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Italian tackle supplier Scorziello Sasa has revealed surprise plans on the eve of completing its annual B2B Squid Jig catalogue for its Jatsui saltwater brand. It sees opportunities for growth in central and northern Europe across its entire range of nine brands, miles away from its core markets around the Mediterranean.
The idea first took shape at Scorziello Sasa’s triumphant appearance at the EFTTEX trade show in Budapest last year. Not only did the company win recognition for its Jatsui Rush Egi Rubber lure, but it also made connections with buyers from outside southern Europe.
“We discovered that there is a market for anglers travelling to the Mediterranean for fishing holidays, and there are retailers and distributors who want to stock Jatsui products,“ says Import/Export Manager Armando Zito. “We have the opportunity to be their brand of choice for squid fishing and we are going to take it.”
Zito added that everything is in place to enlarge Jatsui’s coverage. Thanks to a strategy of developing lures more suited to fishing in southern Europe as opposed to copying Japanese squid jigs, the brand is now sold in every country that borders the Mediterranean bar Egypt. “And we are close there too,” he adds.
Jatsui has also followed a policy of regular new launches alongside a sustained B2B marketing campaign, including monthly advertising in Angling International. Parent company Scorziello Sasa has already booked its booth for Angling International LIVE in Budapest in September.
Before then will come the latest B2B Squid Jig catalogue, which will be available to trade customers from mid-June. In line with the Jatsui strategy of aggressively adding new products, Zito says it will include ‘tons of new entries.’
“Jatsui has become famous for its squid jigs, but inside the catalogue you will find eging rods, lines dedicated to the style and other accessories. There are approximately 400 new references in there.”
Among the new entries will be the Velvet squid jig, which was conceived as the latest incarnation of the ‘rubber cloth concept’ that pushed the Rush Egi Rubber lure to success in Budapest last year. The idea, says Zito, is to offer a smooth surface as opposed to the bobbles of the Rush Egi Rubber.
“It’s not a gimmick to attract anglers,” he says. “Fish are known to get wise to the feel of lures in the water and become more wary of sensations they have learned not to trust. By developing a contrasting surface with the Velvet squid jig, we are giving anglers a brand new opportunity to make their catches.”
This year’s catalogue will also be the first to feature Jatsui‘s new logo, which has been introduced to signal the brand’s move away from its Japanese roots. “Japan was the inspiration in the beginning,” says Zito. “But we are now focused on making lures that are fashioned for fishing in our regional waters.
Zito added that lures for squid jigging in the Mediterranean need to have different hooks and different colours and be a different size. Speaking ahead of the logo launch, Zito told Angling International: “Yes, we have been inspired by the fishing styles of Japan, but we have moved beyond that now. We like to say that Jatsui is a brand that inhales Japanese fishing culture, re-works it, and exhales tackle that is 100 per cent suitable for the whole of the Mediterranean.”
The new Jatsui B2B Squid Jig catalogue is designed to connect with trade customers ahead of sending out orders in September. “Retailers can make direct contact with me to know more, and from all over Europe,” says Zito. “I am always happy to connect shops with local Jatsui distributors.”
