In the market for a new waterproof jacket and SP had some nice looking berghaus ones on but upon trying to find any other info on them it seems they are the only place ever to sell them.
Something fishy going on or me being paranoid?
I heard the owner on radio 4 the other week. They deal with the brands direct, no knock offs.
The £99 Pro-shell? Its a SP only jacket, all above board AFAIK
as above, it looks like Berghaus are manufacturing a model exclusively for SP. I didn't realise they'd gotten that big!
They deal with the brands direct, no knock offs
This, they are straight into the brands and distributors.
Yup. I believe some brands do this with TK Maxx now as well.
Better for the brand I assume - people don't see their stuff (that you might buy in proper shops) at massive undercut discounts
scaredypants - Member
Better for the brand I assume - people don't see their stuff (that you might buy in proper shops) at massive undercut discounts
On the other hand, the public aren't the brands customer so it can have a hefty impact on the relationship with shops
I don't get you legend - in what way is the public not the brand's consumer (even if selling is indirect) ?
What I meant was that your bricks/mortar shop can still sell their Berghaus at "normal" prices because you can't go in & show them the same item on a discounter's site. My assumption is that this might at least partly protect the relationship with shops.
Fair enough if it's (very) different kit, but most of the time it's stuff that's available in bricks and mortar shops.
I'll change to 'direct customer' as it's the shops that get massively pissed off when they still have stock (that they paid full whack for) then they see the same kit appear on a clearance site!
My local traditional mountain pursuit hiking climbing shop sometimes sells "product trial" products in limited numbers and these are real bargains. Oh and they are Berghaus
Wasn't there a whole thing about tk Max selling stuff at supposedly massive discounts but in fact you can't get the same stuff anywhere else...
So £100 for a jacket with an rrp of £250 seams like a great deal but in reality it is only a £100 jacket. Not sure if SP doing the same thing though.
nah that's not the idea with SP. They are just an end of line clearance house really
If they are making for SP that's not end of line clearance and makes SP just like DFS and TK Maxx.
Saying that you could say the same about any shop which sells its own brands like next and debenhams. They all manufacture sale only items. Also outlet villages, the only place you can buy the stuff in outlets is at outlets.
So £100 for a jacket with an rrp of £250 seams like a great deal but in reality it is only a £100 jacket. Not sure if SP doing the same thing though.
Sounds like On-one..
There's a berghaus outlet shop near us and a lot of the jackets have some sort of iron on logo, rather than the embroided logos of the stuff I own.
It's all legit, just made cheaper.
Making stuff to a specific spec for a retailer isn't a new thing and its also not really a good thing. Quite a few of the 'end of line' retailers also have this specific stock manufactured for them - its not only Sport Pursuit.
Some of the Berghaus stuff is clearance stock from this year but a few of the jackets are made exclusively for Sports Pursuit. I've got a Berghaus Civetta 2 jacket and it's brilliant. The current Goretex Pro material and a near £300 jacket for £130ish. I assumed it would be an older model made from the older Goretex Proshell but was pleased to be wrong.
I would say that For all but the sweatiest activities the new Pro is more than enough. I was surprised how light and breathable it was. And is significantly more durable than the Active shell. I'd only buy that for a running riding jacket where I care more about breathability than anything else.
Tom KP
There's a berghaus outlet shop near us and a lot of the jackets have some sort of iron on logo, rather than the embroided logos of the stuff I own.
It's all legit, just made cheaper.
Seems to be the new Berghaus way, I have a 10 year old Mera Peak that has fantastic build quality but I've just bought the latest version from go outdoors and it is made from much lighter weight material and the logos are "iron on"
Embroidered logos are a shit idea on waterproofs. They need sealed and add weight.
I'm pretty sure the latest paclite stuff still has embroided logos, yet I have seen them with the iron on logos at the outlet place. If quite happily buy either though.
Seems to be the new Berghaus way, I have a 10 year old Mera Peak that has fantastic build quality but I've just bought the latest version from go outdoors and it is made from much lighter weight material and the logos are "iron on"
Correct me if I'm wrong but the 2004 vintage Mera peak was made from 3 layer gore-tex XCR whereas the 2014 edition is only 2 layer gore-tex?
Fundamentally that makes it a very different jacket to your old one, so you're not actually comparing like for like....
Either way, even if you were, the newer gore-tex 3 layer (pro-shell) is lighter but more durable in lab and "real world" tests than the old XCR which it replaced as a result of changing the inner scrim and using narrower seam tape. It's also significantly more breathable.
I'd also assume with development in fabric technologies over time, face fabrics have become lighter and equally (or more) durable than older generations, which will also add to the weight saving and the apart lack of "robustness"
Heard the same interview on R4 as Tang recently so all above board. They have sold some Vulpine, Finisterre and Exposure stuff that I have seen elsewhere at the same price.
Manufacturers are making for £1 shops too these days. So you a £1 worth in a £1 shop, not a £3 worth for £1.........it's all marketing
New standard ago rates is a 2 layer fabric but the Active and Pro fabrics are 3 layer. Paclite is still as crap as it's always been. Nice and light, but no more breathable than Pro or Active and way less durable.
And most manufacturers have moved away from good old stitched logos (which I prefered) as it's cheaper and requires less manufacturing, etc
Fairly common as above. The usual dodge is a specific difference such as an odd colour combination that allows price promises to be made by vendors with a reputation for being discounters who aren't necessarily always. In extreme cases entire brands may only be available from certain retailers.
It's not illegal but it's certainly a manipulative practice that leaves a bad taste once noticed.
It goes the other way too, with some manufacturers taking a dim view of their product being offered at a discount. The noise over cheaply imported Levis denim fifteen odd years ago comes to mind.
I'll wager they're made especially for SP... and made down to their price... or lower so there's still a margin.
Twice I've been caught out with shoes (not cycling shoes) bought from outlet stores. One of them was near Oxford if you can imagine such a place. The stores were Timberland & Vans. Both pairs of shoes were terrible and not a patch on the Timberland & Vans shoes I've had from high street stores. Both pairs got binned for being hopelessly uncomfortable and so turned out to be a lot more expensive than the real deal so I'm now veeery wary of these kinds of bargain. I really can't see how this is good for the brands, unless they're desperate to head downmarket.
It's a different business model I know but I have some Karrimor walking boots from Sports Direct, they're fine for the price they sell them for but there's no way in hell they're worth the RRP they claim !
Hi-jacking thread slightly peeps,sorry but in local Poundland store there is a worrying trend (they have had spot-deals before 4x for £3 etc),which is fine by me. New offers include special teddy bear for £5? and SPEND £3 and get David Beckham fragrance for £7 ??. Slightly OCD but the big signs EVERYWHERE in the shop say(in other words), everything is a pound!!!. They may be trying to improve the business model and go Big Price??. Back on track,TK Maxx like a lot of big chains buy SMUs (Special Make-Ups),badged as OEM and often the designer stuff is a season,or two old!. Great for cheap packs of man-knickers though!,and the kitchen stuff is good.