The news that Beretta has taken a majority stake in its UK distributor, GMK, may have come as little surprise to many in the trade and in the short term there is unlikely to be any discernible change: the current management team headed by founder Bjorn’s Waktare’s son, Carl, is well thought of in Beretta’s Italian HQ. And so it should be, as the Fareham based company has built a more or less unassailable position at the top of the UK shooting market.
If there is likely to be any disturbance to the current status quo it may come from Beretta’s desire to see a more uniform approach adopted by its retailers, especially in relation to brand presentation in store. Over the past two years or so Beretta has been pushing its distributors across Europe to try and impress upon retailers the need to be more aware of modern in-store marketing techniques and with this, presumably, to try and develop what might be termed as a Beretta experience. That could be a tricky assignment for GMK.
Part of the reason it has been so successful in recent years is because, recognising the strong almost wilful independence which characterises many of its dealers, it has got on and taken care of the marketing and left its retailers to sell the products pretty much how they wish. With the balance of power within GMK now altered, the current management will have to develop further skills in diplomacy as their new future unrolls and Beretta’s plan for a common retail experience could turn out to be the first test of those skills.