From Simms:
Simms Fishing Products, preeminent manufacturer of waders, outerwear, footwear, and technical apparel in fishing close the books on a record setting 2021 and kick off the new year with a solidified strategic plan designed for exponential growth in 2022 and beyond. In addition to the long awaited release of their Spring 2022 product collection, in January of this year, Simms officially made their foray into specialty retail, and also announced a newly appointed executive team poised to capitalize on the fishing industry’s forward momentum, and the unique opportunities it provides.
“There’s never been a more exciting time to be in the fishing industry,” says Simms CEO, Casey Sheahan. “We are thrilled with our 2021 results, but we are even more excited about what’s in store for 2022. I’m repeatedly humbled and amazed to witness just how relentless our team is and how committed they are to this brand. We’ve faced challenge after challenge but without fail, our team always manages to adapt, overcome, and excel.”
Simms steadfast commitment to provide anglers with the world’s most technologically advanced fishing gear continues with the release of their Spring 2022 product collection.
The new line encompasses fishing focused innovations across all categories and boasts several revolutionary standouts. The most noteworthy — an all-new version of Simms’ most iconic product, the G3 Guide™ Stockingfoot Wader (available in Men’s, Women’s, and a Pant). Built with an incredibly breathable 3-layer upper, the new G3 features an all new, exclusive to Simms 4-layer Gore-Tex® fabric package in the lower portion of the wader. When compared to its predecessor, the new 4-layer fabric has increased tear strength by 7.5%, standard puncture resistance by 23%, pinhole puncture resistance by 84%, and breathability by 33%. The latest iteration also coincides with the 20 year anniversary of G3 being part of the Simms line.
Spring 22 also brings with it a vast array of on-deck and wading footwear options.
Simms ever popular Challenger collection expands with the addition of the all-new Air Vent Shoe, Flip Flop, and 7” Deck Boot. Designed to meet performance demands from conventional and fly anglers fishing from a variety of vessel types, all Challenger footwear provide support and comfort on non-marking platforms that offer superior slip resistance on both wet and dry surfaces.
For river focused anglers, Simms is proud to introduce the all new Guide BOA® Boot. Ruggedly built, the Guide BOA® Boot offers stability and agility that’s bolstered by the precision and convenience derived from its BOA lacing system. Finally, Simms’ footwear collection is rounded out with arguably, the most innovative wading boot they’ve launched to date, the all-new Flyweight Access Boot. Cutting ounces in exchange for grip and stability, the Flyweight Access Boot is powered by a new, exclusive to Simms Vibram® Idrogrip Flex rubber outsole. This revolutionary compound provides more slip resistance than any other rubber outsole Simms has offered. Featuring a lightweight non-absorbent mesh upper, the Flyweight Access provides durability with welded TPU overlays in high abrasion zones and offers support via a comfortable and lightweight web lacing system.
Simms sportswear collection continues to grow with numerous new styles and updated colors in popular inline pieces. While Spring 22 includes performative lifestyle options, Simms has greatly expanded upon an already robust collection of sun protective clothing. New styles such as the SolarFlex® Guide Cooling Hoody, Tech Tees, W’s BugStopper® SolarFlex® Hoody, W’s SolarFlex® Cooling Hoody, and the SolarVent collection boast UPF50 sun protection, moisture wicking capabilities and respectively feature innovative technologies such as cooling fabrics, and built-in protection against bugs that bite back.
Check out the Spring 2022 Product Collection in its entirety by clicking here.
In addition to announcing a new product collection, Simms is also proud to announce their recent acquisition of longtime Bozeman based specialty retailer, Simms at The River’s Edge Fly Shop. Established in 1983, The River’s Edge has been the headquarters for Montana fly fishing since its inception. Under Simms’ ownership, The River’s Edge will continue their longstanding full-service experience, offering guided Montana fly fishing trips, fly tying/casting instruction, and expert product and fishing advice. The recent change in ownership will give Simms better insight on the retail landscape, allow Simms to explore new and innovative merchandising strategies, and receive direct product feedback from their consumers in order to better serve a vast wholesale and retail network.
Shortly after announcing the River’s Edge transaction Simms also announced a new executive leadership roster. The newly appointed team boasts a collective commitment to the continued growth and development of the brand and its employees, but also to the holistic fishing industry and community. Equipped with multiple longstanding conservation and philanthropic partnerships as well as a common understanding of the shared responsibility the group has to positively engage with new generations of anglers, the team of 10 consists of men and women that cumulatively represent almost 300 years of experience in the outdoor / fishing industry.
About Simms Fishing Products: Established in 1980, Montana-based Simms is the preeminent manufacturer of waders, outerwear and technical apparel in fishing.
1 Comment
“The recent change in ownership will give Simms better insight on the retail landscape, allow Simms to explore new and innovative merchandising strategies, and receive direct product feedback from their consumers in order to better serve a vast wholesale and retail network.” Really?
To suggest Simms bought River’s Edge to improve “better insight…” smells exactly like what it is. And I don’t think fly shop owners are dumb enough to believe what’s beneath that deodorant. This move is about improving manufacturer margin on all their products by expanding to the retail arena. It is about having a bricks and mortar location open to the public that can inventory, display (or have immediate access to) the entire range of Simms core and soft goods in all sizes, colors, and iterations. A feat that’s impossible for any independent shop.
To be fair, Simms, like Sage and Rio, make some terrific core products – they’re brands we’ve helped build and that our clientele respects and requests. These are companies that independent shops helped, to a large degree, build to a position of prominence. Their reputation goes beyond the quality of their product and is, arguably, the result of a great deal of of support and promotion by the professional shops and guides in our sport. Our own catalogs since 1980 have read like Simms brochures. So how (or if) as fly fishing dealers we are going to respond to one more of the most iconic brands in the industry pursuing even more methods of direct sales? A real conundrum.
The move of Simms into retail brick & mortar is an exponential expansion of already aggressive customer-direct trend by our vendors that should raise the eyebrows of every independent fly shop owner. Forget about the shop down the street, in the next town, or online that’s chasing your clientele because your vendors are now becoming your largest and most aggressive competitors – with the advantage of unlimited inventory and massive margins, without the constraints faced by independent businesses, and fed (in part) by the warranty cards from your rod, line, reel, and waders sales.
It is axiomatic that when our manufacturers and vendors sell direct to the public, the retail playing field is no longer level. And while this may be good news for Simms and the former owners of River’s Edge, another step in vendor-consumer direct sales isn’t a welcome announcement here at The Fly Shop®.
Emphatically,