bt120 million last year.

Karana products cover six groups, including dry bags, tents, organisers and sleeping bags.

Wasit said ecotourism had been rising in popularity, especially among youths and families. The government is making a bigger effort to promote ecotourism among local travellers, in order to compensate for a drop in international travellers during the current economic slowdown. The camping and outdoor-adventure market grew 20 per cent last year to Bt400 million.

To promote the new look of its Karana products among youths and families, the company will allocate 4 per cent of expected sales for marketing. These will include events the company will organise on its own, such as camping activities for families and camping-photo contests, and it will join with several potential business partners to arrange other promotional events. At present, Karana has four shops and 44 sales counters around the Kingdom. It is negotiating with a shopping mall to open a flagship store with more than 1,000 square metres of floor space.

The company's other two brands are Equinox, featuring clothes for outdoor and adventure activities, and Travelgear, covering lower-priced equipment for outdoor activities and camping, selling mostly in hypermarkets and discount stores.

Last year, Outdoor Innovation achieved sales revenue of Bt120 million, of which 60 per cent came from retail channels and the rest from wholesalers. Wasit expects those proportions to be reversed soon.