bruce franks

Bruce Franks is a devoted family man who loves fine chocolate, black and white photography (people and things, please), fishing and good, sturdy shoes. Most of you will recognize Franks for the latter attribute.



Franks traces his beginnings in the outdoor industry back to 1970, when he helped start and manage an outdoor shop in Moscow, Idaho. The shop specialized in all the sports he enjoyed—Alpine and Nordic skiing, backpacking, climbing and tennis. The store, Northwestern Mountain Sports, is still in business. Next time you're in Moscow, stop in and say, "Hi," to Terry Uravich, the current owner.

Intrigued by what was happening on the other side of the mountain, Franks took a hike to Camp 7, in 1973, accepting a sales rep position. In 1979, he booted himself to Asolo and spent a big chunk of his career there, primarily as national sales manager. In May 1995, he stepped into Tecnica's national sales manager position; and in November 1998, Salomon waltzed him into the position he now holds, footwear sales manager for the United States and Canada.

Clearly, the man has a footwear fetish. This may be due to the fact that he loves the outdoors and understands the importance of a good shoe or boot. Last fall, for example, Franks climbed 12 of New Hampshire's 48 challenging 4,000-footers over a period of two months. He admits to being hooked on peak-bagging in New Hampshire. "Many of the peaks are very arduous, very steep," he says, "but I like doing each one in a single day."

Very much a behind-the-scenes type of guy, Franks has politely refused to be profiled in the past, but we've finally gotten him to talk.

Outdoor Retailer: Let's start with a look at Salomon's incredible growth spurt. Company sales for 1996 were reported at $4 million and in 1997, $20 million, equaling 400-percent growth. How is the company handling this growth in terms of delivery and distribution?

Franks: The outlook for Salomon is bright. The company has been in business in the Alpine ski arena for 50 years, but is reasonably new to the outdoor business in the United States, only about five years. We're not treating our success with a cavalier attitude. We have plenty of work to do. In 1997, delivery was our biggest problem, so we entered 1998 with a commitment to improve delivery. In January, a factory fire burned up about 3,000 units, which set us back 30 to 45 days and caused us to stumble a bit with technical product. Even so, we've improved our overall on-time delivery record.

OR: Are you confining distribution of outdoor footwear within the outdoor specialty channel?

Franks: If a company sells outside the specialty outdoor industry, it's not a matter of right or wrong. Each individual market segment in the industry has distinct challenges. Salomon sells to many channels and will continue to do so.

OR: What particular market segments is Salomon focusing on?

Franks: We're focusing promotional efforts on the Raid Gauloises line of footwear for "freedom action sports" and the Mountain collection of technical footwear as it relates to an expedition we're sponsoring to Latok. "Freedom action sports" is an appropriate term to guide us into the future. We're very involved in developing a youthful presence and evolving our market to target youths through sports such as snowboarding, inline skating and skiing. Last winter, we introduced the Gravity collection designed for snowboard users. For spring 1998, we've introduced the Dirt collection geared to the mountain boarding business. We've got to get younger in our attitude, presence and products. Many savvy retailers are telling us, "If you're making the same stuff this year as you made last year, you're outta here."

OR: Do retailers know what they want?

Franks: Opportunistic retailers know who they are and what they want. They're doing well. As an industry, I think we have to recognize that people have changed, the business has changed, and we need to find ways to reenergize our business and product lines to meet these changes. I think some retailers and manufacturers in this business are jaded and afraid of risk. The other day, I talked to a group of buyers of athletic footwear brands and asked one, "How often do you go out to see what your customers are using?" He replied, "I'm on the street at least 10 days a month." How sharp do you think his buy will be? The challenge is not to become withdrawn and cocooned.

OR: In what ways is Salomon reenergizing its product?

Franks: Besides concentrating on a good price-value product with quality componentry, we're looking at color. I believe that color is going to have an effect on the market and help infuse it with some energy. Not European colors, which were a driving force several years ago, but colors driven by American tastes. As we become more of a uniform society—however you define that, from white T-shirts and jeans to white shirts and black or khaki slacks—people are looking to shoes to liven up their self-expression.

