The combination of Beretta, Sako, and Tikka has pretty much all bases covered when it comes to hunting, tactical, personal defense, long-range shooting, and competition firearms. Beretta’s Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Ryan Muety, is stoked about what 2016 means to the company, its dealers, and its consumers.
FFL Unleashed: The M93A has been shipping for about six months now. What has been the dealer and consumer reaction?
Muety: The M9A3 has been met with an overwhelmingly positive reaction. The product itself, is the reflection of the feedback we received from the millions of consumers that are fans of the M9/90 series platform, so we had high expectations for this product. Based on the reaction from the market, we are confident that this is a well-positioned, feature-rich platform, on point with consumer trends. This has also been a fun product to flex our marketing support behind, and we are seeing terrific consumer engagement. Second only to delivering M9s to the US military, this is a big priority from a Beretta USA manufacturing standpoint.
FFL Unleashed: Suppression is the hot topic right now. What do the Beretta/Sako/Tikka lines offer that’s suppressor ready? Any future plans in this area you can share?
Muety:We have several pistol variants; including the M9A3, and Px4 SD. Within our rifle line, we offer the Sako TRG and Tikka Tactical; and there’ more to come!
FFL Unleashed: How has the introduction of Sako ammo to the U.S. market gone? Is this a product consumers can find on dealer shelves, or is it a special order proposition?
Muety: The Sako ammo launch has been a calculated approach, to ensure we are operationally ready to support efforts to grow the business in the US. Sako ammo is premium positioned on the shelves, and delivers unbeatable performance to the American hunter, when combined with a Sako rifle. Combining a Sako, with Sako ammo provides the most accurate, production made pairing on the market.
FFL Unleashed: What do you view as the biggest growth areas in the firearms market in the next year or two? The next five?
Muety: What makes this industry so unique are the growth opportunities and trends across multiple categories and segments. Clay shooting and hunting participation is on the rise; youth and female participation is on the rise; and, of course, retailers are seeing scores of new customers in the personal protection segment. This industry is experience many positive, dynamic trends right now. As a Brand, Beretta stays rooted in our DNA, which includes delivering quality and performance, across all of these categories with our product offerings.
FFL Unleashed: This issue of FFL Unleashed is focused on sales opportunities for dealers related to spring and year-round hunting seasons (light geese, turkey, bear, squirrels, varmints, etc.). What does the Beretta/Sako/Tikka line up include that dealers should be sure to show their customers?
Muety: Tikka is one of the hottest brands in the industry right now, delivering unparalleled accuracy under $1,000. Our Tikka varmint business has been enjoying nice growth as of late, and this is a trend to capitalize on!
Clay season is also right around the corner. Beretta’s 2016 lineup has never been so strong. With have new offerings in our A400 Xcel model, as well as key launches in most of our over/under platforms.
FFL Unleashed: The Tikka T3 is already widely recognized as one of the best values to be found in production hunting rifles. What’s next for the Tikka line?
Muety: Tikka is about the usher in a new era of accuracy. Stay tuned for what will be one of the most exciting launches of the year!!