As reported previously, the German down specialist Yeti will be completely integrated into the Danish Nordisk brand as of the 2020/21 season, with all Yeti shell products being assigned to the Nordisk brand and its down products selling under the new Red Y label. The Danish and German brands have been working together in the European market for 15 years, sharing distributors in the U.K. and elsewhere.
The relabeling move follows a settlement between Nordisk and the American Yeti group to set aside all outstanding intellectual property issues, allowing the U.S. company to do business in Europe and Nordisk to enter the American market.
Furthermore, Nordisk announced at Ispo Munich that it will open a new manufacturing and repair facility for its sleeping bags and down jackets in the German town of Görlitz, where the German Yeti has its head office. In contrast with those of Nordisk, which uses synthetic fibers in its sleeping bags, those of the German company feature a cotton liner.
We have been unable to find out about the American Yeti’s plans in the European market. When it went public in October 2018, it mentioned that it wanted to do more business outside the U.S. By then, this big and growing supplier of coolers and drinkware had expanded into Canada and Australia. It subsequently entered the Japanese market, but as of the end of last year, foreign markets still represented only 5 percent of its revenues.
In the past year, the American Yeti took its first steps in the European market, notably by partnering with the House of Bruar, described as Scotland’s premier independent country lifestyle retailer. The company said it was planning to expand wholesale distribution in Europe in 2020, supplementing its local e-commerce business with a relevant retail footprint.
