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THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF SPORTS AND PLAY ASSOCIATIONS

£3.50 APRIL 2012

SERVING THE SPORTS TRADE IN THE UK AND ROISportsMakethe

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TRIATHLONGrowth sport offers anabundance of opportunities

OLYMPIC HOPEFULSRetailers split on London2012 benefits

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IN SEASONFocus on rugby andrunning

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SportsInsight

COVER STORIES36 OLYMPIC HOPEFULSRetailers split on London 2012 benefits

40 TRIATHLONGrowth sport offers an abundance ofopportunities

42 5-MINUTE MARKETINGMaximise sales with this low-cost strategy

REGULARS10 NEWSLatest headlines, key dates and events

14 KIT STOPEssential stock for your shop

22 FOCUS ONadidas training benches

25 FSPA FOCUSThe latest news from the Federation of Sportsand Play Associations

27 TALKING SHOPHelen Nottingham owns and runs Buzzard Sportsin Leighton Buzzard

28 MOVERS & SHAKERSDom Hewson, regional sales manager - southernregion, at the SDL Group

60 THE ART OF SOCIALCOMMERCE

Dave Howell casts an expert eye over the latestonline phenomenon

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IN THIS ISSUE

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66 UNDER THE COUNTERA sideways look at the world of independent retailing

IN SEASON47 RUNNING50 SCOOTERS53 RUGBY

FEATURES8 GIRL POWERFemales are playing an increasingly important rolein the recovery of the sports market in the UK, saysThe NPD Group

30 MY SPORTING LIFETony James meets Kate Giles, the Crewroom co-founder who came up with the idea for thebusiness while recovering from pneumonia in ahospital bed

34 JEUX SANS FRONTIERESSporting results can be the make or break ininternational relations, but is the Europeancurrency and commercial factors just as powerfulas those cultural perspectives, asks Lauren Fox?

56 BRIGHT FUTUREIt may not seem an obvious progression fromlongboard manufacturer to software company, butfor Lush Longboards’ founder Chris Tanner settingup Brightpearl made a lot of sense

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The benefits of Spalding extend far beyond the capabilities of our garments. Just look at the benefits to your business:

The Endurance range from Spalding is ideal for men and women who want performance products with benefits.Our tees and zip tops are the ultimate in light weight performance fabric.Ergonomically cut for superb fit and comfort.

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record high. In addition, the unemployment rate for 16-to-24-year-oldswas 22 per cent during the three months to January 2012, comparedto 8.4 per cent among the overall active population.

Concerns that consumers would stay away from sporting goodsretailers following the rise in VAT in 2011 seemed justified when welook at the crucial 16-24-year-old segment and the squeeze on itsspending power. Despite a four per cent increase in average price,2011 results show that more sports items were purchased than in2010 by females aged 24 and under, according to NPD’s OnlineConsumer Panel.

INCREASEIf we break out the under-24 female segment into three sub-segments(children, teenagers and 18-24-year-olds) we can see that salesincreased at the same pace during 2011 across all three segments.Females aged 18-24 generated higher sales than children andteenagers, which contrasts with males 24 and under, where childrenaccount for the largest proportion of sales.

Is the sports market back on track? 2011 showed encouragingresults for both sports footwear and apparel sales, thankslargely to the contribution made by young UK females.

Females 24 and under were most affected by the economic crisisin 2008/09 within the sports footwear and apparel sectors, but thisgroup showed the fastest growth in 2011. This segment, which sawsales decline by nine per cent in 2009, recorded double digit growthin 2011, according to NPD’s Online Consumer Panel. Nevertheless, ithas not recovered completely, as sales in 2011 remain below their2008 level. To reach the same level of sales as in 2008, the marketwill need to grow by two per cent in 2012, which is not impossible ifwe consider at the 2011 performance.

CAUTIOUSThe latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics,however, mean NPD is cautious about making optimistic predictionsfor 2012. Youth unemployment passed the one million barrierrecently, leaving one in five people aged between 16-24 out of work, a

08 Follow us @SportsInsightUK

Females are playing an increasinglyimportant role in the recovery of the sports

market in the UK, says The NPD Group

POWERGIRL

FEMALE SECTOR

Two categories emerged as being keydrivers in the growth of sales in the femalesector - fitness apparel recorded thestrongest growth among teenage females,while the Women’s Football World Cup inGermany last summer and the efforts ofThe FA to attract more females into thegame seem to have had an effect onfemale children and teenagers, as footballboot purchases showed significant growthin 2011.

PURCHASERSWithin the sports market it is interesting tonote that the main purchasers of sportsfootwear and apparel are females, whilethe main users of these items are males.Nearly six out of 10 sports footwear and

apparel items were purchased by females in 2011, which shows howimportant their role is in the market.

Half of the items they purchased were not bought forthemselves, but in the same proportion for their male counterpartsand children. Males, on the other hand, visit a sports shop with theintention of buying something for themselves most of the time, withonly two out 10 items purchased intended for their femalecounterparts or children in 2011.

The NPD Group monitors the sales of sports footwear

and apparel in many countries around the world. For

more information contact The NPD Group sports team

on 01932 355580.

“”

THE MAINPURCHASERS OFSPORTS FOOTWEARAND APPAREL AREFEMALES, WHILETHE MAIN USERSOF THESE ITEMSARE MALES

www.sports-insight.co.uk 09

WHAT’S NEWS Send your news stories to the Sports Insight news deskat [email protected] or call 01273 748675

ALL THE VERY LATEST IN THE SPORTS INDUSTRY...

DatesSTAG ALL IRELAND BUYING SHOW 2012OCTOBER 21-22

Tullamore Court HotelTullamore, Co Offaly

STAG BUYING SHOW 2012NOVEMBER 18-19

Four Pillars HotelCotswold Water Park

ISPO MUNICHFEBRUARY 3-6, 2013

New Munich Trade Fair

ISPO BEIJINGFEBRUARY 27-MARCH 2

China National Convention Center

INTERSPORTQ4 2012 SHOW, March 27-28, 2012

The Q4 2012 INTERSPORT Show was a good two days for the 43attending suppliers and members alike. The INTERSPORT central areashowcased exclusive products for seasonal sports categories squash,badminton, hockey and outdoor.

There was a focus on key Christmas gift lines to merchandise instore for the festive period, with products from seven brands, includingexclusive lines available. These will be supported in store with anexclusive marketing campaign and Christmas gift wrap to maximise sales.

Members were given the opportunity to step up to the oche withdarts player Andy ‘The Hammer’ Hamilton on the first day, with thehighest score thrown by member Nick Rivett, who won tickets to theWorld Darts Championship, courtesy of Unicorn.

At the end of the first day adidas presented the new Lions kit for the2013 Tour and co-hosted the evening’s social event with special guest,Martin Johnson CBE, the former British and Lions captain. Martin gave afascinating and at times very funny insight into his career, takingquestions from the room and signing endless shirts, balls, books andpictures.

There was also a raffle held for two Lions shirts signed by Martin,which raised £730 for his chosen charity, Matt Hampson Foundation,which supports people affected by catastrophic sporting injuries.


HEAD TENNIS LAUNCHESANDY MURRAY CAMPAIGNAndy Murray is playing the lead role in HEAD Tennis’ global digital promotionto support the release of the YouTek IG Radical Tour Racquet Series.

The centrepiece of the campaign is a film in which Murray thinks aboutwhat kind of job he could have had if he hadn’t become a pro tennis player.Prompted by a question from a journalist at a fictional press conference,Murray starts dreaming about different professions. But his dream sequencesreveal there is only one job for Murray - playing tennis. And only one racquethe needs for it.

“I’ve played with the Radical since I was 13 and I’ve never wanted tochange since,” says Murray. “With the new YouTek IG Radical, I feel I have alot more variety in my game.”

You can see the film, called Andy’s Radical Job Switch, atwww.youtube.com/headtennis.

As part of the campaign, HEAD is inviting tennis fans and social mediausers to win the opportunity to also switch their job and, for one day, have thechance to experience the life of a tennis pro - together with Andy Murray, ofcourse. The competition is hosted on the HEAD Facebook site:www.facebook.com/headtennis.

“I don’t tweet and she doesn’t pick the team.”Wolves boss Terry Connor’s response to a tweet from Roger Johnson’s wife

questioning why her husband had been relegated to the sub’s bench.

11www.sports-insight.co.uk

OLYMPIC ANDPARALYMPIC STARS

GIVE BACKING TOSAINSBURY’S

SCHOOL GAMESOlympic greats Denise Lewis, Darren Campbell, Jason Gardener and GailEmms, along with Paralympic gold medallist Ellie Simmonds, are among thestar names that will be supporting the Sainsbury’s 2012 School Games finals.

Backed by National Lottery funding from Sport England, the Sainsbury’s2012 School Games is a multisport event for school-aged elite athletes thatwill take place from May 6-9. 1,600 young people will compete across 12sports, six of which include disability competition. For this, its inaugural year,the Olympic Stadium, Velodrome, Aquatics Centre and ExCeL Centre inLondon will be among the venues hosting competitions.

Denise Lewis, Ellie Simmonds, Darren Campbell and Jason Gardenerrecently attended a special reception at Downing Street to showcase theSainsbury’s 2012 School Games. They were joined by 12 young badmintonand table tennis players, who are due to compete in the competition in a fewweeks time.

Some of the sporting ambassadors will be joined at the event in May bya team of athlete mentors, who have achieved success in a range of sportsand will be supporting the young athletes during the games to understandhow they can best deal with being at a major multisport event. Sainsbury’sActive Kids Ambassador David Beckham is also expected to record a videomessage in support of those taking part.

Olympic heptathlon champion, Denise Lewis, said: “I believe theSainsbury’s 2012 School Games will provide the young competitors with afantastic opportunity to taste what it is like to compete at the highest level ata multisport event. Competing in some of the Olympic venues beforeLondon 2012 is something most young people can only dream of.”

Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games gold medallist, Ellie Simmonds, said:“I’m very proud to be an ambassador for Sainsbury’s Active Kids, which is allabout inspiration, inclusivity and encouraging young people of all ages andabilities to try sports.”

More than 35,000 spectators are expected at the event, with young peoplefrom schools across the country heading to London to watch the action. Thesports included in the Sainsbury’s 2012 School Games are athletics, badminton,cycling, fencing, gymnastics, hockey, judo, rugby sevens, swimming, table tennis,volleyball and wheelchair basketball. There will also be demonstration events indisability judo, gymnastics display and sitting volleyball.

Nearly 20 athlete mentors will be giving advice and encouragement atthe Sainsbury’s 2012 School Games and some have recorded a video ofencouragement that can be seen at www.facebook.com/schoolgamesevent.

The Sainsbury’s 2012 School Games finals event is one element of thewider year-round School Games initiative. More than 12,000 schools havesigned up to take part in local class versus class and school versus schoolcompetitions along with county-wide sports festivals.

The School Games is supported by a range of partners, including theDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport, Sport England, Youth Sport Trust,

Department of Health, Paralympics GB, Sport Wales,Sport Scotland and Sport Northern Ireland.

To find out more about theSainsbury’s 2012 School Gamesvisit www.2012schoolgames.com.

…England Squash & Racketball has

appointed MANTIS as OfficialRacquet Partner of The AllamBritish Open Squash

Championships in a three-year deal…Maximuscle has agreed

a sponsorship deal to supply Amir Khan with tailored

nutritional support to complement his lifestyle, training and

fight preparation for the next two years…Heineken has been

confirmed as the Official Lager and Cider Partner to the WelshRugby Union and Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, while

Brains will remain as the official ale of the WRU until

2016…Spalding is the new official teamwear partner of

Falkirk Fury in partnership with Scottish retailer RJM Sports.

The Fury was formed in season 1992/93. Since that time it has

established six National League teams and is one of only three

clubs in Scotland with full under 16, under 18 and senior men

and women’s programmes…Budweiser, lead sponsor of the

FA Cup, has announced an agreement with Wembley FC that

will see the beer brand sponsor the non-league football club as

part of its long-term commitment to grass roots

football…Everton has signed a three-year kit deal with Nike,

which will take over from Le Coq Sportif from the 2012/13

season…the ECB has secured a three-year sponsorship deal

with Stowford Press as The Official Cider of England

Cricket….Olympic partner Panasonic is set to increase its

support of London 2012 by signing up as an official sponsor of

the Paralympic Games…SealSkinz has joined forces with the

Norfolk Constabulary to provide gloves for its dog

unit…Milwall and Republic of Ireland goalkeeper David Fordeis the latest keeper to be signed by Precision Goalkeeping…

Gilbert Rugby has agreed a new long-term contract with

Rugby Portugal as its official and exclusive ball supplier…

Sponsorship

News

BUYING GROUPLAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE

The STAG Buying Groupunveiled its new website(www.stagbuyinggroup.com)on March 14.

“We are finding thatincreasing numbers of ourmembers are using our siteas an integral part of theirday-to-day operation,”says Sara Coyle, STAG’smarketing manager.

“In the members-onlysection we have includedmuch more information,promotions, a forum andnews. We have beendelighted with the hugeresponse and greatfeedback that we havereceived since the

launch. In fact, the traffic to the site was so high that it crashed on launch day,but not for long we hasten to add.”

