Sea Falcon sets sights on global expansion with new appointment

Japanese lure maker, Sea Falcon, is set for global expansion following the appointment of Martin Bakos at its International Sales Manager.

He has joined the company after more than a decade with DUO International, where he helped to build it into one of the world’s most recognisable brands. He told Angling International: “I am very proud of my work there, but believe that after 10 years it is time for a new challenge. I am truly excited to be given a position to build Sea Falcon’s brand globally and am committed to repeating my previous experience at an international lure company and use that knowledge to further establish Sea Falcon on the global market.

“I really see no limits for Sea Falcon. It can be as big as it wants to be. The variety of the business, the number of brands it represents and the flexibility of its production lines gives it tremendous tools globally.’

Sea Falcon and its craft centre, Bluing Hearts, has enjoyed a long and successful 30-year history in Japan. Bakos said: “During that time it has established a reputation for producing some of the finest genuine Japanese hand-made jigs on the market. However, domestically, it has always prioritised its OEM clients and made products for more than 100 companies. Now priority has been given to international markets”

Before the COVID-19 pandemic obliterated the trade and consumer show calendar, Sea Falcon had established itself as a regular exhibitor at its three major domestic events – the Japan Fishing Festival, Fishing Show Osaka and Keepcast – and international events, EFTTEX and ICAST. “The company’s booths are impressive at whichever events it attends and that has helped raise the profile of the brand and build a network of potential dealers across the world,” added Bakos. “The next step will be to use these connections to establish distribution in more global markets.

“The loss of all three major Japanese shows was truly unfortunate, but was a consequence of the times that we are living in. Hopefully 2021 will be the last year when the schedule will be disrupted because these events tremendously impact not only sales for each brand, but the opportunity to promote the sport. The online version does offer some support, but being new, the full audience may be hard to reach.”

Despite the turbulence COVID-19 has caused across the world, participation in fishing has been an unexpected beneficiary of the pandemic. “It is true that our industry is one of the sports that has benefited from ‘social distancing’ and that has been exemplified by the number of starter fishing packs that have been sold. Families fishing together is also very popular,” he said.

“The Japanese market is booming, with sales exploding since May and many stores reporting record sales. Hopefully that can continue in the years ahead.”