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Sports SERVING THE SPORTS TRADE IN THE UK AND ROI www.sports-insight.co.uk £3.50 OCTOBER 2011 Insight THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF SPORTS AND PLAY ASSOCIATIONS SEE PAGE 34/35 INSIDE THIS ISSUE DAVID VS GOLIATH How one retailer competes against the big boys MARKETING Expert advice on avoiding basic blunders E-TAILING Top tips for a successful Christmas season IN SEASON Focus on swimming, football and rugby 9Zhe^iZdcanWZ^c\[dgbZY^c'%%.B6CI>HHedgi^h[VhiWZXdb^c\Vc^ciZgcVi^dcVaangZXd\c^hZYWgVcYl^i]VegZhZcXZi]gdj\]djii]Z JH6!:jgdeZVcY6jhigVa^V#I]ZiZVb]VkZVlZVai]d[ZmeZg^ZcXZl^i]^ci]ZiZcc^h^cYjhignVcYlZgZegZk^djhangZhedch^WaZ[dgV cjbWZgd[gVX`ZihjhZYWnegd[Zhh^dcVaeaVnZghdci]Z6IELI6idjg# I]ZB6CI>He]^adhde]n^hh^beaZÄÆidegdk^YZZmXZei^dcVafjVa^inegdYjXihVikVhianhjeZg^dgeg^XZhÇVcYl^i]i]^hdW_ZXi^kZi]ZZci^gZ gVX`ZigVc\Z]VhWZZcYZkZadeZYjh^c\]^\]bdYjajhXVgWdcÒWgZ#I]ZgZ^hVgVX`ZiVkV^aVWaZidhj^iZkZgnineZd[eaVnZgi]gdj\]hjWiaZ VY_jhibZcih^ci]ZlZ^\]iVcYXdchigjXi^dcd[ZVX][gVbZ# L:><=IJCHIGJC</ (%%\ 76A6C8:JCHIGJC</ ('%bb =:69H>O:/ A:C<I=/ 8DCHIGJ8I>DC/ &%%hf#>c ',Ç &%%=B8VgWdc '-*\ ('*bb &%%hf#>c ',Ç &%%=B8VgWdc '+*\ ((*bb &%%hf#>c ',Ç &%%=B8VgWdc '*%\ ()*bb &%%hf#>c ',Ç &%%=B8VgWdc ,'7Vaa 7jX`Zih# 6ahdVkV^aVWaZ^c7A68@# 6ahdVkV^aVWaZ^c7A68@# &%GVX`ZiI]Zgbd 6kV^aVWaZ^c7A68@$H>AK:G7A68@$G:9 6kV^aVWaZ^cL=>I:7AJ:# JaigVEgZb^jb LdkZc8adi] IZcc^hWVaa 6kV^aVWaZ^cL=>I:!7A68@E>C@# +GVX`ZiI]Zgbd EaZVhZXdciVXijh[dgbdgZ^c[dgbVi^dcVWdjii]ZB6CI>HWgVcY G:N9DCHEDGIHI/ ))%&&*.%%'()%:/hVaZh@gZnYdchedgih#Xdblll#bVci^h"hedgi#Xdb www.gamegear.co.uk PERFORMANCE WEAR FOR PERSONALISATION LISTEN WITHOUT POLYURETHANE WITHOUT PREJUDICE, NOTICE OF IMPENDING ACTION FROM THE PRIMAL LEGAL DEPT. PROCEEDINGS WILL SHORTLY COMMENCE TO ADDRESS SPORTS RETAILERS FAILING TO STOCK IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW. ONGOING TRADING IN CONTRAVENTION TO AND WITH DISREGARD OF, GOVERNING LAWS, VALIDATED BY THE ESTABLISHMENT AND FOUNDATIONAL TO EVOLUTIONARY PRINCIPLE, MAY RESULT IN IMMEDIATE VISITATION FROM A PRIMAL REPRESENTATIVE.... For enquiries &/or repentance! 01306 883 240 - [email protected] IN THIS ISSUE CONTENTS 10.11 E-CATALOGUES & BROCHURES To view the latest trade e-catalogues and brochures, visit www.sportsinsight.co.uk. ONLINE COMPETITIONS For more details on the latest Sports Insight online competition visit www.sportsinsight.co.uk and click on the competition tab for your chance to win. WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER Are you missing out on the latest industry news? Then subscribe to the FREE Sports Insight newsletter. Simply go to www.sportsinsight.co.uk and click on the newsletter tab. WWW.SPORTS-INSIGHT.CO.UK ABC Certification SportsInsight working with Sports Insight has a current ABC certified circulation of 5,496 (audit period July 1, 2010 - June 30, 2011). The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) is an independent audit watchdog that verifies magazines’ circulation figures, providing accurate and comparable data for advertisers. ABC Certification demonstrates a media owner’s integrity, in their willingness to be audited and to conform to industry standards. COVER STORIES 30 MARKETING Expert advice on avoiding basic blunders 36 DAVID VS GOLIATH How one retailer competes with the big boys 65 E-TAILING 66 UNDER THE COUNTER Top tips for a successful Christmas season A sideways look at the world of independent retailing REGULARS IN SEASON 10 NEWS Latest headlines, key dates and events 14 KIT STOP Essential stock for your shop 45 CRICKET 48 RUGBY 52 TABLE TENNIS 55 FOOTBALL 56 SWIMMING 59 INDOOR SPORTS 22 FOCUS ON ASICS 33 range 23 FSPA FOCUS FEATURES 28 UPPING THEIR GAME The latest news from the Federation of Sports and Play Associations Ireland’s independent sports retailers are having to fight for every sale 24 TALKING SHOP 32 TRADITIONAL VALUES Sarah Thornton is manager of cycle equipment store Biketreks 27 MOVERS & SHAKERS Frédéric Olivier, president of Force XV 60 E-TAILING A robust hosting service for your online store is a prerequisite for its success Editor: Jeff James. Tel: 01273 748675 Group Editor: Ted Rowe Email: [email protected] Publisher: Matthew Tudor Assistant Editors: Catherine Eade and Louise Ramsay Art Director: Jim Philp Advertising Manager: Keith Marshall Tel: 01206 508601 WITH A MODERN TOUCH If you’re not connecting with modern technology, chances are you’re not going to connect with customers 38 MY SPORTING LIFE Although he retired from first class cricket 10 years ago, as a brand manager for Gray-Nicolls Nick Wilton is still deeply involved in the game All contents © Maze Media (2000) Limited. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure the veracity and integrity of the companies, persons, products and services mentioned in this publication and details given are believed to be accurate at the time of going to press. However, no responsibility or liability whatsoever can be accepted for any consequence or repercussion of responding to any information or advice given or inferred. No part of this publication may be copied, broadcast, interpreted, or stored, in any form, for any purpose, without the written permission of the publisher. Tel: 01206 505947 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Designer: Chris Ashworth Fax: 01206 500243. Advertisement Art Director: Clare Brasier Advertising Sales Reproduction: Ace Pre-Press. Tel: 01206 797541 21-23 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Rd, Accounts: Philip Bale. Tel: 01206 505907 Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY Published by Maze Media (2000) Ltd, 21-23 Phoenix ABC certified circulation: 5,496 (audit period July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011) Group Advertising Manager: Sam Reubin Court, Hawkins Rd, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY UK/ROW SUBSCRIPTION: £25/£42.50 for one year (10 issues) 06 www.sports-insight.co.uk KNOCK-ON EFFECT Brands are hoping the 2011 Rugby World Cup will provide a welcome boost for sales of both replica and non-replica product, says the NPD Group This year’s Rugby World Cup looks set to boost sales of replica kit across Europe, with brands such as Canterbury, Nike, Puma, Kappa, KooGa, Under Armour and adidas hoping to benefit from what has been a declining market during the past few years. Replica shirts generated close to £30 million worth of sales in the big five European countries in 2010 (Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Italy), a figure that’s been on the slide since 2008. Nearly three out of four replica shirts were sold in Great Britain, making it by far the biggest European market ahead of France. CONTROVERSIAL adidas’ controversial pricing of the All Blacks shirt in New Zealand might increase online sales of the jersey in Great Britain, after fans discovered it was cheaper to purchase it from a UK or US-based eretailer and have it shipped to them, instead of buying locally. England’s black away kit, unveiled before the Rugby World Cup, launched the battle between adidas and Nike. The strip looks similar to New Zealand’s iconic 127-year-old All Blacks jersey, and although it has generated anger among All Blacks’ fans, it could turn out to be a clever marketing ploy by Nike. Four years ago the Rugby World Cup - hosted by France, with Wales and Scotland staging some of the games - saw England reach the final, a feat that significantly impacted replica sales. According to NPD’s Online Consumer Panel, £9 million was spent on the England shirt in the 12 months following the tournament, while total sales of the French equivalent (the team reached the semi-finals of the tournament) topped £7 million. Defeated in the quarter-finals by the unpredictable French, the All Blacks shirt was the third most popular purchase during the period. Buying patterns show that the further teams went in the tournament the more replica product was sold. NON-REPLICA When it comes to rugby, non-replica shirts represent a lucrative market. Looking at Great Britain alone, NPD estimates that among the 1.2 million rugby shirts sold in 08 www.sports-insight.co.uk 2010, nearly 50 per cent of them were non-replica. One of the main drivers of non-replica sales is price, as in 2010 consumers were able to save an average £9 on each purchase, compared to replica. Cotton Traders, a company that supplies kits to clubs in the Aviva Premiership, registered significant sales of nonreplicas shirts, which tend to be more colourful and extravagant. England’s excellent recent record on the world stage partly explains why the Aviva Premiership is the third best attended club competition in England behind football’s Premier League and Championship. During the 2010-11 season the average attendance in the Aviva Premiership was RUGBY “ S REPLICA SHIRT GENERATED CLOSE TO £30 MILLION OF IG SALES IN THE B FIVE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES IN 2010 13,003, compared to 17,457 in the Championship. 750,000 people were on the streets of London to welcome the England team after their World Cup victory in Australia in 2003, which shows the passion and enthusiasm for rugby in Great Britain. New Zealand is currently under pressure to put on a successful Rugby World Cup, but in 2015 the focus switches to these shores, with England the hosts, having fought off rival bids from South Africa and Italy. ” 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. www.sports-insight.co.uk 09 WHAT’S NEWS ALL THE VERY LATEST IN THE SPORTS INDUSTRY... Send your news stories to the Sports Insight news desk at [email protected] or call 01273 748675 Independent Sports Retailers Alliance THE YOUTH SPORT TRUST: SPORT CHANGES LIVES The Youth Sport Trust is passionate about helping young people achieve their full potential in life and in sport by delivering high quality PE and sport. To date the impact the organisation has had nationally has been significant. Between 2004-2010 the Youth Sport Trust helped increase the number of young people participating in at least two hours of school sport from 1.8 million to 6.5 million. In the past 12 months the Young Ambassador programme has inspired hundreds of young people to promote the Olympic and Paralympic values, while the Step into Sport programme has created hundreds of young sporting role models and the 2011 Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week involved over 12,000 schools and over four million pupils. In order to bring this mission to life the Youth Sport Trust works in partnership with a range of government departments, sporting organisations and the private sector. Working in collaboration with select businesses provides the ability