Once the member’s area develops, STAG suppliers will have the ability tomanage their own page to communicate directly with retailers with news, PRand promotions.

Non-digitally, STAG has complimentary business books to share. If youwould like a copy email Sara Coyle at [email protected].

WHAT’S NEWS Send your news stories to the Sports Insight news deskat [email protected] or call 01273 748675

ALL THE VERY LATEST IN THE SPORTS INDUSTRY...


…Crewroom has appointed ScottMcDonald as UK retail account

manager. McDonald has worked for

brands such as Brooks, Saucony and

Sugoi…Anna Drury has joined the Unicorn Group as sales

representative for North East England, Cumbria, Yorkshire,

Lincolnshire and the East Midlands. Drury has wide industry

experience as she and husband Rob have for 16 years been the

proprietors of Drury Sports in Driffield, Yorkshire. Her broad

depth of experience comes from not only managing her own

business and dealing with the sports trade on the other side of

the counter, but also having a long professional career at

Yorkshire Bank…Terry Venables has been appointed technical

adviser to non-league side Wembley FC as the club bids to go

as far as possible in next season’s FA Cup. The move follows

the Combined Counties League Premier Division side’s new

‘grass roots’ sponsorship deal with Budweiser, lead sponsor of

the FA Cup…

TransferMarket

…Runners Need opens its 14th store on

London’s Waterloo Bridge at the end of the

month…Online bike retailer Wiggle won the

Pure Play Retailer of the Year award at the

Oracle Retail Week Awards

2012...TaylorMade-adidas Golf has bought Adams Golf for

around $70 million. “This acquisition reflects our commitment

to continued growth in the golf category,” says adidas Group

CEO Herbert Hainer…IIC-INTERSPORT InternationalCorporation has signed a master franchise agreement for South

China with Fjuian New Huadu Supercenter Co, which allows it

to open INTERSPORT stores under their own direction as well

as with sub-franchise partners, sell INTERSPORT’s private label

products and have access to all other IIC products and services.

From mid-2013 New Huadu will start to open INTERSPORT

stores in the 10 South Chinese provinces. The company, which

was founded in 1987 and operates in the retailing, real estate

and mining and tourism industries, plans to open 80-100

INTERSPORT stores during the next five years. With a turnover

of $1.1 billion, it operates more than 110 retail outlets and has

over 12,000 employees…flood damaged playing fields, clubs

facing eviction and community sports teams without a home

ground are among projects sharing a £2.5 million Olympic

legacy windfall from Sport England. 61 playing fields from all

corners of the country are receiving National Lottery

Sportsshorts

NIKE HAS STRONG THIRDQUARTER AS REVENUES

RISE 15 PER CENTNike’s third quarter revenues increased 15 per cent to $5.8 billion on the backof strong demand for the brand’s products.

Net income for the quarter, which ended February 29, rose to $560 million.Says Mark Parker, president and CEO of Nike (pictured): “Our relentless

focus on innovation delivered powerful new products and services for athletes andconsumers, and continues todrive value to our shareholders.

“The environmentremains volatile, but I’moptimistic about the future.We’re starting a great seasonof major sports events and wehave a pipeline full ofinnovation to fuel growth overthe long term.”

“I will make sure I hurt myself extra for such a bad day.”Jenson Button promises to atone for his crash at the MalaysianGP by taking part in the ‘punishing’ Hawaii Lavaman triathlon


MCDAVID SITES ITSFIRST TOUCHSCREEN

DISPLAY IN THE UKMcDavid has installed its first interactive touchscreen in this country atJohn Bell & Croyden, a pharmacy based in central London (pictured).

Dating back to 1908 and pharmacists to the Queen since 1958, thestore now features a three-metre display of McDavid sports medicallines - arguably one of the largest offerings of supports in the UK.

Customers can browse the touchscreen by body part and identifythe correct type of support required for their injury based on McDavid’sthree levels of protection. Self selection is made easy as customers arethen directed to the colour coded levels.

Says McDavid country manager Paul Sherratt: “This is yet anotherdemonstration of the continued momentum that we have behind the brandand is testament to the quality of product and superb service that we offer,resulting in us replacing a brand like Vulkan, who have been the core sportsmedical supplier at John Bell & Croyden for more than 10 years.”

ASICS TO OPEN NEWFLAGSHIP STORE IN LONDONASICS is aiming to create the ultimate running experience for consumers withits new high tech store, which will open on London’s Oxford Street this summer.

The brand says the outlet, its second in the capital, will provide advancedtechnological services and professional advice for runners, a running club and anextensive collection of footwear and apparel set over 7,000 sq ft and three floors.

Its full performance running collection will be on offer, alongside ASICS’rugby, tennis, cricket, hockey and netball ranges.

The store will also incorporate a state of the art running lab, offering thehighest level of biomechanical analysis systems for the first time in the UK toconsumers.

“The opening of a second ASICS store in London during a summer whereall eyes are on sporting success will reflect our position as the true sportsperformance brand,” says Alistair Cameron, CEO of ASICS Europe.

“The store allows us to bring consumers unrivalled service, products andadvice at a time where performance in sport is a key focus.

“Bringing cuttingedge technology andfacilities from ourresearch institute inKobe directly in storefor consumers toexperience willstrengthen our uniquecustomer loyalty anddedication to helpingall levels of sportsperformers achievetheir goals.”

investment in the second round of Sport England’s Protecting

Playing Fields legacy fund, taking to 109 the number of playing

fields that have benefited since its launch. A further £6 million

will be awarded to hundreds of projects through three more

funding rounds…The International Rugby Board has revealed

that last year’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand is set to be

the second most commercially successful of all time. The IRB

said the tournament was on course to achieve a net surplus of

more than £90 million…Barclays Spaces for Sports, a

community-based sports programme that uses sport as a

platform to help young people develop life skills and revitalise

disadvantaged communities, has extended its partnership with

Beyond Sport…ESPN’s British arm has made its first move into

the tennis market, signing the rights to 11 ATP World Tour 250events during 2012, as well as three WTA tournaments…signs

of financial distress are alarmingly widespread among

professional football clubs in the Football League, according to

a new survey by corporate recovery specialist Begbies Traynor.

The Red Flag Alert survey has found that of the 68 clubs

currently playing in the Championship and divisions one and

two of the Football League, 13 are recorded as displaying signs

of corporate distress, indicative of poor financial health. The

figures show that while just one per cent of UK businesses are

showing symptoms of distress, 19 per cent of the football clubs

surveyed show the same degree of financial ill health…

KIT STOPEssential stock for your shop


PRODUCT ROUND-UP

For additional information call Sci-Sport on 0116 2627280 or email [email protected].

BRABO GOES ‘NATIVE’ FOR 2012Brabo’s slogan for this part of its range, which has a real visual identity, is ‘Become anoriginal’. Combine that with a set of sticks that have more hitting power and you can seewhy Brabo’s sticks are rapidly becoming a benchmark for the industry.

The Native range includes new Wrap Around Technology (WAT) that increases thestrength of the stick just above the head, which is proving a weak spot for some of Brabo’scompetitors. Carbon levels vary to give power and feel for the varying tastes of customers.

For a copy of the netball catalogue, which also includes a made to order

separates range, call 01282 418448 or see your local Surridge representative.

SURRIDGE SPORTHeavily invested in the university marketplace,Surridge Sport continues to move forward with thelaunch of its netball range to the trade.

Offering the Pro, Amateur and Junior Missrange of dresses, each boasting the fit and technicalperformance demanded of each netball sector,Surridge can cater for all netballing needs.


www.sportindustry.biz

REVOLUTIONRUNNINGThe Revolution Runningwomen’s range, like themen’s range, incorporatestechnically advancedmoisture wicking fabrics.The fabrics aresympathetic to thedemands of runners, rapidlytransporting moisture for improvedevaporation and, as a result, keeping therunner cooler and more comfortable.

All products are manufactured in theUK. Revolution Running will beexhibiting at the London Marathon Expo2012 (stand 254).

Contact Revolution Running if you would like one

of its agents to visit you. Tel: +44(0)1539 568128.

Email: [email protected].


PRODUCT ROUND-UP

TEAM COLOURSFor teams who like to ensure their players alwaysturn out looking their best, bespoke manufacturerTeam Colours is ready with the complete service -whatever your sport.

With a quick turnaround time and nominimum quantities - using quality fabricsand with full printing and embroidery -Team Colours offers a wide selection of quality multisport teamwear,training kit and sports accessories.For more information or to setup a trade account call or goonline, where more informationabout the company’s services is available.

Tel: +44 (0)1920 876 240.

Email: [email protected].

www.team-colours.co.uk.


CRESSI LIGHT FINSCressi Light fins are designed specifically for pool training. Theshort blade is made from light materials to guarantee agilityand reduce fatigue, but still enable effective kicking.

The length of the blade and the materials used enableperfect muscle training without causing painful cramps. Theside of the blade is protected by a soft elastomer profile toprevent possible damage to other swimmers. The computerdesigned foot is made from soft elastomers and its highlyanatomical shape houses the foot with a great degree ofcomfort, even during long swimming sessions.

These fins can also be used for snorkelling andswimming, where the small size of the blademakes it easier to enter andcome out of the water.

Available in white orblue. Weight: 600g forsize 39/40.

For more information

call 01484 711113

or email [email protected].

ZINCThe Zinc Pro scooter range was born and engineered in Great Britainand is designed to take on the skate parks. The company’s scooters aretested to withstand one ton of weight on its deck and handlebars(models released after December 2011).

MAYHEMFeatures and benefits of this scooter include:● Handlebars with 360-degree movement. ● One piece Y-handlebars for extra rigidity and control. ● Chromium-molybdenum steel steering bar. ● Reinforced steel fork. ● Double stacked collar clamp. ● 48cm x 11cm reinforced aluminium deck. ● Rubberised style bar grips. ● ABEC 5 chrome bearings. ● 100mm x 24mm high impact, high bounce aluminium core

wheels with PU tyres. ● Maximum rider weight: 100kg. ● Quick stop brake. ● Grip strip for extra stick during the ‘sickest’ of tricks.

For more information

email [email protected].



JAKABEL - SAFETY AND FUN IN THE SUN● Sun protection UV50+ wear 0-13, plus adults.● Pool toys and accessories for all ages.● Wetsuits, both short and long, in vibrant colours.● Two-three days delivery all year round -

no minimums.● Look good and stay safe.

For more information contact Jo on 020 8715 2385,

email [email protected] or visit www.jakabel.com.

PRODUCT ROUND-UP


For more information call the Canterbury

customer service team on 0161 947 9944

or email [email protected].

CCC LAUNCHES STYLISH CASUALFOOTWEAR COLLECTIONAs the Uglies range from Canterbury continues to grow inpopularity, a fresh and stylish selection of shoes have beenadded to the collection and will be launched in July 2012.

The casual range of footwear has been designed tooffer CCC consumers an opportunity to buy comfortableand trendy shoes and flip flops that can be worn withtracksuit pants, cargo shorts, jeans or chinos while relaxingwhen off the field.

Following months of research, the final styles wereselected based on commercial viability and trends for theyear ahead, and will appeal to existing and new CCCcustomers.

The range will be available in store from Q3 2012,offering margin benefits to retailers with prices startingfrom £16.99 (RRP).

All products are

available in national

sporting goods shops,

and for online visit

www.eninety.com.

SHOCK DOCTORIt’s highly recommend that the right mouthguard is used in all contact and collisionsports in order to protect the teeth and oral facial area. Shock Doctor has grownfrom being the undisputed leader in mouthguard technology, to being the leadinginnovator in sports protection around the globe.

Best option: ULTRA STC

● Absorbs shock using air technology.● Gel-Fit liner for tight, comfortable fit.● Shock Transfer Core stabilises and shields teeth.● Air Cushion Shock Pads for more comfortable jaw compression.● More performance enhancement may increase strength and

athletic performance.● Convertible tether for use with or without strap.● Compact size for easier breathing and speaking.

Better option: GEL MAX

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PRODUCT PROFILE

Rob Wypyski, marketing executive at RFE International,talks us through the offering

CAN YOU GIVE US SOME BACKGROUNDON THE BRAND?From its foundations set over 50 years ago, adidas has been driven tohelp all athletes committed to performance. As a global leader forsports and fitness equipment, adidas is one of the most respectedbrands worldwide and seeks to combine design with a focus onperformance. The adidas brand has grown from strength to strength,providing quality that is unrivalled in the fitness equipment industry,and strives to offer the best products to consumers with quality at itscore. Having initially introduced adidas into the fitness equipmentsector several years ago, the range has grown steadily and has beenbacked up with innovative and unique products.

KEY FEATURES AND BENEFITS?With such a great range of benches, adidas training providesnumerous benefits for everyone who is serious about achieving theirgoals. It is always important to maintain your level of fitness whenworking out and our product development team have designed thefull range of adidas benches to maximise performance.