OR: What colors can we expect to see?

Franks: Livelier browns, beiges, blues and greens. Some yellow. I've seen some hot colors at retail in different athletic shoes. It's already starting in that segment. We have to freshen the look, lighten it and look different without looking out of place.

OR: Retailers we talk to say they're looking for something new. Is this reflected in their buying patterns?

Franks: Somewhat. I'm exposed to all kinds of buyers. The bigger they are doesn't necessarily make them the greatest. What sets the astute buyer apart from the mundane buyer is his or her methodology. Is the buy based on back sales history or on intuition and research? When a market is evolving, you can't rest your head on what happened yesterday. To be unique, whether you're a retailer or manufacturer, you have to be willing to work at it and step out and take a risk now and then. It's one thing to talk the dance and another to do it. Neither side can isolate itself, and we certainly can't isolate ourselves from the customer.

OR: Let's talk about the women's footwear business. How healthy is it?

Franks: It's improving, but there are still too many [male buyers] buying women's product. I see it clearly in my sales presentations. Women envision what women need. When was the last time you saw a man buy a bra for a woman? Same with kids' footwear programs. Women do a better job of buying that category, too.

OR: Is there a need for more women footwear designers?

Franks: Probably. Luckily, we have Anne Wiper heading up Salomon's cross-hiking footwear design team. Salomon feels that the United States is where it happens, that's why our international design center is in Boulder. Even the technical footwear line, which is made in France, is designed in Boulder.

OR: Does women's-specific product require a different approach?

Franks: Not necessarily. In advertising, we've taken an approach that focuses on activity rather than gender, although we show a female contestant in the Raid Gauloises ad. We build a marketing theme and stick to that. At retail, the success of women's footwear depends on the level of success the store has had with women's product in general. The less successful, the more philosophical the presentation becomes. Sales of Salomon's women's footwear have increased because we have improved the product, not simply because we happen to make the product. I think this is true in many women's product areas today, not just footwear. Some retailers have had a bad experience in the past selling women's. Unfortunately, we all remember the bad lunch we had. The consumer continually changes. If you close your eyes to this fact, you'll never open them again. Our women's business now represents 30 percent of total outdoor footwear sales. Testimonials are good, too.

OR: Do you think that a portion of Salomon's growth—in all categories, not just women's—is captured market share?

Franks: I'm sure there's been some swapping. We're in this business to grow, and right now that's what we're doing. We're not spending much time worrying about where that growth is coming from. I think the outdoor industry has grown and evolved. I question the $5 billion in industrywide gross annual sales that Outdoor Retailer and ORCA have reported. I think the market is bigger.

OR: What is Salomon's reaction to The North Face entering the outdoor footwear market segment?

Franks: We're not worried. They have to deal with their business plan, and we have to deal with ours. We have a very strong partner in Adidas. We plan to be very aggressive. Make products that people are happy to buy. Get as much of the business as we can.

OR: What role does the sales rep play in Salomon's growth? What is your reaction to talk about the demise of the sales rep?

Franks: The day that sales reps become dinosaurs is the day they stop selling. My most valuable commodity is my sales rep.

OR: What does the future hold in terms of effective partnering between vendors and retailers?

Franks: Partnering is a misunderstood term in this industry. There is no "partnership" agreement exchanged between vendor and retailer. Retailers are much more powerful than vendors. They can refuse to buy our product. We have to work better with retailers—improve delivery, customer service, product knowledge.

OR: What are the most important consumer groups in terms of potential outdoor footwear sales?

Franks: Men, women and children! Our men's business is good, women's is getting better. The youth market is a very important focus.

OR: If you had to impart one piece of wisdom or advice to specialty outdoor retailers, what would that be?

Franks: Every morning, get up, put a smile on your face and do something constructive to improve your business.