to support the work of the Youth Sport Trust and therefore the lives of young people through the positioning of innovative products/services that can help with the delivery of a high quality PE and sport experience. The Business Honours Club is a framework that offers commercial company’s access to the sector’s YST champion. It’s an exclusive commercial membership scheme for businesses interested in education, particularly PE and sport. This commercially focused initiative is the primary engagement mechanism for businesses working with the Youth Sport Trust and offers a series of targeted benefits that can support the engagement and promotion of sport specific solutions through association with a quality mark, confirming the business bearing it is innovative and pre-approved. There is a multitude of additional, progressive and commercially rewarding benefits. Examples include targeted and national marketing and communicational routes to market, networking, research, innovation and development opportunities with key personnel within the sectors, market insight through business-to-business events, and exclusive access to audiences through flagship conferences and exhibitions. In addition, the Youth Sport Trust also champions development with businesses through its innovation arm, Youth Sport Direct, which promotes product development, product refinement, resource development and online sales opportunities through its web shop. For more information visit www.youthsporttrust.org/supportus, email [email protected] or call 01509 226624. BENEFITS As part of the group, independent sports retailers create a dynamic unit. The benefits are considerable: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Stronger collective buying. Better discounts. SMU and broader product offerings. Access to new suppliers. Lower costs. Own-brand product. Improved profit margins. Market awareness and opportunities. www.isra.ie 10 www.sports-insight.co.uk Transfer …Lisa Thompson is ASICS’ new apparel and accessories product manager for the UK and Ireland. Thompson joins the brand with a wealth of experience, including running her own business and a number of years at Reebok, where she rose to global product manager. Thompson will be responsible for the continued growth of ASICS’ apparel offering, which has seen a 171 per cent sales increase since 2010…Ronhill Sports and Hilly Limited have appointed Laura Finucane as the brands’ first joint technical representative. Finucane, a former international athlete, will support the respective sales teams with product training and retail support…Charlotte Dover has joined 1000 Mile Sportswear as national sales manager. Dover previously worked at Burton McCall and Canterbury…Nike has announced that Michael Egeck will be the new CEO of Hurley International… Market “Firstly, there was no dwarf throwing - that’s just not cool.” The manager of The Altitude Bar in New Zealand responds to tabloid stories about England’s Rugby World Cup antics Sponsorship …Dean ‘Over The Top’ Winstanley has signed with Winmau. The current World Darts Federation number one will work closely with Winmau’s engineers to create a new set of signature darts…MKK Sports has agreed a deal with Harlequins Rugby League to supply the Super League club’s training and match-day kit for the next two years…Puma has signed Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero, Atlético Madrid’s record signing Radamel Falcao and Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas to long-term boot deals…British Welterweight star Kell Brook has inked a sponsorship deal with adidas to become its UK boxing ambassador…Aston Villa has followed in the footsteps of Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton by agreeing a partnership with Japanese mobile content provider CWS Brains. The deal will allow Japanese fans to download Aston Villa news, ringtones, wallpapers, screensavers and videos…UK Sport has announced Bupa as its official Health Insurance Partner until June 2013, alongside BAE Systems, British Airways and Maxinutrition… News REEBOK ACCUSED OF DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING Reebok has agreed to pay $25 million to settle charges from The Federal Trade Commission in America that it deceptively advertised its toning shoes as providing extra tone and strength to leg and buttock muscles. According to the US consumer watchdog, Reebok made unsupported claims in advertisements that walking in its EasyTone shoes and running in its RunTone shoes strengthen and tone key leg and buttock muscles more than regular shoes. The FTC also alleges Reebok falsely claimed that walking in EasyTone footwear had been proven to lead to 28 per cent more strength and tone in the buttock muscles, 11 per cent more strength and tone in the hamstring muscles, and 11 per cent more strength and tone in the calf muscles than regular walking shoes. Beginning in early 2009, Reebok made its claims through print, television and internet advertisements, the FTC alleged. The claims also appeared on shoe boxes and retail displays. Under the settlement Reebok is barred from: ● Making claims that toning shoes and other toning apparel are effective in strengthening muscles, or that using the footwear will result in a specific percentage or amount of muscle toning or strengthening, unless the claims are true