Winchester archery no More.

[D-Rock425]

http://wnep.com/2015/11/02/winchester-archery-misses-mark/. Not a big surprise to me but sad to see companies die.

[Timberstalker]

I didn't even know they had begun the archery game. 

[D-Rock425]

Much bigger back east than out here.  From what I saw at the ata show last year they had nothing new to bring to the industry.  They did sponsor a tv hunting show it looks like.

[RadSav]

I didn't even know they had begun the archery game.

The company was not a Winchester product.  Only licensed to use the name.  Was a very odd situation.  Struggled right from the start.  They did have a rather good Binary cam system.  As D-Rock mentioned they really had nothing special or unique to add other than the cam and the name.  That wasn't enough for a company strapped for cash from day one.

With Hoyt and Mathews as #1 lines in most stores then Bear and PSE as #2 the opportunities for #3 and #4 were rather good for a new company.  But with Bowtech, Elite or Prime now taking #2 that meant only #4 was available for new things. And that is assuming a pro shop was not carrying both Mathews and Hoyt.  If they were, then you were fighting for placement at #5 or #6 with Diamond, Mission, Xpedition, Obsession, Martin, G5/Quest, Darton, Sims, Alpine, etc., etc.  If all you have to offer is a cam and a name you better have enough cash to ride out a lot of rough water while you build a reputation.  Unfortunately they did not.

Anyone who stumbles these days immediately drops to the bottom.  Just look at Diamond!  The world was their oyster.  Then they stumbled with a faulty idler idea.  Add to that poor customer service and a refusal to immediately address the issue and they fell hard.  Giving everything they had taken from PSE back and losing even more to a hard charging Bear company with good people on a serious mission of service and value.  It's a fish bowl of piranhas' out there today - eat or be eaten!

Even Hoyt and Mathews has to watch themselves ever closer today.  Their separation at the top used to be so great they could afford to lack in service, advertising or design and still have time to relax and repair if they stumbled.  But with Elite and Prime nipping at their heals today - even the king and queen are vulnerable.  And I'd be willing to bet that given a hard line investor Xpedition could join that battle without a lot of effort!  Wouldn't take Bowtech a lot of time to regain their position fighting for #2 either.  All it would take is the right people behind them with a positive vision.

It is not a good time to be a struggling company in the bow business right now!  I expect two years from now the landscape is going to change dramatically.  There are going to be some huge consolidations and some great products are going to be eliminated just because the pond is no longer large enough to sustain all those little fish.

[RadSav]

RAD, Inc. tried to help them out and allow them to keep going even with a growing debt.  We finally had to cut the cord mid year figuring 12 months past due was as far as we should go.  Even at that we are some of the lucky ones!  There are some small companies that are going to be hit very hard by this.  I feel badly for them.  Like us, I expect they allowed things to go longer than they should just trying to remain supportive. 

Winchester Archery had some very nice folks that we dealt with.  And they genuinely seemed to appreciate our support.  We are a tight knit industry so this is a lot like a family member passing after a long illness - Not unexpected, but still leaves everyone sad when that day finally arrives.

[Jonathan_S]

It's wild how quickly things shift Rad, always nice to get your perspective.

Sad indeed.  It's also incredible how if something goes wrong and a good company goes belly-up that the entire market could be deprived of comparable product(s) 

Thanks for riding the highs and lows to bring us Savora Broadheads and RAD Peeps