The key features of the range are immediately obvious with thesleek black design, sturdy frame and foam padding, which offersmaximum comfort and reliability. Our range of benches have beendeveloped to help consumers get the best performance from theirworkout with the ability to provide any user with a multitude ofdifferent workouts. The use of additional adidas accessories alsoenhances the effectiveness of these benches, as many if not all ofthem can be used alongside weights, medicine balls or dumb-bells.

FOCUSONDesigned to offer flexibility

and variety, each adidas benchprovides numerous workoutpositions for both upper and lowerbody exercises, highlighted in ourmost advanced workout station,the home gym, which is perfect fora full body workout.

WHY HAVE THEY SOLD SO WELL? Retailers have come to expect a high level of quality in the productswe provide, and this new range of benches is no exception. Theadidas name is one that is so well known to retailers and consumersalike that it has become a symbol of quality and performance. Thissuperior quality and eye-catching design is reflected in the range ofbenches, which has really had a positive effect on sales.

WHO ARE THEY AIMED AT?The main focus of adidas training equipment is to give the userflexibility in their workout and the ability to utilise a workout to reachtheir fitness goals. With this in mind, the range of adidas benchesdoes just that and is suitable for all levels of fitness with theimmediate benefits to those committed to staying in shape andwanting to reach a specific goal. With such a varied range, ourbenches offer different dimensions of workouts and can be ideal forbeginners or heavy lifters.

HOW ARE THEY MARKETED?adidas is often associated with top athletes, from footballers toOlympic sprinters. This association aligns adidas and our range ofbenches with the very best. We like to position adidas benches aspremium quality equipment - superior to their competitors in everyaspect. By looking at the product, you can see there is a higher levelof quality, from the attractive black powder coated finish to thesupport offered by the cushioning. We have invested in PR campaignsto help raise awareness of these benches and utilise social media toreach a much wider audience more relevant to our target market.

This is further backed up by alignment with the current ‘adidas is allin’ campaign, which features heavily across the overall brand.

WHAT IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYA RETAILER CAN MARKET THE

BENCHES?The need to stand out in a retail environment isalways one of our top priorities. To fully utilise the

design of our benches, we have developed a series ofPoS concepts unique to the range to fully educateconsumers on the benefits of each bench. This, coupledwith workout charts and a comprehensive library ofimages, illustrates the number of exercises thesebenches can offer. Aside from educating customersabout the key features and benefits, these benches are

built to be used, so specific product demonstrations instore really aid in showing just how

good the range is.

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The FSPA’s leading golf association, theBritish Golf Industry Association (BGIA),is hoping for another successful two-dayevent at Woburn on April 23-24.

The event, which incorporates anannual gala dinner and charity golf day,has become a popular date in the golfindustry calendar, and the BGIA is verypleased at the support received so farfrom the industry, as the event hopes toagain raise significant funds for its GrowGolf initiative.

The Grow Golf Fund, launched in2007 by Acushnet, Callaway, Ping andTaylorMade-adidas Golf under theumbrella of the BGIA, is an initiative tostimulate golf participation across all agegroups, geographic regions and social

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backgrounds in the UK. For 2012 the association will also be

incorporating a Grow Golf meeting, totake place after its 26th AGM, at whichkey speakers from leading UK golfbodies will discuss how the industry cangrow the game and begin to reduce thedecline in golf club membership whileattracting new players to the sport.

Joining the panel of speakers will beIan Randell, CEO of the ProfessionalGolfers Association of Europe, JohnPetrie, CEO of the English Golf Union(which has recently amalgamated theEGU with the English Women’s GolfersAssociation), Mike Round, CEO of theGolf Foundation, Colin Mayes, chairmanof the UK Golf Course Owners

The FSPA led very successful export activities in the firstquarter of 2012, supporting a total of 37 small and medium-sized enterprises in gaining UK export funding through itsstatus as an accredited trade organiser working closely withUKTI. A further 21 SMEs benefited from support across theirexhibition experience, choosing to exhibit as part of the dedicatedFSPA-fronted UK exhibitor pavilion at ISPO MUNICH and the PGAMerchandise Show in Orlando.

The FSPA’s leading golf trade body, the British Golf IndustryAssociation (BGIA), also provided its member companies with a freebusiness lounge facility to use for meetings at the PGA MerchandiseShow, which proved a real benefit.

At China Golf, which took place from March 16-18, six UKSMEs were supported by the BGIA throughout the duration of theshow as they looked to develop new contacts and clients within thisemerging market.

FSPA LOBBYING ACTIVITIESWith an active role in both the Federation of Sporting GoodsIndustries (FESI) and Federation of European Play Industries (FEPI),the FSPA is currently working on behalf of its members on a varietyof European and world trade issues.

The FSPA has been asked, as a key stakeholder, to represent thesports market with UK government in relation to free tradeagreements, as well as being invited to meet with the Bank ofEngland to discuss the sports and play sector and provide memberfeedback on current trading conditions.

The Federation has been invited to speak at the WestminsterEducation Forum Keynote Seminar - Reviewing the PhysicalEducation Curriculum and in addition is meeting the Secretary ofState for Health, Andrew Lansley, as a stakeholder in Change4Life /Responsibility Deal.

Following its ongoing partnership that began in 2009, the FSPAhas also been invited to the County Sports Partnership NetworkConvention, attended by the chairs and staff of the 49 regionalCSPs to help shape the future direction of the network, which isfunded primarily by Sport England.

SHOWCASING UK SPORT AND PLAYINDUSTRIES AT THE HOUSE OF COMMONSThe Federation will be hosting an evening reception at the Houseof Commons on June 25 entitled Showcasing the UK Sport andPlay industries.

The event aims to showcase the FSPA and its membership base,inviting MPs, Lords and key bodies in the UK sport and playindustries to attend and realise the scope and scale of theknowledge and expertise within the sectors.

Association, and BGIA chairman DougPoole, who will facilitate the event.

The BGIA is looking forward towelcoming member guests to enjoynetworking with customers, colleaguesand friends. The gala dinner is kindlysupported by Golf Monthly, while theWoburn Golf & Country Club will beproviding its superb facilities and theDuchess course for the event.

BGIA HOPES FOR ANOTHERSUCCESSFUL WOBURN EVENT

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DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS TO MOVE INTOONLINE TRADING?Our business does not currently trade online.However, as time goes on and we learn thebusiness we intend to review this part of thebusiness plan.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST AND LEAST ABOUT THE BUSINESS?Like most: face-to-face contact withcustomers, assisting customers with aparticular issue/requirement, working to findthe right solution for them - not necessarilythe most expensive option - and knowingthat everything I do will make a difference.Like least: the quiet moments.

WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR BIGGESTCHALLENGES SO FAR?Acquiring our initial stock and preparing theshop for opening all within four weeks ofsigning the lease for the premises -challenging, stressful, but great fun.

RETAIL INTERVIEW

I think it’s essential that Buzzard Sportsshould work closely with local sports clubsand for us to find ways to support each other.We are also in contact with the local sportscouncil and County Sports Partnership toensure Buzzard Sports gets as wide acoverage as possible via the most economicalmethods. Ultimately we hope to become thecentral point for competitors, clubs andactivity in our area, and this includes being acentral directory for sporting information, aswell as supplying equipment and clothing.

ARE THERE COMPETITORSNEARBY AND HOW DOYOU COMPETE?We are quite lucky to be the only sports shopin the town, but we also have to be mindful ofthe larger sports chains in the surroundingtowns, which includes Sports Direct.However, we do not feel we are in directcompetition with these chains as BuzzardSports is looking to provide a good qualityservice to the customer that is both helpfuland knowledge, with the products beingtailored to aspiring young athletes andweekend warriors alike.

HOW DO YOUFIND OUTABOUT NEWPRODUCTS?ARE YOU AMEMBER OFANY BUYINGGROUPS?I first began talking withWard Robertson atSTAG almost a yearbefore the businessbecame a reality, and asyet can’t find anythingnegative about being amember. Suppliers arenot shy in keeping usupdated with their latestnews and I also refer totrade publications suchas Sports Insight forinformation.

WHY AND HOW DID YOU GET INTOSPORTS RETAILING?The big driver for me was the absence of aserious sports shop easily accessible to theLeighton Buzzard area. Living in a sportsmad family meant that for years weregularly travelled many miles to sourceclothing and equipment along with honestand knowledgeable advice.

I was always having to dash out of townat a moment’s notice because my childrenforgot to tell me they were missing studs fortheir boots, etc with just an hour to go beforekick-off. Having been involved in a numberof different sports and local clubs, I know wewere not the only family faced with thesedilemmas on the morning of a tournament,race or match, so I decided to do somethingabout it, although I have never worked inretail before. I now work full-time in the shopand my family all help out.

WHAT EQUIPMENT DOYOU STOCK?Buzzard Sports is a general sports retailerstocking items for football, rugby, hockey,netball, racquet sports, cricket, running,gym, fitness, boxing, darts and table tennis.We didn’t start out with products for boxingand darts, but the interest in these sportsmeant we needed to think again. We arealso not limiting ourselves to these sportsand are happy to discuss customers’sporting needs to see if we can assist in anyway or indeed explore a gap in the LeightonBuzzard market.

HOW HAS TRADE BEENSINCE YOU OPENED?We only opened our doors at the beginning ofDecember 2011, so we are still finding ourfeet. We have had loads of support, adviceand encouragement from everyone at STAGand our suppliers, which has really helped. Weare in regular contact with all the local sportsclubs via email and Facebook, as well as face-to-face. We also attend evening and weekendsporting events to promote the business andservices we offer.

Helen Nottinghamowns and runs BuzzardSports in LeightonBuzzard, Bedfordshire

SHOPTALKING

27 www.sports-insight.co.uk

PEOPLE

including negotiating discount structures andlooking at each new opportunity individuallywith a view to contractually partnering up tooffer their customers some great deals. Theretends to be a trend of large accounts servingtheir surrounding area, however with thegrowing provision and demand of online clubshops the regional boundaries are beingbroken down and companies are able tosuccessfully service customers up and downthe country, utilising up-to-date webplatforms that take all of the stress andheadache away from clubs and kit secretarieswhen it comes to ordering, storing anddistributing kit to their members. Companiessuch as Kalibazar, Tylers Sportswear, ElmerCotton, CMS Teamwear and AcademySports and Leisure do this very well.

I also look after a number of our largeend user supply contracts such asuniversities and schools, including Universityof Surrey/Team Surrey, University ofBath/Team Bath, Whitgift and Hampton,which starts with compiling formal tendersthrough to account management.

WHAT WAS YOUR BEST-SELLINGPRODUCT IN 2011?Our best selling product last year wasSurridge’s top-of-the-range Premier cricketshirt, the SUR232. It comes in a choice of fivetrims, offers superb value for a market leadingtechnical shirt and is used by clubs and teamsthroughout the UK. We keep our stylesconsistent over a number of years, whichgives clubs and teams the consistency theywant and also suits perfectly the model of theonline club shops, so I wouldn’t be surprised ifit was the best-seller this year as well.

DO YOU THINK THE UK SPORTS TRADE WILL BENEFIT FROMLONDON 2012?I think it undoubtedly will benefit and even ifit just inspires people to pick up a bat or joina local club, it should have a knock-on effect,resulting in the need for more sports clothing.

For more information on the SDL Group

visit www.sportinggreatsonline.com,

www.incentives-uk.com and

www.surridgesport.co.uk.


WHEN DID YOU GET INTO THE SPORTS TRADE AND WHY?I am a former professional cricketer andwhen I retired I worked for a garmentproduction and import agency, so when thetime came for me to move on and look for anew role I decided to put it all together andtry and work for a sports clothing company,and with Surridge’s strong heritage in cricketit was the obvious choice.

WHO’S BEEN THEBIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR CAREER?I work in the field for Surridge, so have lessdirect contact with the rest of the staff,which is a shame. But I do have a lot ofcontact with my director, Charles Lord, in allaspects of a managerial relationship, and Iwould have to say that he has been pivotal inmy time at Surridge and I have learned a lotfrom his approach and style of leadership.

WHAT BRANDS DO YOUADMIRE AND WHY?I like brands that are dynamic and forwardthinking, that bring both technical advances

to market while remaining stylish anddesirable. I think Skins has done this verywell with its compression garments and isprobably leading the way in its market.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUTTHE SDL GROUP?The SDL Group encapsulates threecompanies - SDL Trophy, which is one of thelargest trophy manufacturers in the UK andEurope supplying trade only; Incentives UK,a specialist in promotional products andcorporate gifts for businesses and sportsclubs; and Surridge Sport, which suppliesmultisport off-the-shelf clothing andequipment for cricket, football and rugby, aswell as complete multisport made-to-orderranges for universities, colleges, schools,teams and clubs.

WHAT DOES YOUR JOB ENTAIL?I manage a network of teamwear andspecialist sports clothing distributors acrossthe south of England and Wales, who in turnsupply all kinds of sports clubs and teamswith our products. I have to take care of allaspects of day-to-day business with them,

Dom Hewson, regional sales manager -southern region, at the SDL Group

Tony James meets the Crewroom co-founder who came up with the idea for the business

while recovering from pneumonia in a hospital bed

Kate Giles


Olympic rowing hope Kate Giles was wet and shivering after along training session in a spring downpour in 1996. The soddenlayers of cotton rowing kit had robbed her of all body heat anda hot shower had little effect. Giles simply couldn’t get warm.

