Spleased: a new rental offer in the snow sports equipment
A group of players in the world of board sports in France have joined forces to launch Spleased, a rental offer different from existing systems. These are medium-term rental offers, for a few days or long term with an option to buy, a leasing formula, as found in boating or automotive. Launched for kitesurfing equipment during the Nautic 2019 in Paris, it will be completed for windsurfing in early 2020. The brands involved in the project are AFS foils (Foil&Co company), Inobo kite boards, Cabrinha, Noremann in linen fiber and Woody Board, North Kite sails. A partnership with the company Tulip allows us to offer a complementary insurance to the customer.
A link between the beach rental company and the surf store
The user can book his equipment online through a platform operational since December 2019. Depending on where he is sailing, he will be able to have his kiteboard or kite delivered directly to the spot. "The idea is to fill the gap between the rental company on the beach and the specialized store" illustrates Antoine Raffarin, founder of Inobo, and member of Spleased. "We are not in competition with the shops for the sale. On the contrary, we discuss with them for partnerships. This allows us to facilitate the purchase of new equipment, but also to give flexibility to someone who goes on a trip in a place where there is not necessarily a rental shop. He can pick the right sail he's missing, rent it just for the trip and have it delivered directly to his hotel."
The formula is also a good outlet for equipment manufacturers and a vehicle to promote and test their products.
Test leasing in the world of snowboarding
Leasing is already very present in many fields. The nautical industry has been using it for many years for boats. It had not yet been applied to gliding. "Our objective is to test for 6 months to see the result. We launched at the show with the kite to test the feeling of visitors and we will continue with the board from the beginning of 2020" says Antoine Raffarin.