and backed by scientific evidence. ● Making any health or fitness related efficacy claims for toning shoes and other toning apparel, unless the claims are true and backed by scientific evidence. ● Misrepresenting any tests, studies or research results regarding toning shoes and other toning apparel. “The FTC wants national advertisers to understand that they must exercise some responsibility and ensure their claims for fitness gear are supported by sound science,” says David Vladeck, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. INTERSPORT 2011 AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED Intersport revealed its supplier award winners at a social evening following day one of its Q2 show on September 27-28. Announced by general manager Tom Foley, with guest of honour Jonathan Trott presenting the trophies, the winners were: Best Footwear Brand of the Year 2011: ASICS. Best Apparel Brand of the Year 2011: adidas. Best Hardware Brand of the Year 2011: Babolat. Best Overall Brand of the Year 2011: adidas. Best Salesperson of the Year 2011: Chris Kelly, Babolat. Best Member Award (as voted for by INTERSPORT suppliers): Withers and George Donald. www.sports-insight.co.uk 11 WHAT’S NEWS ALL THE VERY LATEST IN THE SPORTS INDUSTRY... Send your news stories to the Sports Insight news desk at [email protected] or call 01273 748675 STRONG DEMAND FOR NIKE SALES SOAR AT ACTIVINSTINCT BRANDS BOOSTS REVENUES Nike’s revenues increased 18 per cent to $6.1 billion as net income climbed 15 per cent to $645 million during the three months to August 31 “We’re off to a strong start in fiscal year 2012," says Mark Parker, Nike’s president and CEO. “We have a powerful and diverse portfolio of brands and businesses, and we’re focused on leveraging them to drive growth and create value for our shareholders. “It pays to be prudent in times like these. It’s also essential that we remain on the offense, creating opportunities. We do that by connecting with consumers, designing innovative products and delivering amazing experiences. That’s how we continue to lead this company and the industry into the future.” As of the end of the quarter, worldwide futures orders for Nike athletic footwear and apparel, scheduled for delivery from September 2011 to January 2012, totalled $8.5 billion, 16 per cent higher than orders reported for the same period last year. Activinstinct, the fast growing online sports retailer, increased sales by 33 per cent to £11 million in its year ending August 31, with profits up 84 per cent. The company is forecasting to increase sales by a further 40 per cent and profits by 70 per cent in its current financial year. Activinstinct says growth will come from existing channels and from the push into international markets, as it aims for overseas sales to overtake domestic revenue within 18 months. The retailer has already started its drive into European markets through the launch of its first overseas site in France in April, and euro denominated sales now account for 25 per cent of revenue. Germany will be the company’s next launch, followed by several other European territories in 2012. “Although the UK has been the bedrock of the company’s performance to date, we now see outstanding prospects right across mainland Europe,” says Mike Thornhill, Activinstinct’s chief executive. “At the same time, we are looking at moves further afield to follow our European ventures. The turbines that will drive our growth for the future will certainly be in international markets.” MBT OPENS SECOND FLAGSHIP STORE MBT has opened a new store at Westfield Stratford City. The 800 sq ft London outlet is stocking the brand’s exclusive autumn/winter 2011 collection as well as its latest, award winning shoe, the Ari. Bettina Frohn, head of marketing at MBT, says: “We are 12 www.sports-insight.co.uk delighted to be opening our second London flagship store in Westfield Stratford City, building on the success of the standalone MBT store in Westfield Shepherd’s Bush, and we aim to continue investing in expanding a solid retail network of MBT stores throughout the UK.” “Two bob.” Clive Allen’s verdict on Arsene Wenger after the Arsenal manager failed to shake the Tottenham coach’s hand … Helly Hansen has appointed Tamim Ltd to oversee its lifestyle specific sales strategy for all the company’s national and independent footwear accounts. Established by sportswear sales specialists Gary Lee and Pete Cole, Tamim will also be responsible for driving forward distribution channels for Helly Hansen’s growing range of sunglasses, luggage and accessories…HI-TEC has appointed King Par LLC as the exclusive North American sales and distribution partner for the brand’s golf products…etnies has opened a new flagship store in Amsterdam that showcases the largest collection of the brand’s footwear and apparel in Europe… HI-TEC is planning a series of branded trail running events. Called the HI-TEC Ultra Trail Series 2012, it is to be handled by experienced endurance events company Extreme Energy…The Football League has launched a 47-match Family Football Festival that will run until December to encourage families to attend an npower Football League game. Each club will announce specific activities at their designated fixture with family-themed entertainment before, during and after each match, such as fancy dress