Macpac no more?

[Roger B]

Macpac has been sold.

See for more details

It will be interesting to see what the impact on the availability of their products outside of NZ will be, both short and long term.

[Lynn Tramper]

Oh well, I had kinda written them both off a while ago when they moved their manufacturing overseas. It will probably increase availability of "MacPac" products, but the only part of it that will be kiwi is the management and marketing folks I suspect.

[Jeroen Wesselman]

Hi,

i am currently tramping in NZ (iam from Europe) and i first heard the news that they moved their production to the far east and now that they are sold, it's like macpac doesn't excits anymore. Such a shame cause i am a big fan of their older packs (the packs with the older white labels!)

I have 4 old macpac's and i will cherish them although they are far too heavy for any lightweight hiking.

Their new range is far too North American in design, has no resemblance with their roots anymore. What a shame, another good brand has gone…

[Rod Lawlor]

This was posted in another forum I'm involved in, in Australia, where Macpac are probably the pinnacle of outdoor gear.

FWIW the Bivouac store mentioned is currently having a sale on Icebreaker, including a couple of hoodies. (THought that might stir things up)

http://www.bivouac.co.nz

Rod

G'day this is from a [email protected] and was posted to the
aus.bushwalking newsgroup

==
Hi Folks, just to clear a few things up…as there is much said which
is inaccurate
1. macpac was purchased by Mouton Noir
2. Mouton Noir is owned by Bernie Wicht ( founder of Bivouac and ex-
partner in Kathmandu), Pierre van Noorden (ex retail development at
Kathmandu) and Campbell Junor ( product/design manager at Kathmandu
95-2000, Mountain Designs 2000-2007)
3. they formed the company and purchased fairydown from previous owner
Alp Sports early 2007
4. currently trading in NZ via 5 company owned stores selling
Fairydown adventure equipment
5. purchased macpac, to take effect 1 march 2008
6. carrying over designer, development, suppliers, manufacturers,
brand values and warranties.
7. plan to offer products to customers via our own stores, reducing
the added cost that customers incur when buying from other retailers.
8. rollout stores in as many areas as we can, as soon as we can
9. open internet sales to cover the time gap before we can have a
physical presence in key locations.
10. Hi Mike W, fancy stocking macpac ;)

cheers
Cam

[Roger B]

My wondering is given the length of time that it took Fairydøwn to re appear will it be the same for Macpac. I also feel for the staff in Christchurch, for some it appears they will no longer have a position.

BTW It has also been noticeable that the availability of Macpac gear in Europe has declined.

[Lynn Tramper]

Hmmmm

Interesting. Alp Spots in NZ went into receivership almost 2 decades ago, owing me (and many other small business people or "unsecured debtors") thousands of dollars. How do they manage to still trade under that name without honouring their debts??? I will never understand business law…

I still have a classic MacPac Ascent pack in my attic (the origianl model). Even now it is cutting edge in many respects. 55 litre women's pack with essentially waterproof fabric, very comfortable suspension and a total weight of 1.8kg. After over a decade of abuse in NZ, it is still in great condition.

My MacPac tent (20 years old???) is likewise still going strong after having nothing but the zipper slides replaced (twice). Of course at 2.5 kg I only ever loan it out these days to friends who are just getting into tramping. I carry a tarptent, but sacrifice a lot of storm-worthiness to save weight….

Anyway, if Cam at moutonnoir.co.nz ever sees this thread, we would love to get our hands on one of those Fairydown miniature demo tents for our small dog. I'll bet there is a market out there for this kind of frivolous tent design!

[Mike Fischer]

Just to clarify point number 4 from Cam, most of the MacPac employees will now be jobless, as their jobs will be taken over by the new owners. This includes most of the design department and design leader. This is a shame as it was a solid bunch.

[Roger Caffin]

> most of the MacPac employees will now be jobless, as their jobs will be taken over by the new owners.
If Cameron can do the work previously done by all those workers … wow.
My understanding is that many of them will keep their jobs.

[campbell junor]

Mike Fischer what is your source? You are incorrect.
I offered jobs to all the design department at Macpac except for a role that was a part time role (which we will still utalise on a contract basis in engineering developing machinery, and one role in design directing- a role that we have already filled) This is in addition to the design team already in place at Fairydown.
1 member of the design department is leaving to go to pursue interests/ partner in Germany…the rest start on Monady, missing not 1 day of employment..

