Outdoor equipment shops flourish in Yogyakarta

By Anis Suryani

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The fast-growing adventure tours and sports industry in Yogyakarta has been accompanied by a mushrooming of shops selling outdoor equipment.

Most of these shops are located near universities and high schools because students manage and organize many adventure groups.

Currently, there are around 100 organizations dealing with adventure tours. A large number of new groups are expected to be formed, especially during the new academic year.

"Every year, members of the groups will certainly need new equipment for their activities. They are our regular customers," said Galih Prabowo, the marketing manager of PinnAcle, a shop selling outdoor equipment.

Galih said that at present, the market for outdoor equipment was limited in Indonesia, but he was optimistic the industry would continue to grow.

He said most of his customers were nature lovers and others who wanted to dress in the style of adventurers. Among the items sold in the shop are sandals, vests, trousers, backpacks and knives.

Competitive

Outdoor equipment is extremely competitive in Yogyakarta. Each shop offers quality products at very reasonable prices.

When Galih and his friends started the business in 1993, there were only four shops selling outdoor equipment. Around 20 such shops are now operating in the city.

Among the shops are Alpina, Kingkog, Himalaya and Doddy on Jl. Simanjuntak, and Montana on Jl. Prof. Dr. Johanes, all located near Gadjah Mada University. PinnAcle on Jl. Colombo is near the Indonesian Islamic University, Sanata Dharma University and Atmajaya University.

Some of the stores offer fashion wear as well as the wide range of outdoor equipment. Doddy Active Sportswear outlets on Jl. Simanjuntak, Jl. Sultan Agung and in Malioboro Mall, for example, specialize more in fashion wear than outdoor gear.

"Most of our customers are students," Doddy store manager Dwi Novalya said, adding that from the three outlets the company earned between Rp 10 million and Rp 20 million a month.

PinnAcle, on the other hand, offers a diverse array of products in all the top brands, from rope for Rp 20,000 to a Rp 13.5-million raft. The store can order merchandise that it does not have in stock.

"We do not stock (some things) as most of them are relatively expensive," said Galih, adding that he recently received an order for six boats from a local tour operator in the city.