Scottish bagpipe sales to U.S. down, but Asia growing

EDINBURGH (Reuters Life!) - Some makers of Scotland's traditional bagpipes are feeling the squeeze of the credit crunch in the U.S. market, but have found new customers and a growing market in Asia.

A rise in demand outside of the United States is just what bagpipe makers such as Edinburgh-based Kilberry Bagpipes had hoped for as it tries to cope with the slowdown in one of its main export markets.

"I just think the whole American economy slowed a wee bit, so everybody just feels that pinch", said Neil Manderson, owner of Kilberry Bagpipes, which sells 250-300 sets of bagpipes a year at an average price range of 600-1,000 pounds.

"We are still selling to America, but not in the same numbers that we used to. But we are finding that other countries are coming on board now and making up the shortfall."

On Edinburgh´s main tourist thoroughfare, the Royal Mile, where the wailing skirl of the pipes is ever present, stands Bagpipes Galore, another one of the smaller manufacturers feeling the heat of the credit crunch.

"Just the other day I got a call from a woman at our retailer in Kentucky, who said it just isn't selling like it was last year. And this is due to the credit problems and the economic problems they have over there", said Bob Hay an employee at Bagpipes Galore, which sells about 300 bagpipes annually.

Although U.S. sales are slowing, that is not the whole picture, as global sales continue to rise with the help of an increasing interest from Asian countries such as China.

"We sold 40 sets to Thailand last year, and sales to China really started to take off last year, when tourism started increasing", Hay said.

"Our take was up 30 percent last year and it looks like we will be doing even better this year."

The turbulent U.S. economy has not yet affected everyone however. Scotland's largest bagpipe maker, McCallum Bagpipes, said business is better than ever, and believes bagpipe purchases are not among the first things to be put off in a slowing economic environment.

"There are many things you can give up, but if you have been trying to learn playing the bagpipe for a year, buying one is not going to be one of them", McCallum director Kenny MacLeod said.

McCallum Bagpipes sells about 2,000 sets of bagpipes a year, and estimates the total annual Scottish production at 4,000-5,000 sets.

Bagpipes, a globally recognized symbol of Scotland, alongside kilts, whisky and haggis, come in two main types, "mouth blown" and "bellows blown".

Both are developed using cane reeds and animal bags, usually made from the skin of goats, sheep, and cows. But in recent years there has been a move towards the use of plastic reeds and synthetic bags.

(Reporting by Johannes Hellstrom, editing by Paul Casciato)