Bauer discontinuing Supreme?

[krisdrum 233]

Need verification/contrary evidence. 

Just got back from my LHS looking for new skates for my son.  He currently wears Supremes and has for a bit and likes them.  Guy at the shop mentions the local rep was just in the shop and Bauer is discontinuing the Supreme line!  Replacing it with more of a flex fit (I'm assuming similar to current Ribcor) because they feel they are carrying too many SKUs and that stock in the current Supreme line will be hard to get a hold of.

I'm utterly confused since I see the 2S skate is scheduled to be released in July.  Same timeframe he is saying Supreme is scheduled to be replaced.  This shop is one of the best around with incredibly knowledgeable staff, so I am really confused.

Can anyone shed some light on this and what is going on?  Thanks.  

[JGraz15 53]

The Supreme line is not being discontinued. 

[krisdrum 233]

Thanks.  I thought that seemed pretty crazy.  So is it simply updates down the line with 2S being released?  Any re-naming of the line?  This guy must be reacting to something.  

[Doughnuts08 6]

Maybe discontinuing the lower models of the skate, and replacing them with the flex fit profile skate?

[krisdrum 233]

Just now, Doughnuts08 said:

Maybe discontinuing the lower models of the skate, and replacing them with the flex fit profile skate?

Maybe.  Believe my son is in the S160, so that could be it.  

[Leif 161]

Maybe they want to sell something else? I was told by shop owners who have close contacts with Bauer that they are rationalising their ranges, as they have too many different levels. They are currently refreshing the Supreme skates and they let stock r7n down before introducing the new ones. A pain for the customer, who cannot buy old or new skates. 

[krisdrum 233]

Just now, Leif said:

Maybe they want to sell something else? I was told by shop owners who have close contacts with Bauer that they are rationalising their ranges, as they have too many different levels. They are currently refreshing the Supreme skates and they let stock r7n down before introducing the new ones. A pain for the customer, who cannot buy old or new skates. 

Not sure the shop really cares one way or the other.  I've always found them to be a "fit first" place.  But yes, Bauer letting stock dwindle without another option seems silly.  I'm already thinking of having him try the entire CCM line to see how they feel.  

[Leif 161]

I do wonder about Bauer management given that they are the leading brand and yet they’ve had some dire financial problems of late. 

[218hockey 50]

1 hour ago, krisdrum said:

  Guy at the shop mentions the local rep was just in the shop and Bauer is discontinuing the Supreme line! 

April fools!

[Doughnuts08 6]

24 minutes ago, Leif said:

I do wonder about Bauer management given that they are the leading brand and yet they’ve had some dire financial problems of late. 

Outside of skates (for the time being), CCM now is more represented in pretty much every other category in the pros from sticks to protective gear....Bauer needs to get off their pedestal and get their shit together if they want to stop losing  ground to CCM, so maybe this is their way of doing so

[hawkeyfan 36]

What I have noticed over the years is that Bauer will hold the line until the freight train is right in front of you before they do anything.  You will not see any discounting of their skates until either the new skates are in store or very close to it.  They want the old stock to get moved out.

The Catalogs should be online to see what the product is...Not sure about the product cycle or time on them , as I have moved away from purchasing Bauer equipment

[chippa13 1844]

The hockey equipment industry as a whole is in a bad place on the retail side. Without team sales many places wouldn't be around and that includes some well known shops around these parts.

[JGraz15 53]

7 hours ago, Doughnuts08 said:

Maybe discontinuing the lower models of the skate, and replacing them with the flex fit profile skate?

This is basically what they’re doing. Reducing the number of skates and introducing a new low price line. 

[KennyWu 24]

10 hours ago, JGraz15 said:

This is basically what they’re doing. Reducing the number of skates and introducing a new low price line. 

The Charger returns?

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

1 hour ago, KennyWu said:

The Charger returns?

No, but it's named after another car.  LOL

[Stewie 721]

22 minutes ago, JR Boucicaut said:

No, but it's named after another car.  LOL

So maybe they are bringing back another dodge skate ;)

[althoma1 574]

The Charger skates were pretty awful. I remember having high end Tacks to play as a teenager, but there was a pond near where I lived and played a lot. I decided it would be a good idea to buy myself a cheap pair of skates just for the pond and grabbed some Chargers. I think I wore them for one afternoon. They had absolutely no support at all and were waaaay too big of a dropoff in performance from my main skates.

I learned that even for backup or pond skates, I can't go low end. Older model clearance skates or relegating an old pair when getting a new pair is a much better option. Of course, now with how easy it is to change steel, I would just get an extra set of steel. 

