“The response to our products has been phenomenal…”

Although a relatively new brand on the market, Wolf International has already enjoyed huge success with some key products. As it unveils its breakthrough ICON alarm system, Steve Tasker tells TTW why it’s only just getting started!

 

TTW: SINCE WOLF WAS FOUNDED THREE YEARS AGO, IT SEEMS TO HAVE PICKED UP A KEEN FOLLOWING AMONG SPECIALIST ANGLERS AND THE TRADE VERY QUICKLY. WHAT’S THE SECRET?

Steve Tasker: To be fair, I don’t think it’s really a secret. From the outset, our strategy has been to develop high-quality and ground-breaking products.

There are plenty of brands out there offering similar products ‘off the shelf’ but that was never in our thinking. How does an angler or a retailer decide which brand to go with if all the stuff is the same?

So we are driven to devise and manufacture innovative, new tackle which, we believe, will improve the sectors we operate in and the angling market as a whole.

In many cases we have used tried and trusted, traditional manufacturing techniques but, equally, where necessary, we have had to come up with new ones.

Our aim is to continue bringing ground-breaking designs and the latest technology to the specialist angler, not to mention our trade partners around the world.

TTW: AS YOU MENTIONED, THERE IS AN ABUNDANCE OF BRANDS IN THE MARKET. HOW HAVE DEALERS AND DISTRIBUTORS AROUND THE WORLD REACTED TO THE ARRIVAL OF WOLF?

ST: Honestly… the reaction has exceeded all of our expectations and the response to our products has been nothing short of phenomenal.

I can tell you that, in the last six months alone, we have agreed wholesale agreements in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain, France, The Netherlands, Romania, Lithuania, Slovakia, Croatia, Latvia, Canada and Italy.

Along with these secured areas we are in discussions with a number of other wholesalers to cover untapped countries for the Wolf.

At the same time, our retailers are also increasing fast in Germany, Austria, France and the UK and we have significantly grown our agent base in Holland, Germany, Austria and the UK.

 

TTW: WHAT DO YOU THINK HAVE BEEN YOUR BIGGEST SUCCESS STORIES TO DATE?

ST: Without doubt the biggest success so far has been the introduction of the Wolf X-Spod Performance – we’ve sold more than 25,000 of these in the last six months! It won’t surprise you to learn that has spurred us on to continue developing ideas and we will be unveiling the new X-Spod Competition very soon.

Having said that, we believe that the new ICON system will be not just the biggest success story for Wolf but possibly for the entire industry. I can’t stress enough how much of a game changer this will be.

TTW: WE’VE SEEN A HUGE AMOUNT OF PUBLICITY FOR THE ICON SYSTEM ALREADY. WHAT MAKES IT SO GROUND-BREAKING?

ST: Many things, if I’m honest. Maybe it’s the fact that it uses brand new technology and is a unique concept, not just in bite alarms but as an entire bankside system.

Perhaps it’s because we have engineered specific software that is exclusive to us and we have big plans for how to take the system forward. The alarms themselves are feature-rich but the innovative HUBB really will be the control centre for so many things for the angler.

And, most importantly, it has been designed, developed and is being manufactured in the UK. In fact, we have already invited TTW to visit the factory in the new year so see it for yourselves.

 

TTW: I UNDERSTAND THAT THE ICON SYSTEM HAS BEEN IN DEVELOPMENT FOR QUITE SOME TIME. WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG TO BRING IT TO MARKET?

ST: The simple answer is that we wanted to get it right and ensure it did everything we wanted it to.

With any totally new concept you have to start more or less from scratch – we had to rethink the engineering, develop new technologies, write software code and make sure the entire system was capable of the connectivity we knew would be the real selling point.

Not only that but the alarms, HUBB and other ideas have been extensively tested in the most extreme conditions for the past 10 months – not just by one or two field testers by a whole army of them. I doubt there have been many other products brought to market with this level of attention to detail.

TTW: INEVITABLY, WE NEED TO ASK YOU HOW THE LAST YEAR HAS BEEN FOR WOLF, ESPECIALLY IN THE LIGHT OF COVID-19.

ST: Hand on heart, the situation has been extremely positive for the brand. We have seen increased sales, more dealer accounts and our wholesaler base is growing around the world.

While logistics have, at times, been challenging, we make many of our products in Europe and, as mentioned, the ICON system in the UK, so our supply chain has been pretty stable.

 

TTW: LOOKING AHEAD, THEN, WHAT ELSE HAS WOLF GOT IN THE PIPELINE FOR 2021?

ST: Where do I start? Through our extensive new product development programme, you can expect to see new alarms, PIR detectors and Smart LED bite indicators as part of the ICON system, a major rod collection not to mention around 30 additional projects we are currently putting the finishing touches to. It’s a really exciting time here.

On the trade side of things, you can look forward to an extensive marketing plan across Europe for 2021 and that will include some eye-catching in-store Point of Sale as well.

www.wolfint.co.uk

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