New distributor for global watch brand

4.4 k views | Posted January 24, 2012 | By Aaron Weinman

Instyle Watches has secured the Australian distribution rights for UK-based Rotary Watches.

Instyle’s national sales manager, Fabrizio Manerba, believes Rotary’s ranges to be well suited to the Australian and New Zealand market but understands the difficulty in reviving a brand that hadn’t previously been heavily exposed.

“I understand that Fossil had it some years ago and we realise it could be difficult bringing an old brand back into the Australian market,” Manerba said.

Manerba confirmed Instyle would launch the Rotary collection at the Brisbane Jewellery Fair this March. He said everything is in the final stages of preparation and many of his key accounts appear interested in stocking Rotary’s ranges.

“We’re still finalising the retail price-points,” Manerba told Jeweller. “I’ve got the range here so it’s a matter of fine-tuning everything before the launch in Brisbane.”

After first speaking to Rotary at last year’s Sydney fair Manerba was led to believe several distributors were interested in acquiring exclusive distribution rights, and was surprised after his winning pitch.

“After talking with them [Rotary] we simply put a bid in hoping we would get it, and now we’re excited about the prospects for Rotary” Manerba said.

The family-run watch brand announced the distributorship after the company reported strong sales growth for 2011. Victoria Campbell, Rotary’s managing director, said the group’s sales were up by 19 per cent last year, prompting the company to look into overseas expansion.

“The Rotary brand is synonymous with trust and confidence and has succeeded in growing sales by 40 per cent over the last three years,” Campbell said.

The distribution agreement now sees Rotary’s collections sold in 40 countries with Instyle distributing 55 different models from a variety of Rotary ranges.

Sydney-based Instyle also distributes Pierre Cardin, Fendi and Dreyfus & Co watch brands and has over 700 stockists throughout Australia and New Zealand.

More reading:
Pretty Pink Jewellery gets iconic distribution
New supplier snares Luminox Watches
Image Gallery (2 Images)