[krisdrum 233]

Thanks gents.  So my LHS wasn't off the deep end.  Something is afoot for the lower end skates.  So will it be 2S and nothing else in the Supreme line?  Everything else will be relegated to this new line?  Or will there still be some step-downs in the Supreme line, just not as many?

[stick9 891]

Maybe Bauer realized it’s product portfolio is bloated. Too many models in each category with not enough (other than price) to differentiate from one to the other. Right now, the Vapor line has 8 models, Supreme like has 7 and the Nexus line has 6. Thats 23 different skates over 3 product lines. 

They could get by with four. Two top end (Curv boots) a mid range and an entry level. 

[swede 49]

A few weeks ago, when i was a few days in Stockholm, the store manger from one of Swedens biggest (and best) hockey stores hinted that Bauer is coming with something new.

And last summer when i bought my Mako m7 and M8 skates from the same store the same guy told me that Bauer was working on a new skate with ”makoish” features but they would not release it until summer or fall 2018... 

hard to say if he was talking crap back then or just guessing, but it seems like he knew something...

this store is known (atleast in Sweden) for having all the new gear first.. 

[Im_CIA 0]

On 5/24/2018 at 2:29 PM, Doughnuts08 said:

Outside of skates (for the time being), CCM now is more represented in pretty much every other category in the pros from sticks to protective gear....Bauer needs to get off their pedestal and get their shit together if they want to stop losing  ground to CCM, so maybe this is their way of doing so

CCM gear and sticks are the most common at my local rink, with Bauer second then Warrior, then Sherwood. I have some random CCM gear (pants and gloves) but overall Bauer stuff fits me the best. Plus I prefer Bauer and Warriors sticks, they are much lighter.

[Leif 161]

4 hours ago, krisdrum said:

Thanks gents.  So my LHS wasn't off the deep end.  Something is afoot for the lower end skates.  So will it be 2S and nothing else in the Supreme line?  Everything else will be relegated to this new line?  Or will there still be some step-downs in the Supreme line, just not as many?

There are some new models below the 2s but my understanding is not as many as before. I handled two of the new models today along with the 2s, and the new speed plates. The 2s is quite dramatic, not sure if it’s for the likes of me though. 

[adam14 182]

3 hours ago, stick9 said:

Maybe Bauer realized it’s product portfolio is bloated. Too many models in each category with not enough (other than price) to differentiate from one to the other. Right now, the Vapor line has 8 models, Supreme like has 7 and the Nexus line has 6. Thats 23 different skates over 3 product lines. 

They could get by with four. Two top end (Curv boots) a mid range and an entry level. 

They are doing this to a certain extent, lowering the number of options available in each line and adjusting price points accordingly. Shops end up sitting on way too much inventory and as mentioned marking product down is a head ache from their head office. 

 

If you're in Canada the Source for Sports shops figured this out years ago, hence why they only offer SMU models below the top of the line. hits every price point/performance level and doesnt overflow inventory 

[raganblink 82]

On 5/24/2018 at 4:48 PM, chippa13 said:

The hockey equipment industry as a whole is in a bad place on the retail side. Without team sales many places wouldn't be around and that includes some well known shops around these parts.

People don't understand how bad it really is. 10s of millions of closeout product the manufactures need to get rid of. 10s of millions of closeout product local stores have stock pilled. Now people don't need to go to your store to get their skates sharpened because most teams throughout north america have someone who can sharpen their skates. Monkey, pure & IW seem to have gotten their act together on quick shipping and having variety in-stock and available at the click of a button, and prostock stick sales increasing every year & team sales thus making it harder to sell that $299 stick - there's a lot of negative things going on in the hockey world for your local smaller shop. Manufactures going direct (to teams & consumer) doesn't help, either. 

Where you're able to get equipment may change within 5 years. Wouldn't surprise me the least if we saw some long-standing, historic locations close their doors and I know we'll see a sizable reduction of retailers. If you're a smart LHS I think you start investing immediately in team sales, brand awareness (store apparel, rink sponsorship) and possibly even an e-commerce site.

[adam14 182]

Team sales are an absolute gold mine for LHS' because most of the time the OEM dont eant to deal with the headache. 

In the span of 18 months we grew from being supplier of 4 teams to supplying a total of 12 JR A and JR B teams, a university team and two entire associations, and this is just hockey. we do baseball associations now as well.

Apparel, Bags, jerseys, coaching packages, and equipment bundles all make life easy. bundles usually means finding a set price for gloves pants helmet+cage or visor and a number of sticks depending on the team and the owners. 

Keeps us busy, especially in the dog days.