competitions and face painting…five sports are set to receive additional funding from Sport England to boost their grass roots programmes and deliver a lasting legacy beyond the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Netball, cycling, running, canoeing and lacrosse will share a total of £3.5 million… Sports shorts JD SPORTS’ FIRST-HALF PROFITS RISE 20% Profits at JD Sports rose 20.6 per cent to £20.1 million during the first six months of 2011, while group revenue increased by 14.6 per cent to £439.8 million for the same period. Gross margins declined slightly to 48 per cent (2010: 48.2 per cent). £700,000 of stock was looted from 16 JD stores during the recent riots in England. One outlet in Woolwich, which suffered fire damage, is still not open. JD’s distribution business, which comprises Canterbury, Topgrade, Deakins, KooGa, Kukri and Focus, made a first half operating loss of £500,000, compared to £1 million in 2010, primarily due to increased profit from Canterbury, where first-half profits grew to £900,000 (2010: £500,000) "Our continual focus on exploiting all avenues of revenue growth and margin protection has enabled us to deliver a level of profit that represents a platform for meeting expectations for the full year, although trading conditions remain tough,” says executive chairman Peter Cowgill. "Trading since the period end has continued to improve, with gross like-for-like sales for the core UK and Ireland retail fascias in the seven-week period to September 17 up by 3.3 per cent. “The result for the full year remains dependent on the sales and margin performance in December and January, and we will issue an interim management statement in the third quarter in November.” Cowgill adds: "We continue to look for appropriate acquisition opportunities which can deliver additional sources of future earnings growth, principally in overseas sports retail, but also to complement our core retail fascias. "The board again believes that the group is well positioned for future growth across its markets and trading is in line with its expectations." www.sports-insight.co.uk 13 PRODUCT ROUND-UP KIT STOP Essential stock for your shop LEE SPORTS DISTRIBUTORS Lee Sports Distributors distributes uhlsport, Precision Training, Unicorn, PowerGlide, Vulkan and Sorbothane. For more information contact John O’Connell at Lee Sports Distributors Ltd, Unit 3, MFT Business Park, Doughcloyne Industrial Estate, Wilton, Cork, Ireland. Tel: + 353 21 4545240. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.leesportsireland.com. REEBOK FITNESS Reebok Fitness’ product portfolio ranges from key training items such as fitness mats and dumbbells, to innovative new products that take the sports equipment industry by surprise. Reebok Fitness has just launched its new EasyTone Step, inspired by Reebok’s EasyTone Moving Air Technology, and the TrainPod. EASYTONE STEP The integrated balance pods below the step platform have been engineered to create natural instability to force muscles to adapt and encourage toning. (Available in professional and retail versions.) TRAINPOD A fun and enjoyable toning experience designed to work muscles you never knew you had. The vertical air transfer through the pod provides instability to help encourage muscle activation. For more information email [email protected] or visit www.reebokfitness.co.uk or www.rfeinternational.com. 14 www.sports-insight.co.uk www.sportindustry.biz 1000 MILE SPORTSWEAR The team is looking forward to showing you additions to the 1000 Mile sock range, together with the bestselling Fusion and Fusion Walk socks (with their Achilles tendon protection and blister-free guarantee). Additionally, this is the perfect time to see the company’s new brand, Ultimate Performance - running and outdoor accessories developed for the UK consumer with good margin for retailers and value for money for consumers. Other brands being shown include Noene, Thuasne and Compeed. For an appointment email [email protected] or call Nick Charles on 07968 307525. www.sports-insight.co.uk 15 PRODUCT ROUND-UP MCDAVID: PROTECT YOUR BODY McDavid recognises the importance of protecting an athlete’s body in any situation and presents a range of products under the ‘Protect Your Body’ strapline. The brand offers three core ranges: MCDAVID SPORTS SUPPORTS Based on three simple to understand protection levels, the range of McDavid sports supports offers the consumer everything - from basic two-way stretch elasticated supports, through to more sophisticated hinged knee braces. MCDAVID HDC BASELAYERS With its patented hDc technology, McDavid’s performance apparel helps prevent your body’s core temperature from rising too high, which can lead to poor performance, early exhaustion and dehydration. MCDAVID HEXPAD PROTECTIVE BASELAYERS The next generation of baselayers, McDavid has combined its patented hDc technology with HexPad technology to deliver super lightweight and breathable protection to absorb and dissipate impact. Contact McDavid on 08701 188002 or email [email protected]. ALPHA STRONG SANDBAGS Alpha Strong sandbags are internationally renowned for their extreme durability, superior quality and outstanding versatility. Supplied exclusively to the UK through functional training specialist Jordan Fitness, Alpha Strong’s range of sandbags include the Powerbag and Thy