Powermove sizes up accessories vendor

Victorian distributor, Powermove, has become the exclusive source of laptop bags, iPod cases and other accessories from hip US outfit, Sumo.

Powermove CEO, John Osmotherly, was enthusiastic about the win. He said it had initially come across the brand at MacWorld in January.

"We saw the Sumo stand at Macworld and thought, 'Wow', because it has such a colourful range," Osmotherly said.

The distributor had begun shopping samples around resellers and the retail channel and claimed the response had been extremely favourable, he said.

"Sumo makes handbags and wallets as well, so our contacts are saying that they will pass on the information to their buyers," Osmotherly said.

About 60 per cent of Sumo's US clientele is women. It is also quite popular with university students.

"University bookstores are also very popular in the US for these products. This makes me think of resellers such as Next Byte which have a location on Broadway near Sydney University," Osmotherly said.

While the range was funky and different to the norm, he said it was price competitive.

"Laptop sleeves sell from $59.99 and the bigger bags with shoulder straps are priced from $119," he said. "We really think we've got something different for the resellers to look at. This range is colourful and different."