GoLite news

+1 to Dan! Time to look for some deals while you can. In light of Golite's credit situation, and the amount of outstanding debt to suppliers, it does not look good from what little I know about bankruptcy. It won't be an angel that buys what is left of Golite, it will be a vulture. I will be holding on to my memories and my old school Breeze and Gust packs.

Ultralite Vultures!!!

I just tried to order some running clothes for my husband since he likes their shorts and t-shirts and almost everything on their website is out of stock. Looks like almost all the tents are gone. It's too bad. We have 3 GoLite tents,2 backpacks, and a quilt that we really like.

Unfortunately, selling outdoor gear/clothing is difficult esp for a niche market. Hence, why GoLite tried to expand I suspect.

Another company may fill the niche for reasonably light, durable and inexpensive products…but it could be argued other companies already fill the void. The REI Flash 45, at a little over 2 lbs, is the mainsteam lightweight choice for many consumers for example. http://www.rei.com/product/862884/rei-flash-45-pack

For many reasons, REI is the first choice of where to get gear for many people.

Maybe GoLite tried to fill a need that has been filled by others more effectively in terms of marketing, availability and consumer preference.

But there is enough speculation about that…

GoLite is one of the many outdoor companies throughout the years who were influential but did not quite make it:
http://www.oregonphotos.com/Backpacking-Revolution1.html

Other companies evolve, change their focus of cease to be outdoor companies at all (Abercrombie & Fitch used to make outdoor gear! http://www.businessinsider.com/abercrombie-fitch-history-2011-4?op=1)

GoLite, for various reasons, did not make it.

It's sad. Finding the GoLite site in the early 2000s was what clued me in to the whole lightweight backpacking approach.

> Maybe GoLite tried to fill a need that has been filled by others more effectively

A different perspective (from a business investment point of view) is as follows:
The founders managed to make a nice little company selling into a restricted market, and gained a good reputation for product quality in that area.
An investment company saw them, saw their good reputation, and bought them out, with the belief that with their 'better' management they could capitalise on the good reputation and expand the sales volume by expanding into the mainstream consumer market.

Where all this failed, as it has, was at those 'beliefs' the investment company had:
* that a niche product could be taken mainstream without losing its quality
* that they would not kill the brand reputation by going cheaper/mainstream
* that they did actually have 'better' management than the founders
* that they understood the lightweight end of the outdoors market.

I suggest that all of those turned out to be mistakes.

For those who doubt, can I just add that this story happens ALL the time in many areas of the general market. Take-overs very often kill a company because the new management does not know ehat they are doing in the new market segment. It is certainly not restricted to the outdoors market in any way.

Cheers

They moved away from their core competency.

I have been wanting to purchase a GoLite Shangri-La 5 Tent for my grand children now for almost four months. As some of you have encountered when you go on the GoLite site for this tent you get a pop up" stating – "BUMMER! This item went fast! Don't miss your next chance to get one! Enter your name and email address and we will send you a message as soon as it is back in stock." Yesterday I decided to write GoLite and received this reply that may interest others:

"Due to GoLite filing for Chapter 11, production has been postponed until 2015 until our restructuring process takes place. I have no ETA on any product at this time, though I am certain the tent you’re waiting for will not be in until next year. At what point, we’re uncertain.
You will be notified once the product arrives via email. Our IT department sends a group email blast to all customers who have signed up for the notification, so there’s really no order.

So, in a nutshell: There is NO scheduled product to arrive at all right now. All production is planned to resume in 2015 once GoLite’s restructuring takes place. If you need a tent within a certain timeframe, I would suggest purchasing from one of our competitors right now, as we cannot guarantee when our product will arrive.

Thank you for your patience during this time."

>An investment company saw them, saw their good reputation, and bought them out, with the >belief that with their 'better' management they could capitalize on the good reputation and >expand the sales volume by expanding into the mainstream consumer market.

Golite's problems predate the Timberland partnership/buyout. Without Timberland this likely would have happened much earlier.

Paul hit the nail on the head:

>We'll see what happens. GoLite's main problem, IMO, is that they did know what they wanted to >be. Half-way between cottage gear and REI gear? Eddie Bauer "life-style" type fashions?

Add to that ultra running and cycling. I remember them displaying at an Interbike show years ago. Some neat ideas but overall they did not really get the cycling market and were unable to deliver product to dealers.

Hi Nick

> They moved away from their core competency.
Seven words – far more succinct.

Cheers

The fact of the matter is that this business failed like many others. Somewhere along the line the owners were compelled or felt compelled to make or not make some decisions that would help them with their financial goals, which may have been as simple as not going out of business today, or maybe just taking care of their family. I have had a handful of business locations both retail and wholesale.. Some are successful, others have failed, all using the same business model.

Business success or failure can be tough to predict and for us to point to what went wrong without an intimate knowledge of their balance sheet and what compelled the decisions to end up where they are is pointless. We don't know what we don't know.

I have made decisions over the years to keep us going "today", they all have a future consequences. I hope they work out.

I am saddened by their loss and hope they can keep it in perspective.

Anyone know when or if they will have a big clearance (cheaper than it is now)? I really like their running tights and I would like to buy a few of them before they disappear.

I stopped by a local store last Friday and no discounts were posted. Hard to pay retail when/if they'll liquidate their inventory.

They may not want to bother with discounting small sales; they might rather move it all out an once to Sierra Trading Post.

Billy

Compare and contrast to The North Face and VF Corporation.

I wouldn't count on liquidation sales. Golite does not plan to go out of business. They are just in Ch. 11 debt reorg.

Go-Lite does not have access to its own name after March 2015, is apparently unable to pay its manufacturing partners and has what appears to be identical products appearing under other brands in the EU.

Based on prior linked articles, it is bankrupt, and will be liquidated beginning this month.

Well, as recently as Oct. 28 the founders were seeking loans/investors to take the company out of Chapter 11 and had raised at least part of the funds required. At that time their stated deadline was Nov. 14. So, I guess we won't learn the actual fate of the company until after that.

According to this, http://www.snewsnet.com/news/timberland-terminates-golite-trademark-golite-moves-to-liquidate-unless-competing-bid-arises/, they are entering into an agreement to liquidate having failed to find a buyer or financing for the company. We will know in a day or so.

Just received an email:

"Closing all stores & online – Everything on sale – Everything must go."

They are toast.

It is official:
http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-business/ci_26932471

GoLite.com is down

I am finding this very sad. My favorite day pack that I use almost every day is a GoLite VO 24, and the one I had before that one was the previous model that I had for a long long time before I blew out the straps packing it too heavy (my fault), I simply loved it to death. I too, was annoyed by the sales tactics and lack of inventory but just shrugged it off and went elsewhere to fill the need when I had to. I know that was a huge part of everyones beef about the company, but perhaps some compassion is in order. We have watched the demise of one man's dream as it slowly slipped away. Coup I hope where ever you are, you're still the loudmouthed, crazy, happy guy you were years ago.

Tried to buy something today. It charged me the full amount and left off a penny. The order was put in but statement said,

"** Your order has a balance of $0.01 due. Pay Now"

Then it would not let me pay the penny..lmao.

Interesting

http://www.hikersreview.com/my-trail-company-new-company-launch-golite/

Former head of retail for GoLite according to the person's linked in profile.

The author of the article pinged us (TTS) directly, otherwise I would have no idea.