range, which are able to support the most intense of exercise regimes. Manufactured to combat issues that other sandbag manufacturers encounter, each bag has six padded handles, reinforced with triple stitch bar-tacked zigzag stitching. The bags are also made using a high count nylon outer shell to ensure maximum durability and product lifespan for the user. Weight can also be easily adjusted via a non-leak inner liner to provide a full body workout suited to the needs of every user. For more information call 01945 880257, email [email protected] or visit www.jordanfitness.co.uk. 16 www.sports-insight.co.uk www.sportindustry.biz CARIBEE BACKPACKS Brand Agility is delighted to announce the 2012 Caribee UK launch featuring an exciting new range of backpacks with retail price points starting from £15. Impala 28L: RRP £27.50. Trail 30L: RRP £49. ● Caribee offers quality products at reasonable prices. ● No minimum order. ● Delivery next day from stock. ● Free shipping on orders over £250 (mainland UK - £350 NI and ROI). ● Free point of sale material. See the new range at The Schoolwear Show and STAG show. For further information on Caribee call Jacquie Sandison on 0131 554 5555 or email [email protected]. PROTECT YOUR BODY WITH SHOCK DOCTOR Whether you’re playing rugby, cricket or sparring, you always have to make sure you protect your body from dangerous blows. Shock Doctor specialises in technological advances to create protective sports equipment for athletes, making sure you are always safe. GEL MAX MOUTHGUARD The heavy-duty rubber exoskeletal shock frame and gel-fit liner provides maximum protection, fit and comfort in an easy-to-fit triple layered design. It’s ideal for all contact sports. REFLEX ULTRA SHORTS The sonic welded compression moulded foam pads maximise impact protection on the exposed tackle area. The wraparound X-Fit Retention System and anti-microbial, moisture wicking four-way stretch fabric draws sweat away from the skin to provide a close, comfortable fit that minimises odour. ULTRA SUPPORTER WITH ULTRA CARBON FLEX CUP This multi-sport X-Fit supporter is made of extra supportive four-way stretchable material with a unique wraparound X-Fit cup Retention System. All products are available in national sporting goods shops, and for online visit www.eninety.com. www.sports-insight.co.uk 17 PRODUCT ROUND-UP CYBERTILL Cybertill’s web-based EPoS system allows sports retailers to increase sales while reducing stock. What’s more, retailers can manage their store and ecommerce from the system. Independent retailers cannot normally afford to ring fence large amounts of valuable stock for web sales, but at the same time the vast majority of separate websites don’t communicate in real time to retailers’ EPoS stock control system, meaning that web stock levels are either not available online, which reduces customer confidence, or are simply inaccurate, which allows for sales to be made against stock already sold in store. Cybertill, a cloud-based EPoS solution, has the capability to share stock in real time with a store or stores and provide a truly integrated solution. This removes all the above stock issues and allows for a unified customer file as well, so customer tracking and loyalty systems are also integrated, thus increasing sales. It is even possible for clients to reserve online and collect in store, again in real time, resulting in increased sales. You can see Cybertill at both STAG Buying Shows in October and November. For more information call 0800 030 4432, email [email protected] or visit www.cybertill.co.uk. 18 www.sports-insight.co.uk www.sportindustry.biz EKTIO TM ● Ektio the most revolutionary patented sports boot on the planet. ● Physician designed to prevent ankle sprains. ● With two in-built straps, this secures the foot to the boot and supports the ankle, while the bumpers on the side of the boot prevent the ankle from turning over. ● Clinically tested / athlete approved. ● Light and nimble with lateral bumpers for flat landings. Suitable for indoor fivea-side football, basketball, tennis, squash, skateboarding and netball (all sports played on a hard surface). ● Gives athletes more time playing sport and teams more player availability. ● No need for tape and ankle braces. ● Can be used as a remedial tool by helping athletes with weak ankles to train confidently and play sports at full pace. ● Cuts the cost out of rehabilitation expense for the individual and teams. TM For more information visit www.alphaii.co.uk or call Keith Childs on 07411 466292 ELEMENT SINGLE STICK BAG New colours for 2011. While maintaining the same features and exceptional quality of the Element - the single stick bag in the 2011 range - Mercian has used new fabrics and colours to enhance this versatile, entry level bag, retaining the popular features of a padded shoulder strap, enlarged valuables pocket with a neoprene storm flap and space for a single stick. Product Code: HO26. Colours: black ripstop, metallic red, metallic blue, pink pinstripe or pink zebra stripe. Size: 95cm x 15cm approximately. For more information call 01483 757677 or email [email protected]. www.sports-insight.co.uk 19 PRODUCT ROUND-UP For more information visit Saucony’s stand at the STAG Ireland show, visit www.saucony.co.uk, speak to your Saucony representative or call 01794 537537. SAUCONY Saucony will once