As part of a major campaign ‘Gearing for Growth’, Fiskars Brands UK Limited will market its own range of garden products, using the Fiskars’ distinctive black and orange livery, under the Fiskars brand and will no longer produce garden tools using the Wilkinson Sword trade marks (applied under licence) from 9 March 2009.
Announcing the end of the licensing agreement, Fiskars Brands UK Managing Director Andrew Smith said: “We have had a long and mutually beneficial relationship but the market has changed and we will enjoy a far stronger range of benefits under our own branding.”
Fiskars has been making tools for 360 years. Building the Fiskars brand in the UK allows the company to talk about this heritage and is part of a strategy to cement Fiskars’ position as the No 1 garden hand tool brand in the world. To support the brand, Fiskars Brands UK Limited will be investing £2 million in advertising, market research and marketing support at a time when many other brands in the sector are cutting back.
“We are planning a three year investment programme to drive the brand and build even stronger trade partnerships. We will be promoting Fiskars’ products as performance tools as our research shows that consumers prefer specialist products and are willing to pay a premium for these brands,” adds Andrew.
The move is supported by extensive consumer market research and the change to Fiskars branding will open the door to significant new product development to meet the requirements of British gardeners. In its 2009 Omnibus survey, Fiskars found that 79.5% of gardeners choose ease of use over brand name when buying garden cutting tools.
“Our entire range is designed in Finland with the single objective of making gardening a joy not a chore. Bringing the UK range under the Fiskars brand enables us to respond quickly to the specific needs of the UK market. As Fiskars we have a great opportunity to shout about the things that gardeners really care about such as ease of use, ergonomics, power and performance. Our consumer research has shown that 65.7% of gardeners would choose heritage, innovation and ergonomic design over price and brand name,” says Wayne Greensmith, Senior Brand Manager – Tools.
Founded in 1647 and headquartered in Finland, Fiskars is one of the western world’s oldest companies and is the No 1 brand for hand operated garden tools in North America, Australia and much of Europe. The black and orange livery has been familiar to British gardeners since 1967 and packaging already states that the products are made by Fiskars. Guarantees range from 10 years to lifetime and these will not change.
Fiskars branded garden tools will roll out into retail from September this year.
For stockist information please email custserv@fiskars.co.uk or telephone 01656 655595. www.fiskars.com
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