No More Shipped Husky's From Bailey's

[2000ssm6]

It seem's like we've been here before.
I actually prefer Husqvarna over any other brand, but I'm not brand loyal.
My closest Husky dealer is over 100 mile's away, and they don't stock saw's (I don't like Husky that much). In my opinion Husky has definately shot themselves in the foot, at least in my neck of the woods.
Oh well, I just don't care anymore. As I replace my existing saw's I'll become a "Stihl Man", I don't have a choice anymore.

Andy

You won't go back to Husky, this is a good move for ya.:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[bnew]

Does this mean just the sweedish xp huskys or even the poulan/electrolux also?

 

[trimmmed]

Spike

Ditto what thall said. That post explained things well.

 

[OLY-JIM]

Husqvarna Online

WOW!
And not the good kind either!
This really does suck the big one.
Nick Bailey, how many Husqvarna saws has your company sold over the years?

We have been a servicing Husqvarna dealer for approximately 30 years. I don't know the exact figures, but we sold approximately 10,000 various branded powerheads last year, mostly professional models.

Not a friggin' chance...

Bailey's doesn't rely on their internet saw sales for the bulk of their market.

It is just one avenue for them to sell saws...

They will still sell saws over the counter (and prolly a lot of them) at their stores, and they sell so much other good stuff to keep a saw guy happy for a long time.

Thanks for everything over the years Nik Bailey!!!

Gary

I certainly hope that Baileys isn't too damaged by Husky's move. However, if Baileys sold 10K models last year via the internet and now they're unable to sell any...surely this is bound to have some sort of measurable financial impact. I don't think Baileys will go under, they've been in business a long time, but its gotta hurt! I think that there are probably some small Husky dealers who will be seriously impacted by this.

There's a small dealer in Olympia who stocks nothing but Husky's pro line of saws and Echos. He is now in the process of giving up the Husky line altogether. He's selling down his existing stock; he says that "Husky is just too difficult to deal with". He use to sell Husky's homeowner saws as well; but a Lowes is 1.5 miles down the road from him and ultimately he couldn't compete with them. In his case, he has picked up the Echo line and this will be his primary brand. So far, he says that he's glad he has made the move. I'm sure there will be some other small shops that will follow suit in some form?

GAS, who's your logging shop out on Whidbey?

 

[THALL10326]

Just dawned on me

Seeing how Husky seems to be going back to dealer only I wonder how Stihl will react. I know Stihl will react in kind with somekind of plan, Spike was correct, when it comes to marketing Stihl is second to none. The man behind that marketing plan at Stihl is always on the ball and ready to meet any challenge. Burton will not sit idle on this I'm sure. That said I can't wait to see how he counters Husky's new plan. Shoot us Stihl guys may get even more incentive than we do now, and trust me, Stihl does treat its dealers some kind of good, should be interesting. I see positives coming in the future already for both Stihl dealers and Husky dealers.

 

[B_Turner]

Check post #20 right before your post #21 .

Thanks, he was typing that post as I was typing my question and somehow I missed his post. I have been pretty busy and this thread moved pretty fast for awhile.

I think this move is wishful thinking on Huskies part as even though I am a big fan of certain Husky saws, they are no match for Stihls marketing machine.

Spike says 20 dealers equate to one Baileys, but in my experience Bailey's impact on the Husky market is larger than that. I predict if Baileys cannot sell Huskies through their catalog it will substantially erode their business success over time. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[B_Turner]

Ironically short term they will have a hell of a December because of the rush to get in on the old deal. If I had a Husky in mind in the near term I know I personally would be on the phone to them. Crossed my mind anyway, but I don't like to rush into things.

 

[bookerdog]

Ironically short term they will have a hell of a December because of the rush to get in on the old deal. If I had a Husky in mind in the near term I know I personally would be on the phone to them. Crossed my mind anyway, but I don't like to rush into things.

Now didn't you need another 395

 

[davefr]

Seeing how Husky seems to be going back to dealer only I wonder how Stihl will react.

Why does Stihl have to react to anything? If I were in Virginia Beach I'd be laughing at these "cluster #####" marketing/distribution screw ups coming from Husky and Dolmar.

I predict this move will actually help Stihl. If the consumer is forced to buy from a B&M dealer then Stihl becomes the obvious choice due to their superior breadth of dealers. (Here in Oregon you can count on every small town having a tavern and Stihl dealer). Husky was only a good alternative because they were easy to buy online and competitively priced but now that's going away.

I would predict that online Husky sales from Baileys was displacing more Stihl sales then Husky B&M dealer sales. However it's just my guess.

I also don't think this will hurt Bailey's too much from a financial standpoint. I bet it was fairly low margin business. It probably will hurt their image by not offering pro chainsaws. I'd still be pursing some form of Solo or Makita branded marketing arrangement with Dolmar if I was Bailey.

 

[THALL10326]

Why does Stihl have to react to anything? If I were in Virginia Beach I'd be laughing at these "cluster #####" marketing/distribution screw ups coming from Husky and Dolmar.

I predict this move will actually help Stihl. If the consumer is forced to buy from a B&M dealer then Stihl becomes the obvious choice. Husky was only a good alternative because they were easy to buy online and competitively priced.

Awwwwwwww but my friend think the big picture. If indeed Husky wants to go back to dealer only where they gonna go. Stihl has dealers everywhere. I won't be surprized at all if a Husky rep walks in our store soon and asks us if we want to carry the Husky line up. That is what Stihl is going to react to. Should be interesting for sure.