Two days later she was in hospital with life threateningpneumonia after coughing so violently that she fractured threeribs. She didn’t make the Olympics.

HAPPY ENDINGIt’s hard to imagine that this harrowing tale could have a happyending, but it has. Today Crewroom, the company Kate co-founded 12 years ago, is an international brand leader and majorinnovator of high performance and endurance sports clothing.

This year’s Oxford and Cambridge boat race crews woreCrewroom kit. So do Team GB and our Olympic rowers andcanoeists. And Crewroom products are not only first choice forrowers, but for runners, cyclists, triathletes and other endurancesports athletes, too.

“You can say that Crewroom’s success has been built on whathappened to me in 1996,” Kate explains. “It made me determinedto make clothing for athletes of all abilities that is comfortable andprovides protection against the elements.

“The kit I was using as a rower was prettypoor quality, but that’s all there wasavailable. The fabrics were mainlycotton-based and cheap andabrasive. They retainedmoisture and didn’t giveproper protection. I actuallydidn’t like having to wearmost of the stuff.

“I like to think thatover the past 12 yearswe’ve done our bit tochange all that. Afterwhat happened to me, Ithink it’s really importantthat anyone taking uprowing and otherendurance sports has allthe right gear.”

Brought up in theWiltshire countryside -“my dad sold milk andbread and also madedelicious pies” - Giles tookup rowing while studyingelectronics at KingstonUniversity. “I had always got up

early to help my father and it was the only sport you could do at6am,” she explains.

Giles’ entrepreneurial instincts began to surface long beforeCrewroom - at university she baked cakes and sold them throughthe local rowing club. After university she joined an electronicscompany, but decided on a dramatic change of direction whilerecuperating after pneumonia.

“I wanted to go into business on my own,” Giles says. “Lots ofpeople talk about it, but few of them actually do it. I wanted to be incontrol of my own destiny. Yes, it was a big step, but I wasn’t scared -and to be honest I’ve never been very good at being told what to do.

“I thought a lot about how rowing kit could be improved whileI was convalescing in hospital and it was in 2000 that I had my‘Eureka’ moment. It was over a pint in a pub with Jason Haig, myold boss, that I decided to leave my job and somehow managed toconvince him to become my partner in a sports clothing business.We didn’t really have any money to invest, but we went aheadanyway and rented a building in Putney on the river and inLondon’s rowing heartland.

“It was very tough in the early days. It was hard to see yourfriends, in their early 30s, driving around in BMWs and that sort ofstuff when you were scrabbling around trying to make ends meet.

“The only building we could afford to rentwas one covered in astroturf. With the help

of friends and family, we converted the topfloor into a juice and waffles bar, whichbecame a hang-out for rowers, and wecalled it the Crewroom. The basementbecame a rowing kit shop and office.”

DEALNow all they needed was stuff tosell. So the redoubtable Gilestook a plane to the US andreturned with a deal to becomeUK distributor for sports brandJL.

“We set about winning teamcontracts,” she explains. “We called everyone we knew inthe rowing world and atweekends drove up and downthe country attending regattasand building awareness of thebrand. It was a hard slog, but it

paid off.”A few years later, after tripling

sales of JL kit, Giles and Haig sold thejuice bar - now very successful - to

INTERVIEW

concentrate on developing their own technical clothing, sourcinginnovative and sustainable fabrics and branching out into thecycling and running markets.

With great ideas, but no actual fabrics or products, Gilesflew to China to see what she could find. She scoured thecountry for fabric mills and manufacturers and the result wasVapour-X, a unique material that now forms the basis of muchof the Crewroom range.

Giles remembers: “Cotton needs a lot of water to grow anda lot of resources to harvest. We were looking at bamboo andcotton, but neither dried out particularly well. Then I heardabout carbonised bamboo. It’s the stuff that shoe odour eatersare made from. It’s also thermo regulating, so it’s perfect forendurance athletes.

“We looked at bamboo in different forms along withrecycled polyester from used plastic soda bottles and found thatenhanced carbonised bamboo blended with hollow channelpolyester provides incredible wicking qualities, taking sweataway from the body so quickly and efficiently that you canactually see beads of perspiration gathering on the outer layer ofthe product.”

In the developed process bamboo is carbonised into charcoalparticles and used plastic bottles are shattered into tiny particles,washed and melted together. From this, recycled fibres aretransformed into yarn. The charcoal and polyester yarnsare woven together to create a two-layer fabric that is bothsoft against the skin and durable enough for daily training.

Giles insisted that all components, from fibre andfabric to the finished product, should be produced withina restricted area to minimise the carbon footprint. Fromforest to port was a 200-mile manufacturing radius - apretty efficient sustainability.

GAMBLELuckily for Crewroom, the company’s gamble quicklypaid off when London’s Royal Parks Foundationordered 13,000 reusable shirts for half marathoncompetitors. From then on Crewroom secured anumber of lucrative high profile contracts and now hasa base in China, which Giles regularly visits when notbuilding markets in Europe, America and Australia.

“All the hard work is paying off and I’m having themost exciting time of my life,” says Giles, nowCrewroom’s CEO and creative director. “Beinginvolved in this year’s boat race was obviously reallyexciting for us. While we produce technical kit for awide range of sports, rowing is our heritage and we’repassionate about it.

Does she miss rowing? “Of course, I do,” shesays. “There’s something really special about gettingout on the river away from everything, but there justisn’t time at the moment. Instead, I run when I canor get out on my bike.”

But at the moment most of Giles’ energy stillgoes into Crewroom. “People have always workedhard where I come from in the West Country andthat’s helped me get where I am,” she says. “Most ofmy friends back home have worked on the land andknow that you have to go out there and graft. Youshouldn’t be afraid of hard work.”

When she’s not cooking up innovative productideas or sales campaigns, Giles’ culinary skills arelegendary in the Crewroom office. Her dad owneda pie shop in Devizes and Giles’ version of hischicken and mushroom recipe is said to besomething really special.


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As we start cranking up the UEFA Euro Championship andLondon 2012 Olympic momentum, so the sporting world atlarge starts to prepare for sports business opportunity. Thereis no doubt that these global showcase events will providehuge support for the industry, which in Europe is expected togrow modestly in 2012 as a consequence. But there is alsoundeniable and significant regional variation to this glimmerof success.

Across Europe sporting goods retail activity has been livingup to forecasts of being negatively affected by the austeritymeasures taken to manage the credit crisis. Low wage growthand reduced consumer spending compared to 2011 had been onthe commercial cards everywhere, although initially this hadbeen a hefty sterling problem as UK tourists no longer headed toEurope to spend. The longstanding attitude in winter sports, forexample, was that skis would be bought in resort to benefit fromEuropean exchange rates, but not so when home economicsmeant a better price.

UNEXPECTEDSterling suffering provided an unexpected boon for NorthernIreland’s retailers as euro wielding shoppers from the IrishRepublic headed north and some shops offered a straight ‘euro

for pound’exchange rate.What had movedfrom agriculturalto Celtic Tigereconomy becamea supermarketsweep, doing littleto help the Irishdomesticsituation. At thetime, Irishfinance ministerBrian Lenihanhanded cross-border bargainhunters a bluntappeal forpatrioticshopping bysaying: “Whenyou shop inNorthernIreland, you’re

Sporting results can be the make or break in internationalrelations, but is the European currency and commercial factors

just as powerful as those cultural perspectives, asks Lauren Fox?

paying Her Majesty’s taxes, you’re not paying taxes to the stateyou live in.”

There is always much talk of ‘international sporting harmony’and ‘shared passion for sport’, but when it comes to benefitingfrom any European potential it could possibly be every man,woman (and country) for themselves. Not just in terms ofwinning trophies, but because the commercial landscape is asdiverse as the cultural one.

If sporting competition can set people apart and discussionsalight, then the commercial implications of a ‘united currency’ isquite the touchpaper. Currency values change daily, but withmember states locked together in the euro the relative positionbetween them does not change. But attitudes do. In France andItaly, more than half of those questioned in a Harris poll featuredin the Financial Times stated that they believed a commoncurrency was having a negative impact on their lives, which wasultimately reflected on the high street.

In all of the four largest eurozone economies - France, Italy,Spain and Germany - people thought their country would beworse off by getting rid of the single currency. But in the UKfeedback showed that euro opposition had risen from 69 per centin February to 76 per cent in October 2011.

Having twice previously rejected EU treaties, Ireland will bethe first country in the eurozone to take a democratic decision onthe German-backed rules and austerity measures for the singlecurrency. This recent announcement led to a euro decline onforeign exchanges and Ireland heading towards a referendum onthe compact eurozone fiscal attitude.

Research by Bank of America based on recent exchangerates has highlighted that Ireland could now reintroduce a poundthat would be strong and probably rise against other currencies.Those Irish sports retail chains that had looked at and thendecided against entering into European high streets may well bepresented with a new playing field.

Given the recent political, economic and debt-related risks,economic development is subject to a high degree ofuncertainty and, according to the World Bank, global GDP isprojected to increase 2.5 per cent in 2012 (2011: 2.7 per cent).Expectations are that the euro area is likely to enter furtherrecession, resulting in more fiscal belt tightening and austeritymeasures. A reduction in industrial activity and exports will alsoadd to the challenges of debt, high unemployment levels andweak domestic demand in much of the region. Nevertheless,Germany, the region’s largest economy, has historically lowunemployment levels and firm wage growth, which is expectedto sustain consumer demand.

In European emerging markets, countries such as Russia and

In the UK, GDP is expected to increase by

0.7 per cent, with the economy benefiting

from hosting the Olympic Games

JEUX SANSFRONTIERES

INTERNATIONAL

Poland are forecast to grow up to three percent. It is clear that the impact of thefinancial crisis has been some muchneeded housekeeping by sporting goodsbrands themselves, resulting in anoptimistic start to 2012. The fact thattrade show attendances have increased isone interesting benchmark - add to thatcompanies such as adidas predicting acurrency neutral retail sales increaseand expansion of own label stores by anexpected 250 in emerging markets inEastern Europe.

RESOLUTEIn the UK, GDP is expected toincrease by 0.7 per cent, with theeconomy benefiting from hosting theOlympic Games. In true Britishtradition, we have dealt with thedebt crisis by standing resolute, butat the same time resorting to thatnational secret weapon - a sense ofhumour. Umbro’s recent budgetfootball blog was a great exampleand well worth a trip to the ‘SanZero Cash Left stadium’ athttp://blog.umbro.com/post/a-taxing-team-its-our-team-of-budget-footballers/

Putting Brussels andcurrency to one side, we reallydo know the impact of thoseimmortal sporting words: “Here come the Belgiums”, themost quoted phrase from Stuart Hall’s commentary ofwhat is possibly the world’s most talked about global


sporting legacy - Jeux Sans Frontieres. Broadcast by the BBC and originally called the International

Games, the programme drew 110 million viewers acrossEurope based on an idea that came from French PresidentCharles de Gaulle. His wish was that French and German youthwould meet in a series of funny games to reinforce thefriendship between these two countries.

Euro or not, austerity measures aside, we all want moresport on the agenda, but we need to keep consumersemotionally engaged. With wellness a key topic trendingglobally in the industry and championed by the WorldFederation of the Sporting Goods Industry, among others, it isbecoming more evident that the way to a consumer’s heart isnot through making sport a must do, but by simply keepingpeople entertained and looking at the world once more as a

playground rather than a competitive playing field.Consider how much money was raised and how

many people participated in and boughtproduct for Sport Relief and it shows

that, in adversity, laughter really is the best medicine.

“

”

EURO OR NOT,AUSTERITYMEASURES ASIDE,WE ALL WANT MORESPORT ON THEAGENDA, BUT WENEED TO KEEPCONSUMERSEMOTIONALLYENGAGED

Depending on which survey you read,London 2012 will be responsible foranything from a £750 million consumerspending bonanza, during its seven-weekduration to a £16.6 million increase insales for West End retailers alone.

But will independent sports retailers reapany benefit from London hosting the Games?Sports Insight contacted some to find out:


“There is no doubt that during Beijing 2008there was a surge in customers buying runningshoes in our store, so we will be raising ourprofile locally with increased visibility ofwindow displays and perhaps activity such as apress release to ensure we gain the maximumpossible share of the market.

“In my experience, athletes who are nottied into lucrative sponsorship deals would behappy to help promote a local shop in returnfor some free kit. Given that many of themexist on Lottery funding, a new pair of runningshoes would be very well received. When localkayaker Tim Brabants won gold and silver inBeijing we offered him a shoe fitting and somefree shoes. He was very grateful and we got anopportunity to meet him, take photos andpose with his medals - all good for local PR.”Mark Robinson, Lanson Running,Kingston Upon Thames.

“Having so much sport on TV and the Olympics being promoted so heavilywill undoubtedly put sport to the front of people’s minds. I think this will bringa welcome boost to sales, although only in certain product areas.

