t of the total, while softside luggage accounted for an additional 35 percent. Hartman competed well in these two categories. Soft, casual luggage, however, was the fast growing luggage type. With a market share of 23 percent in 1975, this luggage type could be expected to account for at least 35 percent of total luggage sales by 1985. Hartman was not well positioned to compete in the soft, casual segment of the market.
The major threat to Hartman was that the demand for soft, casual luggage would cause Hartman's solid, all leather luggage products to become white elephants over the coming decade. Hartman did have an entry in the soft, casual segment in the "Halston ultrasuede" line; however, in 1975, that line accounted for only 24 percent
of the company's dollar volume and only 15 percent of total
...