again be attending the STAG Ireland show with a collection of great offers on current and future products. As with the rest of the UK, Saucony is already growing rapidly across the whole of Ireland and is developing some great partnerships with specialist and general sports stores alike. Product-wise, minimalism footwear and ViZi-PRO apparel are the key ranges for A/W11 and into 2012. GLENWAY IN IRELAND Glenway will be showing for the second time at the STAG Show in Tullamore, where Tim and Glenn look forward to meeting customers old and new. Some of the 2012 range will be on display, and for the first time their will be trophies specifically for the Irish sports of hurling and Gaelic football, as well as traditional Irish dance trophies. Come and have a chat and see what show offers are available. For more information call +44 (0)116 2448131. 20 www.sports-insight.co.uk www.sportindustry.biz TEAM COLOURS Team Colours offers the complete custom package for teams that want a professional and distinctive image. A wide range of bespoke manufacture options is available for team kits, tracksuits and hooded tops, as well as a great selection of matching extras. With printing and embroidery services available for most products, teams can customise anything from training and leisurewear to sports bags and equipment. Put your club badge on a set of custom training balls, water bottles or bespoke ties. These options can even be customised to individual names or numbers. For creating unique teamwear, Team Colours provides a range of online designer tools and can mock up visuals on request. To enquire about custom team options go online or call the sales team. For more information call +44 (0)1920 871453 / +44 (0)1920 877270, email [email protected] or visit www.team-colours.co.uk. www.sports-insight.co.uk 21 PRODUCT PROFILE FOCUSON ASICS 33 range Eóin Treacy, marketing manager for ASICS UK and Ireland, talks us through the offering. WHAT IS THE 33 RANGE? ASICS 33 is a new collection of lightweight footwear that offers a new natural running experience. The 33 collection forms a new ‘natural’ category in ASICS’ performance running footwear range, offering protection, flexibility, comfort and support in a lightweight, less structured package. WHAT MAKES 33 DIFFERENT? ‘33’ derives its names from the 33 joints that make up the foot. What makes the 33 collection so different is that ASICS has managed to capture the lightweight, natural running experience through a decade of research and development without exposing the user to the risks that barefoot running can produce. The two core technologies at work within the 33 category are the ASICS Impact Guidance Line and extended Propulsion Trusstic. These work together with the foot at every point of ground contact to enhance its natural propelling motion, while protecting it from injury. KEY FEATURES AND BENEFITS The ASICS GEL-33 collection is a natural shoe that still provides the crucial support required, but allows every runner, regardless of physical condition, to experience natural running owing to ASICS’ unique Impact Guidance Line and Propulsion Trusstic technologies that are built around the foot’s natural movement. The Guidance Line system is a vertical grove design in the shoe that runs from the heel to the toe. It’s positioned to channel the pressure through the foot in the most efficient way. The other technology in play is the Propulsion Trusstic, which mimics the movement of the foot’s vital connective tissue, the plantar facia, providing both support and allowing the energy stored during heel strike and midstance to be released at toe-off for maximum propulsion. ASICS works with international research consultant Simon Bartold, who is a specialist sports podiatrist, and he believes: “The 33 collection is a unique product designed to work with all 33 joints of the foot. This destructured product offers flexibility and comfort in a lightweight package.” HOW WAS THE RANGE DEVELOPED? ASICS has a wealth of research and development expertise at its Institute of Sports Science, which opened in 1979 in Kobe, Japan, and it is the team of sports scientists at this R&D centre who looked into the science of natural running to develop the 33 series. The collection derives from an in-depth understanding of the natural movement of the foot, its 33 joints and how that movement adapts and changes according to many different factors, such as a runner’s pace, gait and physique. WHO IS THE RANGE AIMED AT? The 33 collection is a range that offers something for every runner. Research is increasingly showing that mixing the 22 www.sports-insight.co.uk loading on the body and the input signals is a very important injury prevention strategy. This is why ASICS advises runners to vary the surface, intensity and terrain of their runs. The company recommends using a variety of shoes, which is where the 33 series plays such an important role. Suitable for everyday running as well as mixed training with other ASICS products, the 33 collection is a very versatile offering. As Simon Bartold puts it, the ASICS 33 range: “Is ideal for the runner wishing to add a new mix to their training schedule. They’ve been designed for an awesome road feel and ride in the tradition of our long-held belief the shoe should work with the foot and not against it.” As with all athletic