“I’m not convinced that consumers will be buying the red,white and blue offerings that many suppliers are pushing, norwill they be buying volumes of sports outfits emblazoned withthe Olympic logo. We are expecting to sell mostly souvenir-typeitems such as 2012 t-shirts, baseball caps and footballs, as wellas Wenlock and Mandeville mascots, pens, badges, etc. However,we have not bought heavily into these products becauseof the need to sell out before the Olympics is over.

“We should see an increase in sales ofgeneral sports goods as people are inspired totake up new sports, but I think anyadditional sales will be for a limited period.We are lucky enough to have theOlympic torch passing right in front ofour shop in July, so we are planning -along with the local council and otherlocal traders - to mark the occasionwith a street event on the day. Ourwindows will be filled with any 2012promotional material we can lay our handson and our staff will be kitted out in 2012 t-shirts for the event. This type of marketingwill help to promote the town and our shop andshould have a lasting legacy.”Angie Sole, Herbert Sports, East Grinstead.

OLYMPICHOPEFULS

Independent sportsretailers are split on the

bottom line benefitsLondon 2012 will bring


LONDON 2012

“I think the Games will provide a general uptake in some sports in our area.During the build-up to the Games lots of local schools are taking part in legacyevents that we are getting involved in, which will help. I think the general buzzof the Games won’t kick off until the end of April, though.”Nick Giffen, Sheen Sports, London.

“We have 13 stores in London, so we’ll benefitindirectly to a certain extent because of theincreased footfall. However, I think the biggestimpact will be seen post-Games, as many will feelinspired by the athletes and events to trysomething new and get active. Running is one ofthe cheapest and easiest sports to take up, sothere is likely to be growth experienced across thesector - not just in retail.

“We are working with our brands to elevateproduct in-store during the Games, but themajority of our focus will be post-Games whenwe expect to see a greater number of new andemerging runners. Part of our role will be ensuringthey are aware of us and our expertise as arunning specialist.”Kirsty Jopson, Runners Need.

“We are optimistic that the Olympics will provide a boost to our sales during and after the event.We are hopeful that a successful Games will inspire people to get out and take part in sport.

“We have been purchasing the adidas Olympic range for two years now and havehad some excellent sales results. In addition, we are now seeing souvenir salesincrease. We have increased our purchases significantly to support a high demand,which hopefully will be incremental business.

“Our main marketing for the Olympics will be done through supporting a lot oflocal events. These are based around the Olympic torch and where, like inMinehead, they are holding their version of the West Somerset Olympics. All our in-store marketing will be coming from adidas and Golden Bear.”Adrian Giblett, Tony Pryce Retail, Minehead.

“I believe there will be an uplift ininterest and participation in sportin general, but it is difficult toquantify if the Games will have acommercial uplift in terms of sales.We are heavily censored by the IOCand have to be clever about how webuild interest in the Games and ourcommercial engagement with it.

“Sales of Wenlock and Mandevilletoys and key-rings may spike, but thiswill perhaps have little effect onmore specialist running retailers. Wehave a strategy of engagement thatwill no doubt bring some rewards,but it is the long game that isimportant and that is something thatcan only be measured over time.”Jonathan Midwood, Up & Running.

“We believe in brand power, so as longas you’re retailing something thatadidas makes the Games wont hurt asthey have the whole show tied up -and fair enough, it’ll have cost them.

“We retail lawn bowls mostly, butoffer some swimming product too.For bowls, which is in rapid decline,I don’t see much of a boost comingfrom the Games, but I have beenpleased to see the swimmers gettingsome decent coverage in the media.

“We’ll run a promotion onswimming goggles focusing onMichael Phelps’ Speed Socketgoggles to tie in with the Games, butother than that I don’t see much elsecoming from it for us.”Ross Black, Sportmax,Hamilton.

“I have mixed feelings. The adidaslicensed product we have purchasedhas not exactly flown off the shelvesand I am pleased I did notovercommit on licensed products. Myhead is telling me sales will notincrease, although my heart keepstrying to persuade me they will.

“Regarding track and fieldequipment, I am exploring with alocal online-only track and fieldsupplier to promote their products in my shop window in the run-up and during the Olympics, and willlook to purchase more spikes, as Ican imagine there will be an increase in athletics participation.Ultimately, as I have not ordered any different products for the period I cannot expect an increase in sales, other than perhaps a generalboost from those motivated to takeup running, etc.”Ian Millar, Greggs Sports,Hexham.

“I believe the Olympicswill increase awarenessand desire to play sport,which in turn willincrease sales. I don’tthink customers will wantto replicate theOlympians in terms ofdressing the same asthem, so we have notinvested in replicaclothing. I would expectswimming pools, hockeyclubs and athletics clubsto see an increase indemand, along with parkruns and other localisedevents.

“Our marketing willbe experiential. We willhave Olympic recordheights and distancesmeasured along theshop, so customers canvisualise these athletes’performances. We willalso have screensshowing the Games andconstant Twitter updateson results, medals andlocal club activities.” Nick Rivett, NickRivett Sport, Hove.

“We will besurrounded by thecycling races, so itmight become a bitof a no go area.Having said that,as a tennis pro andowner of aspecialist tennispro shop I’mdelighted to seesport promoted inany way, eventhough I don’tthink I will see anydirect spin-offs.” Danny Marsh,Marsh Sports,Weybridge.

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Mazon Fusion range incorporates the very latest in composite technology. These unique Black Magic and Fusion constructions cleverly combine Carbon, Zylon, Kevlar and Fibreglass materials to maximize performance. The result of using only the highest grade of imported Carbon provides for superior Tensile strength, power hitting whilst the innovative use of Kevlar reduces impact offering Hockey sticks with great touch.

Torsion stability indicates the level of stiffness in the shaft of the hockey stick. The higher the TS rating the greater the stiffness and potential strike power. The choice of TS rating is most often dependant on the players own choice, what position played and overall feel and power desired. The Black Magic and Fusion range offer players a wonderful choice.

Reduced vibration system. Composite Kevlar materials placed in high impact zones of stick face, stick edge, low backhand zone and shaft to ensure reduced vibration. The greater the TS rating the higher increase in RVS+

Mazon BlackMagic - HookIncorporating a hook shape head for the ultimate in reverse stick skills and trapping. Advanced composite technology with Zylon for maximum hitting power. Includes the Touch Control Zone, RVS+ (Reduction Vibration System Plus), THZ (Tomahawk Zone), KDZ (Kevlar Duro Zone) & a Torsion Stability rating of 9.Length 36.5”/37.5” | Weight Light-Medium

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Mazon BlackMagic - 360Incorporates a semi hook head shape with 360 degree Spin Zone and Traction Control face finish. Features a lower extended round handle for faster control & power. 22mm shaft profile with great hitting power and touch from the high tension Graphite/Glass shaft with twin Kevlar core inserts. Includes RVS+ (Reduction Vibration System Plus), THZ (Tomahawk Zone), KDZ (Kevlar Duro Zone) & Torsion Stability rating of 9. Length 36.5”/37.5” | Weight Light-Medium

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Mazon BlackMagic - CaseyDesigned by Casey Eastham this stick has been customised to Casey’s specifications with a thinner handle and straighter 19mm shaft. Leading the way in composite technology, this stick delivers the ultimate in hitting power whilst maintaining a soft responsive feel. Incorporating a balanced midi head shape for excellent quick skills, RVS+ (Reduction Vibration System Plus), THZ (Tomahawk Zone) and a Torsion Stability rating of 9. Length 36.5”/37.5” | Weight Light-Medium

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Mazon BlackMagic -SlingshotThe Ultimate drag flick stick. High carbon content with Zylon insert for maximum power with a specialist late Drag Flick 24mm bow. New Traction Control Zone technology gives ultimate control & advanced stick skills. Open maxi head shape helps to pick up the ball. Includes RVS+(Reduction Vibration System Plus), THZ (Tomahawk), KDZ (Kevlar Duro Zone) & Torsion Stability rating of 9. Updated bow to meet new FIH regulations. Length 36.5”/37.5”/38.5” | Weight Light-Medium

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on BlackMagic - Caseyagic Casey

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Mazon BlackMagic - V3Constructed with a tapered handle design & available in 18mm and 24mm mould shapes. High tension Graphite/Glass shaft & twin Kevlar core inserts. Ultra high Graphite component providing ultra fine touch & response. Traction Control Zone technology gives ultimate control & advanced stick skills. Finished with an open Maxi head shape & new Cushion Plus+ grip. Includes RVS+ (Reduction Vibration System Plus), THZ (Tomahawk Zone), KDZ (Kevlar Duro Zone) & Torsion Stability rating of 9.Length 36.5”/37.5”/38.5” | Weight Light-Medium | Bow 19mm / 24mm

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Tradition has always been important in sport, but so hasevolution - and a pursuit that sums the latter up perfectly istriathlon. Forty years ago the swim/bike/run format wasbarely known and it wasn’t until 1974 that the first contesttagged as a ‘triathlon’ was staged. In 2000 the sport became anOlympic discipline; its rate of progress has been staggering.

None more so than in Britain, the current fulcrum of the sport,which is home to the men’s and women’s world champions(Alistair Brownlee and Helen Jenkins), the global sprint triathlontitle holder (Brownlee’s brother, Jonathan) and the reigningIronman triathlon world champion (Chrissie Wellington).

EXPECTATIONAlistair Brownlee and Jenkins added further lustre to their reputationslast year with victories in the Olympic Games ‘dress rehearsals’ andthere is real expectation of British medal success, with the coursewending its way through the attractive environs of Hyde Park -triathlon will create some of the images of London 2012.

Triathlon is the ultimate good news story in British sport at themoment, so how has the industry been grasping this opportunity?

A new trade body has been set up this year, the TriathlonIndustry Association, which acts as a central representative forUK-based manufacturers, distributors and suppliers - an industrynow comprising more than 200 companies. The driving forcebehind the formation of TIA was the triumvirate of DavidTownsend of TCR Shows, Paul Shanley of Tri247.com and GaryRoethenbaugh of triathlonbusiness.com.

“About 12 months ago at the Triathlon, Cycling and RunningShow there was a discussion in the industry about setting up anassociation,” recalls Roethenbaugh. “In the US there is TriathlonAmerica, which was formed in October 2010 on a for-profit model,but we felt it was better going the traditional not-for-profit routeand it has snowballed. We have 23 signed up members and weshould double that this year.

“To have brands such as Wiggle and Chain Reaction Cycles onboard is fantastic and we have a good mix of bricks and mortarspeciality brands, media and race directors in the membership.Any others who want to join will be more than welcome.”

The TIA is conscious that, compared to the longer establishedsports, triathlon lacks a database of evidence to back up itsapparent success in luring a wide variety of the population intolakes and rivers, on to bikes and pounding footpaths andpavements. An activity initially seen as for the super-fit is nowmarketed as a sport for all. The TIA wants to spread the messageby pooling knowledge and backing up impressions with facts.

“My background is research and I have worked in markets forboth fast moving and slow moving goods,” says Roethenbaugh. “Ihave seen there is always a benefit in working together from apractical point of view, raising awareness and using syndicated

buying. We are all in competition with each other, but the main benefitof the association is gathering information and disseminating it to themedia. Triathlon is a very young sport, which is growing rapidly. It hasbeen said that it is the fastest growing participation sport in the UK,which may be true, but where is the data to prove that?

“We are working closely with British Triathlon and we share acommon objective to raise participation levels.”

Roethenbaugh would also like to open a dialogue with thegoverning bodies of the three constituent sports within triathlon -swimming, cycling and athletics. He explains: “We need to raiseawareness of the sport. It has a great image, but we need moreeducation about what is involved in taking part. Our retailers needto keep on doing what they do so well - giving impartial adviceand guidance to those new to the sport, making sure theybuy the right products and get what they need.

“You need a bike and a wetsuit, but beyond that itis an affordable sport across all social groups. Thereis a great sense of camaraderie among triathletes,which makes the sport so attractive.”

COMMUNITYThat sense of community led Vivienne Parish to set upher operation, Tri-Sports Plus, 18 months ago. An amateurtriathlete with a background in design and sales within thelingerie industry, Parish decided to enter the market, openinga shop in Cambridge, after being made redundant.

“Triathlon is getting more and more into people’s view,”says Parish. “Many are fed up with doing just one sport andare keen to give it a try. I was doing triathlons, did a lot ofresearch and discovered that no-one else in the areawas offering a specialist for the sport. I am heavilyinvolved with the local clubs and there is greatdemand. It’s vital to make sure that people startin the sport with the right equipment ratherthan go overboard and spend a fortune.”

There is a wide differential between abeginner on a budget and a real enthusiast.

“It’s a relatively cheap sport,” saysParish. “You can hire a wetsuit for £7and I have even seen a womancompete on a bike with a basket onthe front. But those who get really intoit can spend £3,500 on a bike and £500 ona wetsuit - the sky is the limit.”