 

[B_Turner]

Why does Stihl have to react to anything? If I were in Virginia Beach I'd be laughing at these "cluster #####" marketing/distribution screw ups coming from Husky and Dolmar.

I predict this move will actually help Stihl. If the consumer is forced to buy from a B&M dealer then Stihl becomes the obvious choice. Husky was only a good alternative because they were easy to buy online and competitively priced.

+1.

That is why I called it wishful thinking on Husky's part.

 

[B_Turner]

Now didn't you need another 395

I crossed my mind, but I've bought 4 new saws this year and I figure I better get the 880 broken in before I buy another new saw.

I said 'new' saw....

 

[OLY-JIM]

Why does Stihl have to react to anything? If I were in Virginia Beach I'd be laughing at these "cluster #####" marketing/distribution screw ups coming from Husky and Dolmar.

I predict this move will actually help Stihl. If the consumer is forced to buy from a B&M dealer then Stihl becomes the obvious choice. Husky was only a good alternative because they were easy to buy online and competitively priced.

+1...Husky may bennefit in the "long" run; I doubt that their dealer network will do the same. In my opinion, that has always been Husky's weak link in the PNW. The reason STIHL enjoys the success that they do in the PNW, outside a making a good saw, is because you can walk down to a STIHL dealer anywhere around here. They're all over...not the case for Husky...and you can't just revert back to a walk-in dealer network overnight.

 

[bnew]

How about this, They are trying to run there numbers up to be bought out by a company like stihl or intragating to their standards.I know about this because experience(pharma/surgical).I hope this is not the case but only they know.

 

[bcorradi]

Ironically short term they will have a hell of a December because of the rush to get in on the old deal. If I had a Husky in mind in the near term I know I personally would be on the phone to them. Crossed my mind anyway, but I don't like to rush into things.

Don't you need a 3120?

 

[bcorradi]

Eventhough this may hurt husky in the short term...it may very well have a positive impact on little johnny.

 

[B_Turner]

+1...Husky may bennefit in the "long" run; I doubt that their dealer network will do the same. In my opinion, that has always been Husky's weak link in the PNW. The reason STIHL enjoys the success that they do in the PNW, outside a making a good saw, is because you can walk down to a STIHL dealer anywhere around here. They're all over...not the case for Husky...and you can't just revert back to a walk-in dealer network overnight.

Yes. Here in the PNW most of the cutters I talk to are ferociously brand loyal to Stihl. Many of them have never even run a Husky, but their mind is made up. So I don't see Husky dealerships popping up anytime soon.

So I think operations like Baileys have helped Husky's visibility and momentum. Even from folks that haven't actually bought from them.

As an aside, what I've noticed in this general area Huskies are more popular with the certified arborist crowd, who tend to run a mix of saws, but mostly Huskies. In part that is because in their world of training and marketing, Huskies are the primary brand.

My personal view is that another factor why they run more Huskies than Stihls (just a generalization) is because although many of them have been cutting 5 to 20 yrs, many of the younger climbers (saddle work) do not come from a logging background. They are athletic active guys (often doing other extreme sports) and enjoy the challenge.

Since they don't coming from a logging background that taught them to like whatever their dads logged with, they prefer the smoothness of the Huskies to the 440,460,660 kind of vibration levels.

I know I'll take some heat for it, but unless you've grown up with those vibration levels or more, they don't seem like something to put up with. Now I'll duck for cover....

 

[B_Turner]

Don't you need a 3120?

Actually I am still thinkin about a 3120 to go along with my 880, but I am considering trying a used one without the low limiter. (Bookerdog?)

 

[nikocker]

Who cares?

Here in the midwest who cares if Baileys no longer sells Husky via mail order or the internet?

You guys in the PNW think you're the only market for saws? Hell, we've got Husky dealers here as thick as you do Stihl dealers out there. And every farmer here in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan - - 10's of thousands of them probably have at least one chainsaw. Not to mention the thousands of people just moving to rural areas with their small woodlots etc. They buy Stihl and Husky and Poulans and they buy Ranchers, and Farm bosses and whatever.

I think Husky will do just fine - and as far as Pro saws determining the market - - more homeowner saws are sold by both companies than we could even count! That is where they make their money!!

Al

 

[B_Turner]

On the subject of Bailey's importing a Chinese saw, that strikes terror into my heart on many levels.

I am really opposed to this new trend in the world of buying cheap crap (often made in China because they can make stuff so cheap). HF is the perfect example.

It breaks and people throw it away and don't really care because they didn't pay much. Wasted resources there, bigtime. And to a large degree it was so cheap in the first place because of the lack of humanitarian and environmental responsibility during the manufacturing process.

It confuses the public about what quality is, and why it is important.

Since vendors can sell it cheaper, crappy stuff (like from China) pushes the better stuff off of shelves. So the consumer has a more difficult time finding good quality stuff. Example here. The last time I went to HD to buy a good quality garden quality nozzle, where as they use to carry about 8 models offering crappy to good quality, they now only carry crappy chinese stuff. Sure it is 2 buck cheaper, but it's not what I want.

When you dilute the market with the cheaper and crappier stuff, it actually makes anyone trying to manufacture the a high quality product have to charge more to stay in business, because of reduced sales. In the end, again the educated demanding consumer is the loser.

The only arena where this isn't really true is in the consumer electronics world, where since the stakes are so high competition is almost all good., Look at the price of displays, handheld devices, etc. as compared to even 5 yrs ago.

Anyway, cheap crap like HF sells is one of my buttons....