Dry Walker wins again and reveals global expansion plans

A top Polish fishing boot maker and two-time European trade show winner has revealed plans to pursue global growth following success at EFTTEX.

Dry Walker, which secured new distribution deals in Belgium, the UK, Czech Republic, Moldova and Sweden, at the show in Brussels, says that it is time to look further afield. Company owner Marcin Deuter (pictured above right with Radek Jankowski) told Angling International: “With European sales steady, we are intensifying our focus on markets further afield especially in South America and the USA.

“The United States remains a strategic target although previous efforts have been hindered by market challenges, including lingering customer conceptions of imported brands, and the impact of COVID.

“One key issue is confidence in foreign quality and design. In Europe heavy boots are made of EVA, but the US market is sceptical of the material and does not believe it is good enough for the US consumer. It is a mentality problem that is not shared across the border in Canada,” explained Deuter.

“I believe that once we can get over that issue, there is potential in the US market for Dry Walker. We are actively looking for distributors there. Having enough stock to satisfy demand is important in the US and we already have a warehouse in Kansas ready to go with product.”

Deuter added that Polish manufacturers dominate the supply of fishing boots in Europe, delivering high quality products. “However,” he added, “competition from Chinese manufacturers is fierce, but they cannot compete on quality.

“We are a fresh and young brand that can deliver exciting new designs, reliable European manufacture and competitive pricing.”

Fishing boots are among Dry Walker’s most popular products. “It is a stable market for us because we know the sector very well and understand the needs of fishermen.”

Deuter added that OEM is becoming an important market for Dry Walker, representing around a quarter of the business and growing. “It used to be predominantly dominated by the larger companies, but now medium-sized businesses see the benefit of owning their own brand and we are responding to that shift.”

Dry Walker followed up last year’s success at Angling International LIVE with another award at EFTTEX for its Strong Truck Tower Edition. “It was an honour and dream to win the award – it shows that our brand is getting stronger each year. It topped what was an excellent show for Dry Walker.”

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