There are ebb and flow with every brand...IMHO Kästle went through a low time and is on the way back up again with the revamping of the line. What is nice with a smaller "boutique" brand as Kästle is they can make adjustments quickly ie the new consctuction of the FX collection. I think bringing the manufacturing under their own roof was a huge step forward in helping this.
To me it seems like ownership is attempting a total brand transformation from premium boutique to broader mass appeal including a wider range of skis and price points.
This seems like a huge challenge in what is already a very crowded ski market. I wonder how they're going to even pull off getting the retail shelf space for their broader collection in any meaningful way. Who will they take shelf space from? I can't see retailers adding even more shelf space to skis so presumably if Kästle is gain shelf space to support new models who will they take it from? I don't see it. Maybe they assume they can succeed via online sales and don't need the shelf space.
If they succeed their return on investment on the purchase of Kästle would likely be very high as they probably paid relatively very little for the brand. They also risk killing the brand entirely if they fail as I see high risk that previous Kästle enthusiasts abandon the brand entirely given the new direction.
I'm in the skeptical camp they pull this off. For all I know new ownership may even be thinking the odds are difficult, but with the calculated understanding that the upside is significant relative to the downside given the low cost they probably paid for Kästle. Analogous to betting on a longshot at a horse race. Most likely it doesn't win but if it does the payoff is huge.
Most on here may not care, and simply look for skis they like. I am interested on the business side of things for whatever reason in addition to how skis perform.
