During his speech at the Press Conference for OutDoor 2008, the President of the European Outdoor Group Rolf Schmid painted a picture of an industry in change and stated quite clearly that the cost base for the future was in no way certain, with rising raw material costs, adverse exchange rates and a host of other factors all leading to the likelihood of increased prices to the consumer. His message was however an overwhelmingly positive one with a prediction that our industry would find its own equilibrium and that the continuing popularity of outdoor activities would underpin everything we do. A few months on and all of us are now painfully aware of the world’s ever changing economic dynamics, yet no one could have predicted such dramatic changes. Is the message still positive? Well the answer is still a resounding ‘YES’ and so far consumer demand has not fallen in spite of a raft of brands announcing higher prices for 2009. We must however trust in the consumer to recognise the wider picture and to realise that in spite of increasing prices, premium outdoor brands still offer great all-round value!

For the text of Rolf Schmid’s press conference speech please click here