Q&A with Jurian Elstgeest - 361°Europe

Fusion Associates talks to Jurian Elstgeest, MD EMEA at 361° Europe about the Chinese running brand and their performance during 2020.

Jurian Elstgeest

MD EMEA 361° EUROPE

The 361° company originated in China as a family-owned business and for years was a manufacturer of footwear. After the decision was made to build the brand 361°, the company grew to become one of the biggest Chinese sports brands leading up to being a key partner in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and the Asia Games.

Tell us a little about yourself and who are 361 Degrees?

As a young kid I discovered football, track & field and trainers…. And actually, never really went far away from sport and shoes. After studying Fashion Management in Amsterdam, I spent about 2,5 decades in the sports industry and still it does not feel like ‘work’. Through my network in the industry I was asked my opinion about 361° and what the strategy could be to build the brand and business outside China. That actually triggered my senses because my first response was: ‘impossible’. That was almost 5 years ago and today we are here in Europe, and beyond, with about 600 retail partners selling our running shoes.

What sets 361 apart from the competition? How would you describe the typical 361 consumer?

361° as a brand is about something else than trying to inspire young generations with pretty people in pretty pictures. We are about supporting you, the athlete of any level, to perform beyond your expectations. To do more than you think you can. We are real. Our athletes and ambassadors are real. And we build real partnerships with our run specialty dealers. In the end it is not only about our products, which compete with the best of the industry. It is also about how we want to build our brand and business, together with partners and within long term relationships.

That is why our core team is still the same as it was from day 1 and most of our sales, distribution and retail partners have been with us from the early days. I guess part of what we were trying to achieve was to build a business that respects people within the industry as much as the runner who will eventually buy our products. Because we believe a runner is better off getting advice at their local run specialty retailer.

361 is a Chinese brand, how do your Chinese and European consumers differ? What steps are you taking to further build the brand & communicate the identity in Europe?

Having spent many years going back and forth between the East and the West….I guess over the last 2 decades consumer motivations have come much closer to each other. Health, fitness, living a meaningful life are becoming more important than material gains. My impression is that the internet and social media have in this case had a very positive influence on our industry; more people connect with each other because they share the same love for sport and a healthy lifestyle. The biggest difference is still income and pricing; how much can people afford for a decent pair of running shoes.

Identity is definitively a challenge for brands that originated in Asia, but I am so grateful being in a position to actually be part of the team to discover and working together to build a global premium sports brand. It’s the biggest challenge I ever had in my career, next to building the 361° EMEA company from scratch.

You’ve amassed 600 stockists in Europe, what do you look for in retail partners? Are you running any initiatives currently with your specialty retail stores during this crisis?

I personally truly believe in the magic of brick and mortar specialty retail. Bringing an experience to discover, touch, feel, smell and try on products is unique, next to the aspect of local community, to meet likeminded people. We offer a consistent long term partnership model that covers all aspects of the business. It is not a seasonal tactic to gain share, it’s a strategy coming from our fundamental idea of building brand and business.

During this crisis we simply stuck to our strategy. So during lockdowns we supported our partners with custom made social media promotions and we stayed away from market places, avoiding to undercut our partners. It means we lost sales, but we regained so much more when they could re-open their stores. 2020 ended up being our strongest growth year to date.

Which territories are performing well presently and which regions are you planning on breaking into next?

We are doing really well in Germany, the UK, Italy and France. We are also growing strong in markets like the Benelux, Spain, Scandinavia, Russia. We have the Middle East on our radar, as well as South Africa. At the same time we are also growing our business in South America and in other Asian markets.

You currently have no online partners in Europe, was this a strategic decision?

Yes, it is part of the plan. We fully acknowledge online shopping. And it is our goal to serve people online as well. But we need to make sure we have the timing right. We can feel the pulse through our own D2C platform, and we want to serve more people through the online channel. We simply feel this is not the right moment to be involved in the channel’s most defining USP to date, which is simply ‘price’. As soon as we discover the right way to use online as a complementary channel, we’re on it. But it has to fit the strategy and our partnerships.

What’s next for 361?

Wow, every day we ask ourselves that question…. There are so many things. We have a really cool collaboration project coming up, we have a flurry of new products coming in 2021, we are bringing more great partners on board and we are constantly testing marketing ideas. Oh and we’re working with an amazing ambassador and athlete group, fully involved in everything we do, from product creation to storytelling… I guess we’re all doing what you’d be doing when it’s not your job, but your entire lifestyle.

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