With three distinct sports within a sport, theretail opportunities appear abundant. For aspecialist manufacturer of wetsuits, the emergenceof triathlon alongside open water swimming as a

TRITHIS FOR SIZE

Triathlon is one of the fastest growingsports in the worldand in recent years

specialist outletshave popped up tocater for arguably

the fittest of the fit.Adrian Hill reports

TRIATHLON

mass participation sport opens up all sorts of possibilities.“It’s only since triathlon that swimming in wetsuits has been

accepted,” says Dean Jackson of wetsuit specialist Huub. “Ourinitial aim is to get people into wetsuits and then triathlon is thenext step. Triathlons are the new challenge and people nolonger see swimming in open water as a barrier.

“You have to offer entry-levelproducts. I would suggest to anewcomer to buy a £150-£200wetsuit and tell them that they canalways sell it on if it doesn’t workout for them. A suit can last severalyears if you look after it. Its shelflife is only your expectation.”

BARRIERCompeting in triathlon is a seriouscommitment, the ability to swim in openwater is a prerequisite and, as Jacksonsays, the biggest barrier to participation.He believes the design of wetsuits in thepast has done the sport few favours.

“We at Huub were the first company to identify that thereare two types of swimmer involved in triathlon - there’s the ‘legsinker’ and the good, strong core swimmer,” Jackson explains.“85 per cent of triathletes come from a non-swimmingbackground, yet the buoyancy in the wetsuit was pitched at the

other 15 per cent. So what we did was to reduce the buoyancy inthe hips and increase it in the thighs. We have been pushing thetechnology on this with research from the Netherlands andcoaching expertise from Australia.”

Triathlon is not the cheapest sport to take up, but its addictivenature makes the serious competitor open their wallet to an

extraordinary degree. Wetsuits retail foranything up to £1,200, although Jacksonwarns the that those price levels are notsustainable: “Our top suit costs £495,which leaves a four per cent margin afterVAT. It’s a good proposition and I thinkthat in the current economic climate themarket will only take a certain limit. It’sa real balance - to deliver a uniqueproduct at the right price.”

The predicted British Olympicsuccess in triathlon is bound to be aspringboard for participation. Thenewcomers will need to be nurtured.

Jackson adds: “As long as the pathinto the sport is managed well through

the system, I see a very bright future. Too often in other sportswe see kids reach junior level and leave the sport. Triathlon is alifestyle - early morning swim, afternoon cycle ride, evening run -and is an excellent cross training activity that could be attractiveto schools.”


“”

AN ACTIVITY

INITIALLY SEEN

AS FOR THE

SUPER-FIT IS NOW

MARKETED AS A

SPORT FOR ALL

most effective way to drive word-of-mouth advertising and cementyour position in the community.

Invite them to pop in any time and see what you’re doing - thecoffee pot is always on. A mixture of natural curiosity, occasionalboredom and the need for a friendly face when they’re disgruntledwill drive visits. Even if they don’t buy, it will make your premisesbusier and so attract other visitors.

Can you turn your products into somebody else’s promotionaloffer? Most definitely. This is something you can detail to everynearby business. Many independent businesses are not aware of thebenefits of promotional offers, but there is hardly a business thatcould not boost their trade with a sports related offer. That will applyespecially this year with Euro 2012 and t he Olympics.

Because I also write for the main health store trade magazine, Ican promise that keen sports people buy in those shops, too. That isan ideal opportunity to share customers and build mutual trade atminimal cost. You could offer the local health store a pistol-hot dealon product for a prize promotion and lots of free discount vouchers.You’d expect the same in return.

In the States they have a lovely phrase: ‘Let’s all get rich together’.So think American. If your immediate locality includes other relatedbusinesses, you have a fine opportunity. If there are non-competitiveretailers on your street, all targeting largely the same audience, youcould do it together and so significantly reduce the cost of printed materials and tip-ins to the local paper while improving the quality at the same time. The customer could visit all of you on the same morning.

Let’s not pretend that this is easy, but it is definitely practicable.You need a commercially aware printer (or advertising sales manageron the local paper) who will do the legwork between the four of youand an agreement for split invoicing from every supplier involved. Youalso need a positive mindset. Your promotional partners are notcompetitors. Although you are all competing for the customer’sspend, you should aim to feed each other.

STAFF INCENTIVESEspecially where you have large office premises within your five-minute catchment area, talk to a senior partner/director or thepersonnel manager about staff incentives. If they run such a scheme,can you become part of it? This will involve a certain amount ofplanning and structure, but it could be very valuable. Is there a staffnewsletter you could be featured in? Could you put a leaflet oneverybody’s desk? Is there a staff noticeboard where you canpublicise yourself ? Look out for these pinboards - plenty are free andnone cost much. For instance, is there a library or college on yourpatch?

‘You’re less than five minutes from the best sports store’. I wouldsuggest this approach to any five-minute marketing activity. Note the‘less than’ - it covers the whole area. In your visits to other businesses

Your customers are on your doorstep. ‘Just five minutes away’is a powerful marketing message that as we’ll see can be usedin a wide variety of ways. It reflects one of the key advantagesof the small independent business - you’re very convenient. Tobuy from you is easy. Better still, this is a next-to-freemarketing technique that will help you prosper despite theretail recession. It’s about squeezing all the available businessout of your locality rather than squeezing your bank balance.

So take a timed five-minute walk in every direction from yourpremises. Note what that includes: shops, offices, houses, pubs, hotels,car parks, transport. The works. I predict that you will be amazed howmany prospective customers are virtually on your doorstep.

CATCHMENT AREAIt is an indisputable fact that a high proportion of the people withineven that very immediate catchment area don’t go past yourpremises, many don’t even know you’re there and the vast majoritydon’t know what products you sell. You will be surprised by howmany people that area includes - hundreds certainly, thousandstypically, maybe tens of thousands - and they will include the normalproportions of people who buy sports kit.

If you’re an active member of the local chamber of commerce ora councillor, you may already know all your business neighbours. Butit’s much likelier that you only know your immediate neighbours - andthen not very well. Yet a fair percentage will buy sports goods. Go andintroduce yourself. Because they’re nearby and also business ownersthey will be kindred spirits, ready to give you business and, of course,the quid pro quo should apply too.

Networking like this is good for business in the long-term anyway,but you aren’t just being nicey-nicey, you’re actively seeking business.The people you visit have staff, family and friends, all of whom theycan recommend to you. Personal contact is, without question, the


5 MINUTEMARKETING

The area immediately around your retail premises offers somebrilliant opportunities to promote your store, say Paul Clapham

“”

PERSONAL CONTACT

IS, WITHOUT

QUESTION, THE MOST

EFFECTIVE WAY TO

DRIVE WORD-OF-

MOUTH ADVERTISING

MARKETING

you may notice poster sites, especially bus shelter sites that coulddirect customers to you. The provider’s details will be on the siteand you can buy just one. They’re not expensive and could prove tobe your best ever advert. In these cases you can be more preciseabout time: ‘Less than one minute...’.

Car parks (and any street parked cars) are very tempting for awindscreen leaflet drop. Be extremely careful. First, the owners ofthe car park may have a policy of refusing to allow this - or theymay charge (I would). Secondly, the local council can fine you ifyour leaflets become a source of litter.

That said, this is an ideal application of the five-minuteprinciple. To encourage drivers to keep your leaflet and therebystop the litter issue at source, you could offer an incentive. Howabout: ‘You’re less than five minutes from the best sports store inAnytown and the chance to win a ticket to Anytown Wanderers’next match’. To enter the draw they put contact details on thereverse of the leaflet and drop it in to your premises. It is amechanism for driving visits and because it’s very easy to do (theyare, after all, less than five minutes away) it gets results.

Especially because of that threat of afine and because you want tobe well regarded locally,rather than seenas a litterlout, I

recommend you leaflet small areas and make a point of going backto clear up any discarded leaflets later. Yes, it’s a pain, but it’s worthit - people will see you being responsible and that will enhance yourother activities. That responsibility might even attract favourablelocal press coverage.

POSITIVE SIGNSAnother oddly contentious issue is A-boards. Okay, blocking thepavement is unreasonable, but the A-board issue seems to causemore aggro between retailers than just about anything. But if thespace is there, definitely use it. You can also think of where else toplace a board with a direction sign on it. That nearby car parkwould be ideal. Ask the owner.

Do you have a railway station on your patch? They all have dailycommuters. Leafleting them, again with a good deal, is low costmarketing. Personally, I’d use some variant of ‘A deal on trainers fortrain users’. Don’t ignore the possibility of taking an advertising spaceat the station - trains aren’t always on time, they tell me.

Don’t you just love traffic jams? No? Well, start. If you have atraffic jam going past or near your premises at 5pm or so,

you have access to customers. Stand on atraffic island giving your leaflet to those

poor, bored drivers as they edgepast you. It might be good

to stay open until 6pmon those days.


HOW HAS TRADE BEEN FOR MANTISOVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS?We’ve been delighted with the brand’s performance. Both at homeand in export markets, MANTIS is growing sales and distribution bythe day, but I think the most pleasing aspect is the increasedconsumer awareness in the brand.

A British brand supporting British-based events such as the RoweSquash Grand Prix and the AEGON Masters Tennis has generated amuch higher traffic flow through our website, Twitter feed andFacebook page and we’re receiving a high volume of enquiries atboth trade and consumer level on a daily basis.

HOW WILL MANTIS ENSURE ITS POSITION IN THE MARKET REMAINS STRONG?We appointed our first export manager about a year ago and sincethen our international trade has really taken off. Following a highlysuccessful MANTIS exhibition at ISPO, we now have activedistributors in over 30 countries.

A number of our partners are internationally renowned masterracquet technicians who not only lend great credibility to the brandwithin their own markets, but are also able to help us with ongoingproduct development across all racquet sports. Our recentappointment of Greg Rusedski as brand ambassador to supplementthe earlier signing of ex-British number Chris Wilkinson also providesus with fantastic product feedback.

In squash, we’re taking our first steps in terms of playersponsorship with the signings of Eddie Charlton, who recentlyreached the quarter final of the British National Championships, andMark Fuller, who stars for MGB Nottingham in the PSL. In the juniorranks, we were delighted to sign Elize Lazarus, the current BritishGirls under-13 champion, who’s an undoubted star of the future.MANTIS is also investing in the future champions of the sport bysetting up squash academies in London and Dublin. These centres ofexcellence will play an important role in widening our brand profilestill further.


AT HOME AND

WHAT ABOUT THE PRODUCTSTHEMSELVES - WHAT’S YOUR R&D STRATEGY? Our R&D strategy is driven almost exclusively by extensive marketresearch. We talk to players at all levels of tennis and squash on aconstant basis to establish what works for them. As mentioned earlier,we’ve established a team of players and master racquet technicians ina number of countries that test all of our product at every stage of itsdevelopment process.

The development of our two recently launched tennis models, theTOUR 305 and TOUR 315, are a direct result of detailed feedback,testing and analysis from these guys over the last 12 months. It givesus immense confidence in the products we launch that they candeliver in performance terms.

WHAT STRATEGIES HAVE YOUEMPLOYED TO CREATE INTEREST IN THE BRAND?The MANTIS philosophy is simple: to provide exceptional qualityproducts at vastly superior prices. As a relatively new brand, greatproduct is clearly a big driver for us, but we try to complement this

Since its launch in 2009, MANTIS has been working hard to getkey players on side. The signing of Greg Rusedski is just one ofthe company’s recent triumphs. Sports Insight speaks to Martin

Aldridge, founder and managing director of MANTIS SportInternational, about its current performance and future plans

“”

WE TALK TO PLAYERS

AT ALL LEVELS OF

TENNIS AND SQUASH

ON A CONSTANT BASIS

TO ESTABLISH WHAT

WORKS FOR THEM


IN SEASON RACQUET SPORTS

with a strategic development plan to get the brand seen on courtand build awareness at grass roots level. We’ve worked hard todevelop a strong team of UK brand ambassadors, as these guys arekey influencers based at selected locations up and down the country.

Greg Rusedski will play a major role in future productdevelopment and an active part in the testing of new MANTISranges. He will also be using a mantis-tour-305.html"MANTIS Tour305 racquet in his day-to-day role as a talent and performanceambassador for the Lawn Tennis Association.

From an international perspective, it is great to have Sweden’sErvin Eleskovic using a MANTIS racquet for the Davis Cup.

WHAT OTHER FACTORS ARE BEHINDTHE GROWTH OF THE BRAND?Despite being relative newcomers to the market, the MANTIS teambrings with it a wealth of experience. A number of key staff haveworked for major sports brands in the past and this includeddeveloping products used by professionals on the ATP, WTA,WISPA and PSA Tours. The recent announcement that MANTIShas become the official tennis racquet and ball partner to theAEGON Masters Tennis championship is the result of a lot of hardwork from the team behind the brand.

HAS THE DIGITAL AGE CHANGED THE WAY BRANDS ARE PERCEIVED? I think the key aspect is the fact that social networks give you

the opportunity to communicate on an immediate basis with your followers. There’s a level of flexibility that is difficult toreplicate across the more traditional media channels. We run a series of competitions via Twitter and Facebook, as well as using them to feature news about the brand and products, and this has helped us to develop a relationship and a bond with our consumers.

