Honma targets greater growth
Equipment manufacturers aim to expand the brand globally
HONMA are making progress in their bid to gain a bigger market share and bolster the brand in this region.
This was the view of Honma’s Asia Sales Department (South-East Asia, Korea and Taiwan) senior manager Takahiro Suzuki, who led a three-strong team to Kuala Lumpur for an update on the matter.
In an exclusive interview with TeeUp, and alongside Honma master fitter Takashi Katsumata and Asia
Sales executive Keisuke Matsumaru, Suzuki also shares insights on Honma’s direction and plans to grow the brand globally.
“We are satisfied with the growth of the brand in this region,” he said. “And we are confident of gaining a bigger market share here in Malaysia, and indeed South-East Asia.
“We have also been impressed with the growth of MST Golf, our exclusive distributor in Malaysia, and are excited about what the future might hold for the Honma brand.”
On their strategy going forward as a brand globally, Suzuki said: “In the past we only focused on the Japan and Asian markets, but now we aim to become a more global player so far as golf equipment is concerned.
“I should add that we can see already stronger growth in the Asian market as a whole, while the US, European markets are also showing gains.”
Suzuki said that they were keen on signing “more US PGA Tour and European Tour players now to reach this goal.
“We are looking at a few players as they have a greater influence on the global scene,” he added.
This move in the wake of Honma signing an equipment endorsement deal with world number two Englishman Justin Rose.
Meanwhile, MST Golf managing director KP Low said they were “happy to be appointed the exclusive distributor of Honma in Malaysia.
He added: “And we have plans in the pipeline for further growth of this premium brand. We have an extensive network of stores in strategic locations around the country and believe that we can manage and grow Honma.”
As part of the Honma team’s visit to Malaysia, five-star master fitter Takashi conducted exclusive one-to-one custom fitting sessions for TPC Kuala Lumpur and ilovegolf members.