This month we are introducing to you our French distributor. We had a chance to meet Herve through one of our riders.
Herve is a very dedicated distributor from a new generation. He loves windsurfing and Point-7 is his baby in France!
Dear Herve, when you took Point-7 in your hands it was still the early days of the brand. In France Point-7 has won the only wave event since lasts year, with Ricardo Campello in La Torche. Always in La Torche Matteo Iachino has been crowned PWA Slalom world champion, and Andrea Cucchi has won the Defi Wind in 2014. Lot’s of important results in the country.
Hello Boss, yes for sure lot of good things happen since 2013 when I started to work with Point 7 brand. Maybe I’m like the lucky trefle for the brand and you should bring me with the black team to all the windsurfing events.
More seriously the brand evolves well every year building years after years a strong team with good riders and still the same philosophy behind all this. Be on top with top products and affordable for everyone. Point 7 bring to the market a feeling that been part and affiliated to some people who have the same passion, same habits, is easy and possible and this is what make this brand so friendly and special on the market.
How is now the brand seen after all these results on your homeland?
In France, we have a mature market with major brands that are on top for many years and small brands that are trying to win some market share. I think Point 7 now is still seen as a small brand but with top quality products that are becoming years after years better. The fact that Matteo became 2016 Slalom world champion show to people that never tried the sails that the sails are fast and also stable and light which wasn’t really the case in 2013.
Point-7 has been sponsoring a lot of good French riders. In the past Pascal Toselli when he was young on tour, and Nicolas Akgazciyan when he was in his best form. Now we see in the French team Basile Jacquin. Who else is in the team, and why have decided to push more for the younger part of the French strong PWA team?
Yes Point 7 has always been in France sponsoring great riders. Today we also have Romain Pinocheau and Baptiste Mure in freestyle, Céciles Descourt in Slalom for the women as we are not forgetting girls, Arthur Arjubin also in Slalom who finished 5th in IFCA, Jim Cloarec in speed and finally Patrick Vigouroux, Gauthier Lefevre and Florient Daubos in wave. Recently we also have Richard Boudia in foil. Richard is developing the TAKUMA foils and promoting his brand along with Point 7 sails.
We have a small team but with people who are feeling close to the brand. We decided also not to push too many riders and opinion leaders and to let the shop deal with this. As they are the best to know who is good on their home spot and who can bring them some customers.
In freestyle you have on the team a lot of good opinion leaders?
Yes in France we have as I mentioned before Romain Pinocheau, Baptist Mure and lot of other young that are ripping their home spot with the SLASH.
What do you feel Point-7 has that it’s creating so much interest and more demand for the product in France?
For me Point-7 has an image and give people access to gear with a unique look and affordable price. We don’t forget that this brand is quite new on the market but it has already amazing results on the world cup. When you look at the sails on the water they look different, they look cool and we try to make people feel like part of a family, of the black team.
Do you think France is the biggest windsurfing market in the world?
I think the market world wild is about to change a lot. Since I started in the windsurfing industry I can see the model of shops changing a lot. Now we can see shops that are big on the net becoming bigger and bigger and small local shop diapering. I think France is still the biggest market in the world but with the Euro zone, shops in France having hard time against big online shops in Germany for example. But there are still places like in Leucate or big windsurfing places where you will always need a local shop.
Foiling is already being very present in France, which disciplines do you enjoy most yourself, and which disciplines are the ones most practiced in France?
I started foiling a bit during this summer. It’s fun bring you back when you started windsurfing. Going out 10 minutes and coming back breathless on the beach. But then it is going fast, working on jibes is also quite fun but to be honest it also becoming boring very quickly. On my side I enjoy the most wave sessions, but it not happens so often in Montpellier. I think France is a country where people are practicing windsurfing in ever disciplines and windsurf places are always busy.
Which sail do you enjoy most from the Point-7 range?
As I said I most likely going for waves session and I’m using a 99 KS Quad 87L. So, I feel the 3 battens SWAG is the best for the combo with this board. But in small size where I need more control I also use the SALT PRO which is amazing. Everybody should have a go with this sail.