WHAT IMPACT HAS THE ECONOMICDOWNTURN HAD ON MANTIS?I guess, like every other sector, the consumer is being far moresavvy with their cash. For us that’s been good in that we’re lookingto offer great product at affordable prices, but we’re not by anymeans blind to the difficulties that still lie ahead.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS?We’ll continue to introduce new product ideas on an ongoing basis.Our sponsorship team are currently working on a number ofexciting new initiatives, both player and event-based, across all theracquet sports. The key to our future success is to keep enjoyingwhat we are doing. We have a team of extremely enthusiastic,hardworking and knowledgeable people who are all determined tomake a success of the MANTIS brand, both in its home Britishmarket and throughout the world, and we want all our tradecustomers to share in that success.

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or call 01794 537537.

RUNNINGSAUCONY LAUNCHES KINVARA 3 AT LONDONMARATHON EXHIBITIONSaucony will be launching the successor to its market leading Kinvaraminimalist running shoe at the London Marathon Exhibition. The expo,which attracts crowds in excess of 80,000, will be the first opportunity forrunners to try and buy the latest update of the top selling minimalist shoein the US.

The Kinvara 3 has already beenpreviewed by dozens of bloggersaround the world, including runningjournalists in the UK. With the shoeenjoying global launches at thethree major marathons - London,Boston and Paris - it’s sureto carry themomentum of thefirst and secondincarnations.

BROOKS PUREPROJECTThe Brooks PureProject range hit the market in the

middle of last year, and the reaction has beenphenomenal.

All four of the shoes in the range - PureFlow,PureConnect, PureCadence and PureGrit -incorporate a huge amount of technology that

promotes natural motion and a unique runningexperience in a lightweight package.

Brooks’ signature cutaway heel promotes a natural foot strike,so you land in a more forward position on the foot; a toe box split allows your

big toe to function independently, encouraging a more springy toe-off; an anatomicallast works more efficiently with the foot; and a Nav Band wraps over the instep,

securing the foot in place. Brooks’ BioMoGo DNA midsole completes thetechnical wizardry.

Runner’s World Spring Shoe Guide has named PureCadenceEditor’s Choice, but with the added comment that the two other

shoes tested from the range, PureConnect and PureFlow,consistently scored highly in the shoe lab for cushioning,

responsiveness and flexibility.

For more information visit

www.brookspureproject.co.uk.



JAN FRODENO, TRIATHLON CHAMPION

I AM MADE OF ALL THE DAYS YOU DON’T SEE.NOT JUST THE ONE YOU DO. ASICS com

es from the latin phrase “anim

a sana in corpore sano”, meaning a “sound m

ind in a sound body”.

ARE YOU MADE OF SPORT?ASICS.CO.UK

www.zincsports.com

Miss Ying To T: 01582 670100 E: ying@hy�pro.co.uk

Be a part of it.IT’S COMING.

to take part in something brand new and revolutionary. Whatevertheir reasons, there is no doubt these early riders were responsiblefor pushing the limits of this sport through its infancy and buildingthe foundation for what is to come.”

Zinc was born out of a passion for outdoor sport and,specifically, mobility products. Ying To explains: “Our methodologywas not to produce cheap disposable product to attract short termsales, but to build a range with true value and compelling reasonsto buy. We started the process two years ago with a veteran team ofdesigners and industry maestros who truly believed in our goal -and here we are two years later with an enviable reputation and atruly international business with a British home.”

One retailer reaping the rewards of the scooter’s popularity isSlick Willies, one of the longest established skate shops in London.“I would say extreme scootering is bigger than BMXing andskateboarding right now,” says store manager Rudy. “Any kid canpick up a scooter and start riding and it appeals to all ages fromfive upwards. The market is still growing.”

Interestingly, the way Slick Willies drives sales is mainly throughblogging and using social networking sites such as Facebook andTwitter, with today’s widespread use of the internet allowingretailers to more easily stay in touch with the local community.

ROUGH TERRAINAlthough some people still see the skate park as the true home ofthe freestyle scooter, more and more scooters are used in the streetor other flatland areas. Kick scooters, due to their construction, canbe used on most structures, including rails, boxes and even verticalramps. Accordingly, there are an increasing number of events in theUK for scooter riders, with scootering being an accessible sport,

Freestyle scootering is one of the fastest growing newaction sports across the globe today and the market is still growing, with an increasing number of users moving to the freestyle scooter not just for the skate park but alsothe street.

Hy-Pro’s scooter brand Zinc now sells an impressive 500,000scooters per year at an average RRP of £100 - quite anachievement for a fledgling brand. “In terms of market size,scooters are worth around £60 million in the UK and growing,”says Hy-Pro senior category and brand manager Ying To. “Zinc asa brand is very much part of this market, with our share growingby over 60 per cent year on year.”

NOT JUST A FADScooters have been around for a relatively long time in terms ofbeing a piece of leisure equipment, with some of the earliestpatents dating back to the 1920s. While the basic design of a

frame with two wheels hasn’t changed much,today’s scooters are far lighter, stronger

and more compact than any of theirpredecessors, allowing riders to perform

incredible acrobatic feats as well asbeing a fun and cheap (and cool)way to get around.

“The design of the scooter inprinciple is pretty simple, but thedevelopments that have been

made to enhance rider safety andperformance are amazing,” saysYing To. “Performance componentsare built into every aspect of afreestyle scooter - from thematerials used in manufacture to thecutting edge design of enhancedparts to improve rider experienceand performance.

“It’s difficult to define a momentthat triggered the growth in the use of

scooters as an extreme sport, but thecraze shows no sign of ending any timesoon. Ever since the late nineties andearly noughties, freestyle scooters havehit massive peaks in sales. Just like allfads, scooters came and went, but not

everyone quit for the next big thing.“People kept on riding their

scooters either for the sheer funof it or just because they wanted

Sports retailers that don’talready sell scooters may

be missing out on agrowing sector of the

extreme sports market,says Catherine Eade


SCOOTER

“”

Ever since the

late nineties and

early noughties,

freestyle

scooters have

hit massive

peaks in sales

IN SEASON SCOOTERS

well supported by anactive and growingcommunity.

Zinc has partneredwith a display team inthe UK called TeamExtreme, which regularlystages events around thecountry displaying someof the greatest talent inthe sport and engagingand encouraging newparticipants.

Although scooters arevery much the trend of themoment, BMX bikes andskateboards are stillpopular within the Zincrange, with sales of BMXbikes continuing to growapace along with newintroductions in theskateboard range.

“We feel, in part, this is a result of the popularity of the extreme scooter market,” says Ying To. “The BMX and skateboard offer the same experience delivered in a different package.”

The market for accessories is also a fast growing sector for Zinc. Says Ying To: “Users want to enhance and customisescooters. This was always a DIY market, with users building their scooters from a range of preferred components to suit their individual styles. It is a trend that is continuing - scooterusers always want additional products such as wheels, bars, grips and headsets to customise their ride, as well as protection, helmets, etc.”

To ensure retailers get the best out of stocking scooters, Zinc provides support, training and after-sales service. “We like to think we can complement retailers’ existing business andprovide additional revenues,” says Ying To. “We have also keptthe Zinc Team Series as an exclusive range for our sportspartners, providing them with the performance end of our rangethat is pro rider tested.”

MAKING THE MOST OF SCOOTINGIt is not just about the way the product is displayed in store thatsupports sales, says Ying To.

“Attractive, well specified product goes a long way, but wealso work hard with our partners to deliver point of sale solutionsin different ways,” she explains. “This is often as simple as stafftraining so retailers can best inform customers of the key sellingpoints of the product and benefits of ownership.

“Margins are very good for retailers, with a single sale of ascooter having a value of between £60-£120. We are mindful andfocused on the overall development of the sport and as suchconcentrate a lot of our efforts on supporting Team Extreme andother events to grow and develop the popularity and activeinvolvement of the sport.”

The scooter market is clearly growing, but as Ying To pointsout it is also constantly evolving. “We look at many trends in allaspects of society to see if we can spot the next evolution of thescooter,” she says. “We have some amazing new productsscheduled for launch later in the year that look at other positivetrends in the market, from commuters to more environmentalways to power our rides, and we have lots in the pipeline.”

It sounds like it would be advisable, as the saying goes, to‘watch this space’.


OPTIMUM BOKKA RANGEOptimum’s BOKKA tops, headguards and rugby bootshave proved to be one of the company’s best-sellingproduct ranges ever.

The fabulously varied and excitingly colouredOptimum logo has proved to be the choice for the playerwho refuses to blend into the background and who insteadwears their BOKKA boots, tops and headguards withpassion, enthusiasm and pride.

BOKKA TRIBAL TOP

Sizes: MINI/SB/LB /S/M/L/XL/XXL. RRP: Jnr £29.99. Snr £34.99.

BOKKA EXTREME HEADGUARD

Sizes: SB/LB/S/M/L.RRP: Jnr £29.99. Snr £34.99.

BOKKA ECLIPSE RUGBY BOOT

Sizes: 1-13.RRP: Jnr £24.99. Snr £34.99.

For More details call Optimum on 01942 497707

or see your local area representative.

IN SEASON RUGBY

RUGBY



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was spent copying information back and forth between systems, withlimited visibility of key information across the business. I becameincreasingly frustrated by the expense and limited functionality offeredby business software such as Sage and NetSuite.

“I was determined that Lush wasn’t going to be held back byadmin, but we lackede the budget to buy an expensive IT system. I knew a single, web-based business system would be the ultimate solution.”

EVOLVEThanks to some nifty programming skills, Tanner started to evolveBrightpearl, calling on his former business partner from LushLongboards, Andrew Mulvenna, who had become venue technologymanager for the 2006 Winter Olympics, to help him launch thesoftware company.

According to recent research from IMRG/Capgemini,Brightpearl’s software has helped its customers enjoy exceptionalgrowth, with like for like sales growth of 35 per cent betweenFebruary 2011-February 2012. This is compared to retail industryfigures indicating year on year growth of just 2.1 per cent on the highstreet and 16 per cent online.

The system is particularly suited to help sports retailers grow theirbusiness and increase profits, no matter what their size, according toBrightpearl’s marketing director Harriet Fletcher.

“Brightpearl is basically a combined system that holds real-timedata on customers, accounts and inventory, etc, so you never sellsomething that’s not in stock and whatever you do sell is instantlyupdated to a customer record and in your accounts.

A sports retailer can become more efficient and so has more timeto focus on selling. The powerful reports and business insights that areavailable enable a retailer to focus on top performing products andsales channels and so increase profits.”

Chris Tanner is pretty pleased with how things have turnedout. While at university he set up Lush Longboards with afriend. Now he works for a company that allows start-ups likehis, as well as long established businesses, to increase salesand improve performance - all with one software package.

“When I was running Lush, for six years we did our accounting onSage, CRM in ACT! and stock control

was handled with Excel due tothe intricacies of the

product,” saysTanner.

“However,much of

the time

It may not seeman obvious

progression fromlongboard

manufacturer tosoftware company,

but for LushLongboards’founder Chris

Tanner setting upBrightpearl made

a lot of sense

SPORTINGSUCCESS STORIESBearing in mind that the software wasbuilt from the ground up with a sports retailerin mind, it’s not a big surprise to find two sportsbusinesses among its list of clients that are reapingthe benefits - and happy to shout about it.

Bike Science is a bike retailer that also offers apremium service of optimising bikes for owners. AndySexton, triathlete and all-round bicycle expert, sells bikesfrom his store in Bristol and accessories via his website. Hisverdict on Brightpearl is that it is easier to use than othersystems - a bonus when time is precious.

Dick’s Climbing is an outdoor equipment retailer that sellsclimbing and mountaineering equipment both off and online.Owner Richard Hall says he uses Brightpearl for a multitude ofbusiness processes, including accounts, stock control,purchasing, CRM and managing his ecommerce website.

“I particularly like how all of the different businessprocesses are integrated - EPoS, stock control, website andaccounts all work together in one system,” says Hall. “There’sno need to learn and manage lots of different softwarepackages and all your data is in one place so you onlyneed to input it once - it makes everything so simple.”


BRIGHT

EPOS

IMPROVEThese days Chris Tanner is still heavily involved in the business, heading up the productdivision, which focuses on what customers want or need, and working out how to improve thesystem further.

Says Fletcher: “Other programs either help you manage inventory across multiple saleschannels or they focus on back-end business processes - there is not one really focusedsoftware that does both these things for small independent retailers.

“Brightpearl manages a business’ back-end processes across multiple sales channels,including in-store, on their own website and sites such as eBay. The aim of the technology isto help the retailer reduce the amount of time they spend on admin related tasks, includingstock control and manual data entry, so they can focus on their business.

“We offer businesses the chance to free themselves from admin, be more efficient andfocus on their core business, so they will sell more and be more profitable.”


THE TECHNICAL PARTBrightpearl includes EPoS, webstores,marketplace integration and inventorymanagement - all of which are of greatvalue to retailers.

Its software enables you to simply pluginto your cash register and barcode scannerto start recording everything in the system -transactions, discounts, coupons - by salesrep, till or store. It’s multi-till and multi-storeand compatible with any device, Mac, PCor tablet.

The online sales channels elementsinclude a webstore, either throughBrightpearl or Magento, and integration witheBay (Amazon to come soon).