[Rod Lawlor]

I'm guessing that you might be putting out a lot of fires at the moment.

You should understand that a lot of us grew up, or at least started in the bush, using Macpac (and Kathmandu gear for that matter) It comes as a bit of a shock to suddenly have all that change.

So can you clue us in about what we can expect to see over the next 12-24 mths?

I'm happy to assume that quality will stay the same?

Can you give us some idea about availability outside NZ? (I'm mostly interested in Oz, but I expect most people here will be interested in the US market) Where and when can we buy, or are you looking at a Bivouac or Ground Effect model?

What can we expect on cost? Will your increased margin translate to lower costs to us?

Are you looking to maintain, shrink or expand the range? And what the hell, I'm sure someone here want's to know if you're looking at increasing your range of lightweight gear?

Thanks in advance for your answers, and once again, thanks for dropping by.

Rod

[campbell junor]

Hi Rod,

Happy to clear a few things up for you guys..

"I'm guessing that you might be putting out a lot of fires at the moment."
Well, yes, the internet spreads mis-information fast and wide..

"You should understand that a lot of us grew up, or at least started in the bush, using Macpac (and Kathmandu gear for that matter) It comes as a bit of a shock to suddenly have all that change."
As did I. My back ground is as a climber and walker..I studied outdoor education…but there are not the major changes that people are fearing..

"So can you clue us in about what we can expect to see over the next 12-24 mths?" I'll be mindful here, as I want to ease the minds our the loyal customer, but don't forget it is a business, and no point having all the other retailers not guessing is there? Suffice to say we have great confidence that we can open stores that will offer product range and pricing that Macpac customers , and Fairydown customers, have not been able to experience under the wholesale model. The speed of a store appearing in each town is difficult, as sites and staff take time to find the standard we seek, but they'll come.

"I'm happy to assume that quality will stay the same? " I have no intention of changing the development/ design/testing or manufacturing process unless we can see a way of improving the outcome.

"Can you give us some idea about availability outside NZ? (I'm mostly interested in Oz, but I expect most people here will be interested in the US market) Where and when can we buy, or are you looking at a Bivouac or Ground Effect model?"
As above, we are looking for staff and locations, and can service via websales in the interim. We have kept some key Macpac staff already familiar with Aussie, US, EU and Asia markets and they are keeping those businesses progressing- we only plan to direct retail in NZ and Aus.

"What can we expect on cost? Will your increased margin translate to lower costs to us?" Yes. It will.

"Are you looking to maintain, shrink or expand the range? And what the hell, I'm sure someone here want's to know if you're looking at increasing your range of lightweight gear?" You can tell Roger that I like lightweight gear too :) There are opportunities and directions that Macpac team have been working on previously that are easier to implement now with a retail model. Previously these were difficult to commercialise as retailers sometimes don't have the share view of the possibility a brand has. We do.

"Thanks in advance for your answers, and once again, thanks for dropping by.

Rod"
Cheers Rod,
thanks guys.
Cam

[Franco Darioli]

Oz location ?
As it happens I heard some whispers today, but I will keep my mouth shut till it's all official.
BTW, the Fairydown Escape in silnylon could be interesting….
Franco

[Arapiles .]

"Alp Sports in NZ went into receivership almost 2 decades ago, owing me (and many other small business people or "unsecured debtors") thousands of dollars. How do they manage to still trade under that name without honouring their debts??? I will never understand business law…"

The simple answer is probably that the name was one of their few saleable assets and it was sold to someone else to pay towards the company's debts … unless you know that it's the same principals involved?

Arapiles

[Roger B]

Well it seems so, now to check out the physical locations. Their new website is up at MACPAC and they suggest links in many countries.

[Franco Darioli]

There are two stores (that I know of) planned for Melbourne. The first one is already opened and it is in Smith St Collingwood.
The second one is in the City, however the last time I looked, a "for lease" sign was still up.
As planned, there are many opening specials at the Smith St store, both from Macpac and from Fairydown.
Some good bargain can be found at the Mountain Design clearance store and also at Katmandu (!) near by.
By bargain at Katmandu I mean stuff at 1/4 of their usual retail price.
Franco

[Ken Thompson]

They have been advertising heavily in TGO magazine the last few months, and look like they are here for now.

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