Equip Outdoor Technologies, the owner of the outdoor brands Rab and Lowe Alpine, has developed a risk management action plan to help its retail partners deal with the problems during and after the Covid-19 crisis. While the priority is clearly to protect the health and safety of everyone - retail partners, end consumers, employees and athletes - which is why Equip has already taken measures such as home office working, minimizing social contacts and strict cleaning and disinfection procedures, the action plan goes much further.
Equip has decided that outstanding orders will not be delivered during the current spring/summer season unless explicitly requested by the client. This is to enable the partners to maintain a manageable level of inventory in the face of the mandatory indefinite business closures in many European countries. Currently Equip’s warehouses in the UK and the Netherlands are open and fully operational, and its logistics partners are active in all markets where the authorities allow it.
Equip will also accept returns of goods for the current spring/summer 2020 season and exchange them for autumn/winter 2020 orders. Dealers can return up to 50 percent of the value of their spring/summer order and receive a credit note for this. The deadline for this is the end of August. Returns can be made between Sept. 15 and Sept. 30.
Andy Schimeck, the European director of sales at Equip, said: “We are currently facing an unprecedented, exceptional global situation affecting both the companies and the markets. Our main objective is to contribute to health and the common good and to help our retail partners to overcome this severe crisis. It will be a difficult time for all of us, but we would like to stress that we care about our retailers and their well-being.”
Due to the rapid developments around corona spreading, the Equip senior management will continuously review the application of its strategy and, if necessary, adjust it to respond to the situation in the best possible way. Equip will keep its dealers up to date with news and changes.