Whether a retailer sells over the phoneor via a catalogue, this can be input directly

PASS NOTESWhat is cloud computing?The term ‘cloud’ effectively means‘web-based’ or delivered online over theinternet rather than ‘on-premise’, whichmeans the application sits on a physicalmachine or laptop. If your data is onthe internet, it’s stored online andaccessible from wherever you are.Using cloud or web-based softwaremeans you can access it on any devicethat has an internet connection. It alsomeans the information is available inreal-time across several users ratherthan being unique to one user on onemachine and needing to be synced atregular intervals with other users. It’salso backed up regularly, ensuring thatshould the worst happen you won’t loseany business critical data.

And in layman’s terms,Brightpearl means?● No manual rekeying of data.● Stock management - never sell

something you don’t have in stock.● Upsell to customers through the

recording of customer purchases inthe CRM element and integrationwith email tools such as MailChimp.

● Save considerable time on taxreturns and account reports.

● Better order fulfillment.● Improved customer service through

better stock management and orderprocesses.

● Makes selling across multiplechannels a lot easier.

Is it expensive?Not really. The cost starts from £148 a month for the back-end businesssoftware and multi-channelmanagement. EPoS for your physicalstore costs a further £29, so you can get all this software for under £180 a month.

What support is provided?There’s a huge amount ofdocumentation online - literally adocument for performing any task youcan think of in the system. Customerscan raise tickets with problems, issuesor questions they can’t find the answerto and Brightpearl’s support team willhelp answer them.

FUTURE

into the system to ensure the sales channelis integrated with the rest of the business.

A key element for retailers is keeping trackof their stock, ensuring they are not runningout of best-selling items and not reorderingitems they don’t need. Through utilising thereports available in Brightpearl, retailers cankeep on top of their inventory levels andensure they don’t have too much capital tiedup in stock. The fact that it’s one inventorypool across all sales channels also means younever sell something you can’t deliver.

Brightpearl also includes sales orderprocessing to help in the fulfilment of orders.Retailers benefit hugely from this streamlinedprocess, giving customers a betterexperience and helping ensure they comeback to buy again.

For more information visit www.brightpearl.co.uk.

commerce inside social networks - selecting products, adding theirselections to shopping carts and completing purchases. As they doso, the era of social commerce will commence in earnest.”

COMPETITIVEThe level playing field that Facebook offers is ideal for smallerretailers looking for ways to punch above their weight in what isan increasingly competitive marketplace. Through this mediumindependent store owners can speak directly to their potentialcustomers, and the relatively low cost of these conversations canlead to high levels of conversion.

However, Facebook is not the goose that laid the golden egg.Interactive marketing firm Syzygy points out that f-commerce isthe new kid on the block and has yet to prove itself: “Businessesplace Facebook marketing a poor fourth behind email marketing,search marketing and affiliate marketing. Two thirds see no clearvalue from their social media investment at all and 68 per centbelieve that if Facebook disappeared tomorrow it would haveabsolutely no effect on their business.”

It may be early days for social commerce, but retailers shouldpay close attention to this space. Social commerce has not brokenout of its niche yet, and certainly hasn’t reached a critical mass.However, consumers’ changing attitudes towards social commerceis a pointer to a future when f-commerce will playa vital role in all storeowners’ multi-channelretail strategy, which will alsoinclude mobile commerce.

“The most importantconsideration for anyindividual or brandconsidering selling onFacebook is toengage withcustomers,” saysEugene Kaznacheev,product manager atshopping cartsoftware companyEcwid. “Facebook isa communicationplatform and it is ahuge turn-off forcustomers if a page istransformed into a list oflinks to products. Merchantsshould build a communityaround their items first andforemost, and then offer customers aconvenient way to purchase them.”

So far, companies have usedFacebook to increase brand awareness anddevelop brand advocates. Awareness is a

If your online presence includes a ‘Like’ button for Facebook,the question to ask yourself is how these brand advocates canbe converted into buying customers. As Facebook nears itsone-billionth user, social commerce is becoming a reality formany retailers.

Social networks have rapidly evolved and are now taking on adistinctly commercial air as companies begin to move their onlinepresence from merely customer service functions to ones thatcould have an impact on their bottom lines.

FOLLOWINGThe figures speak for themselves. Research from the NationalRetail Federation in the US shows that nearly half of all Americansfollow a retailer on Facebook, Twitter or via the company’s blog.What’s more, 56 per cent of Facebook users will click through to aretailer’s site from a Facebook post, while 35 per cent of Facebookusers would buy goods or services if they were available on acompany’s Facebook page.

Advertising on Facebook has been around for some time, butcompanies now want to make more permanent connections withtheir customers. Says Krista Garcia, an analyst at eMarketer, a marketresearch specialist: “Facebook’s role in ecommerce is currently in flux.Brands are beginning to realise its capabilities, while users aregrowing accustomed to mingling with companies online and sharingshopping activities with friends. Even though social media is still moreof a marketing tool than a sales vehicle, Facebook’s influence onshopping behaviour extends beyond triggering conversions.”

Julia Priddle, head of key account management EMEA atecommerce software company ChannelAdvisor, adds: “We havebeen tracking retailers on Facebook for a while now through theChannelAdvisor UK Facebook Commerce Index. We are seeing amonth on month growth in the numbers of users who are ‘Liking’a retailer’s page. This is the first stage in the engagement cycle.

“One of the main trends noticed through the UK FBCI is thatfashion brands are dominating the retail sector on Facebook andattract the most fans. Topshop, for example, had 1,907,359 fans atthe end of December 2011. Also in the top 10 were ASOS, NewLook, River Island, Urban Outfitters, Next, Net-a-Porter, Marksand Spencer, and La Senza - all fashion retailers.”

Consultant Booz & Company forecasts that the socialcommerce market - largely driven by f-commerce and groupbuying - will be driving $30 billion in annual sales in five yearstime ($14 billion in the US and $16 billion in the rest of the world).

Booz & Company states: “The next phase will go beyond merecommunication and influencing. Consumers will transact


TH

E A

RT

OFSOCIAL

COMMERCEDave Howell casts anexpert eye over the latestonline phenomenon

E-TAILING

key component of the marketing mix, but retailersmust also persuade their audience to move to theconversion step of the marketing journey. After thatthe maintenance of loyalty and the tracking of thoseconsumers to deliver maximum value to yourbusiness becomes a priority.

A recent Booz & Company report says: ‘When auser ‘Likes’ a brand on Facebook, he or she canbecome part of a community that receives specialincentives, promotions or early access to newproducts. And in the future the ‘Like’ button -notwithstanding its casual use today - could becomethe one-click way to join a loyalty card system.Social loyalty platforms will have the advantage ofallowing customers to exchange points in a socially-based marketplace.’

RETURNTracking this customer data and assessing thereturn on investment any f-commerce campaigndelivers is vital. Facebook recently rolled out real-time analytics to offer just this kind of insight for itscommercial users, so businesses can now seealmost instantly the effectiveness of a campaignthey are running on their Facebook pages. This newtool should allow all retailers to better plan aheadwhen developing their marketing initiatives.

Julia Priddle says: “It’s important to rememberthat f-commerce - and social commerce as a whole -is still a new concept. We like to think about socialcommerce like everyone thought about searchmarketing years ago - it’s experimental. We’re notsure about the return on investment yet, but if it doesbecome wildly successful you want to be there andbe ahead of the curve instead of trying to catch up.”

“There is a growing trend towardspersonalisation based on interests, as merchantshave realised that this is an effective way to sellmore products,” says Eugene Kaznacheev. “In thefuture we predict that Facebook’s Open Graph andfrictionless sharing will be a big boon to merchants.In addition, as every ecommerce site has a ‘Like’button or a ‘Log in with Facebook’ feature, trendsindicate that soon more and more retailers will alsooffer their items on Facebook.”

Adds Krista Garcia: “It is not surprising thatshopping and socialising - activities that complementeach other in the real world - are beginning toconverge online as well. As social media, andFacebook in particular, plays a larger role inconsumers’ lives, people are becoming accustomedto performing routine tasks like reading news,watching videos and listening to music, as well asdiscovering products and shopping, all while stayinglogged into a single site. Instead ofcompartmentalising daily routines, social mediausers are treating Facebook as a one-stop platform.”

For retailers, the advice is to tread carefully. A wholesale move to social commerce would be illadvised at the moment as the rules of engagement arestill being defined. The users of social networks arenow more open to marketing messages than at anytime in the past. Purchasing on social networks willcontinue to increase in popularity, but retailers shouldsee f-commerce as another facet of their marketingactivity and not a replacement for their website.


Contact the team now on 01282 418448 or, if you prefer email [email protected]

www.sdlgroupltd.com

A company with a heritage spanning 145 years.

Stocking our ranges of multi sport clothing and trophiesmeans you work with a dedicated Business Development

team who are highly experienced answeringyour questions and processing your requests.

Talk to a human...

Multi sport clothing and

trophies

under one umbrella

You might be interested to know that awave of excitement not seen sinceBarnsley avoided relegation with the lastkick of the season in 2007 has engulfedthe area with the news that the Olympictorch will be coming up our street.

Old Mr Mortiboys in the second-hand shopnext door had planned to put up a picturesurrounded by union jacks of Fanny Blankers-Koen winning the 100 metres at the 1948London Olympics, until someone told him shewas Dutch.

HARD TIMEWe also had a meeting of local traders to talkabout ways of commemorating the event. Thechip shop is going to do an Olympic Specialwith gravy on the chips, but Mr Androutspoulos,who runs the kebab shop next to the bookies,said he wanted nothing to do with the Olympicsuntil the EC stopped giving Greece a hard timeand gave back the Elgin Marbles.

As the only sports shop in the street, I feltwe were expected to do something prettyspecial so I appointed my assistant Norman asOlympic festivitiescoordinator andtold him to comeup with somebright ideasbefore theweekend or Iwouldn’t beresponsible for theconsequences.

NormallyNorman rises to a challenge,particularly if he’sthreatened with thesack, but byThursday all we hadwas a competition tofind the most sportingterms beginning with‘O’, a dog Olympics onthe recreation groundand an exhibition of running shoesthrough the ages (Norman thought his dad’sblack pumps were somewhere in the shed).

“I’ve got it,” were his first words on Fridaymorning. Apparently he had met a bloke inthe pub who was on some committee helping

TAIL-ENDER

to pick the people who would carry theOlympic torch through the town, andif we played our cards right Normancould probably be one of them.

When I reminded him that hishamstrings had been playing up inthe cold weather and he wasdown for a cartilage operation in2014, Norman said you onlycarried the torch for 300 metresand if a woman of 84 on twosticks could do it, so could he.

“I could pretend my shoelacewas undone and stop outside theshop,” Norman said. “You could thencome out with a poster saying ‘Be anOlympic winner at Elite Sports Enterprises’ orsomething. We’d be in all the papers.”

Norman said 110 torchbearers wereneeded every day and they had to be what was termed ‘community rolemodels’. “You could write a letter telling themhow I did a darts marathon for charity withthose girls in Lycra shellsuits,” said Norman.“Or on second thoughts, perhaps not.

“Anyway, I got the impression from thebloke I met that if wecould do him a gooddeal on a mini pooltable there should beno problem aboutbecoming atorchbearer.”

The next daya woman whosaid she was anoutdoorcommunityrecreationaladviser broughtNorman thecouncil’sapplicationform. Theywere obviouslylooking for a

cross betweenSuperman and the

Archbishop ofCanterbury. Applicants should have nocriminal record and no respiratory or seriousmuscular complaints or skin conditionsaffected by heat and naked flames.

BADINAGEThey should be able to move briskly in astraight line without being distracted by suddenmovements or loud noises and not bedisconcerted by badinage or people asking for alight for their fags.

Next to arrive was a health and safetycompliance implementation officer to checkthat our shops were not likely to collapse on therunners without warning and put the flame out.We should also provide non-slip sand on thepavement, easily accessible fire extinguishers,fire blankets, a member of staff trained inmouth-to-mouth resuscitation and hot sweet tea.

I didn’t like the way he kept wonderingwhether the parcel tape round the cold waterpipe complied with the 1992 WorkplaceSanitary Regulations and what Norman’s bikewas doing in the toilet. We managed to distracthim with a mug of tea and two of Norman’sHobnobs, but for how long, I wondered?

And when Norman reported that he had tohave a medical in the firm’s time and that hisnew mate now said that the deal should includea spare set of spot and stripe pool balls and acouple of four-piece black ash cues, we agreedthat it probably wasn’t worth all the bother. Theupshot was that someone has anonymouslyrecommended that old Mr Mortiboys shouldcarry the torch up our street (he should be ableto manage on one stick), giving Norman timeto have another look at the dog Olympics idea.

I have to say it’s looking promising.Norman reckons that with a bit of luck and afollowing wind his bull terrier should leaveUsain Bolt standing in the 100 metres.

UNDER THECOUNTER


A sideways look at the worldof independent retailing

“”

NORMAN SAIDYOU ONLY

CARRIED THE

TORCH FOR 300

METRES AND IF

A WOMAN OF 84

ON TWO STICKS

COULD DO IT, SOCOULD HE

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