Product Rights...

[DumBlonde]

what would be the best way to go about getting the rights to sell an existing product in a certain country?

myself and partners are thinking about approaching a popular american hair product which as far as we know has a uk distributor, but doesn't have one for ireland only.

could anyone offer any advice or share their experiences of a similar situation?

as an example, tigi (bedhead, etc)has a uk, a us and an ireland distribution, which are all separate companies under the same umbrella. something similar to this is what we had in mind.

thanks x

[LazyGun]

The best way would be to contact their international distributor manager or channel sales department and just ask the question regarding the distribution of their product in the country you are interested in.
When I was a distributor manager, I had a profile which I sent to prospective distributors, outlining what we would require from a distribution partner. Usually, we would want some evidence that the inquirer could develop the sales of the product, had storage and distribution facilities, and were able to offer good customer support etc.
Typically, we would then offer a non-exclusive distribution deal, with a performance review every 6 months or so, leading to the possibility of an exclusive arrangement if everything was proceeding satisfactorily.