Snow Peak deftly dives into hospitality
Snow Peak is a 61-year old premium Japanese outdoor apparel and camping gear brand. They make and sell very appealing products for those who love a bit of outdoor fun - and those who want to look like they enjoy a bit of outdoor fun.
But faced with slowing demand for their products 'post-covid', the business had to make some tough choices as to how they might respond to the shifting market place in a creative way.
Refusing to be held hostage by a narrow definition of their 'chosen line-of-business', Snow Peak executives reframed the boundaries of their business operations and made the choice to diversify their offering into hospitality.
The Long Beach Campfield is a four-season campground on Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula . The Campfield brings the principles of Snow Peak camping to life, offering a reimagined outdoor experience with thoughtfully designed spaces to slow down, connect and be with nature.
The Snow Peak luxury campsite has been recently listed by TIME magazine as one of the World's Greatest Places to visit 2024 - proving that the move was done will the full intention of being a concrete business pivot rather than just a fleeting stab at 'a seemingly good idea'.
A useful lesson in 'seeing'
It can feel safe to simply continue to operate within the boundaries and frame of a business / brand without the unnecessary hassle of questioning the continued validity of these assumptions. But holding onto these ideas too tightly can also result in the onset of stasis.
Sometimes sacred cows need to be slaughtered for new growth opportunities to reveal themselves. Keeping a set of sharp knives ready, and in a safe space - should you need them - is never a bad idea.
Luxury camping
On a personal note - one thing we were reminded of this summer holiday, while driving through the beautiful Overberg-area, was that South Africa as a road trip / adventure / camping destination must have some of the most stunning assets and opportunities that are still almost completely underutilised.
Sure the Western Cape have a few camp sites (most of which are operated by provincial and national government; which, although beautiful, are rather rustic and more suited to the experienced off-roader community), but there is a glaring opportunity for this kind of luxury, family-friendly, get-into-nature kind of offering. There are so many local brand and businesses that could venture into this terrain successfully and begin to really unlock the immense value of our tourist offering (which BTW we believe is still very much underdeveloped).
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