footwear, ASICS recommends that those runners with substantial biomechanical challenges should select a maximum support shoe. HOW IS IT MARKETED? The first two models in the 33 series - the GEL-HYPER 33 and GEL-EXCEL 33 - will launch in November, and on the 25th of the same month ASICS will hold a natural running debate at Europe’s biggest sports medicine conference, the ASICS UK Sports and Exercise Medicine Conference in London. Daniel Lieberman, a Harvard professor and well-known advocate of barefoot running, will be a key part of the symposium along with Simon Bartold. Hundreds of industry medical professionals will attend the conference, where industry experts from around the world will speak on various topics, from injury prevention to the affects of the 2012 Olympics. Continuing from this, ASICS will roll out content rich online and print content for the information hungry running and health and fitness consumer, along with an above-the-line advertising campaign, window campaigns and PoS for selected retailers that will continue well into 2012, when the GEL-VOLT 33 will also be introduced. FSPA MEMBER NEWS FSPAfocus The latest news from the Federation of Sports and Play Associations Playing a key role in the UK sports industry, the Federation of Sports and Play Associations has taken the decision to play an active role in the government’s Public Health Responsibility Deal, pledging to provide opportunities for its 550strong membership base to take part in helping people become more physically active. The Department of Health (DH) has recognised it cannot tackle the challenges of poor diet, harmful drinking and a lack of exercise on its own. It states that: “Public health is everyone’s responsibility and there is a role for all of us, working in partnership to tackle these challenges.” As a result, the DH has created the business-to-business Public Health Responsibility Deal, in which the government, industry, the voluntary sector, non-governmental organisations and local government have been brought together to sign up and agree on a voluntary basis the actions they could take to help people make healthier lifestyle choices. The Public Health Responsibility Deal is split into five key networks - food, alcohol, physical activity, health in the workplace and behaviour change. Each of these is based upon a number of collective and individual pledges, which are a series of actions that partners will undertake to support the delivery of the core commitments. The core commitments of the Responsibility Deal define its scope, purpose and high-level ambitions, and include statements such as: “We will encourage and assist people to become more physically active and we will actively support our workforce to lead healthier lives.” The FSPA has committed to the initiative by becoming a member of the Physical Activity Network and signing up to the Community and Workplace pledges. The Community pledge states: “We will use our local presence to get more children and adults more active, more often, including engaging communities in planning and delivery.” The Workplace pledge states: “We will increase physical activity in the workplace, for example, through modifying the environment, promoting workplace champions and removing barriers to physical activity during the working day.” Prior to the Responsibility Deal, the DH launched the public-facing Change4life programme to encourage the people of Britain to lead healthier lives. Using the slogan ‘Eat well, move more, live longer’, Change4life is an attempt to reduce the widespread obesity problem by suggesting simple alternatives to improve diet and activity levels. Joining the FSPA in signing up to the Physical Activity Network are 240 organisations including McCain, CocaCola, Ginsters and McDonald’s, as well as major supermarkets Tesco, Asda and Morrisons, who are all engaged in the collective pledges, as well as creating their own individual pledges specific to their company. The Physical Activity in the Workplace pledge is likely to be the basis of the activity the FSPA is to undertake, providing leadership and support to its 550-plus strong membership base. A meeting with C4L and the FSPA is to take place in the coming weeks where implementing a collective Olympic themed initiative will be discussed, which can then be rolled out to FSPA members to participate in. Public health is everyone’s responsibility and, as the trade association for the sports industry, the FSPA believes it plays a crucial role in leading the industry via the ongoing Responsibility Deal. www.sportsandplay.com. UKGCOA FOUNDER MEMBERS MEETING The FSPA’s newly formed golf association, the UK Golf Course Owners Association (UKGCOA), held its first-ever members’ meeting at Burhill Golf Course on September 8. Over 45 members and suppliers attended the general meeting to discuss the association’s progress and the various activities and plans going forward. Areas discussed included the UK tax debate for golf clubs, which is a hot topic for clubs at present. Presentations were also given by Jim Croxton, CEO of BIGGA, John Bushell of Sports Marketing Surveys and Gary Firkins of Landmark Media. The UKGCOA executive committee also came together for a board meeting prior to the event to discuss topics such as how to grow and proactively take the association forward on behalf of the membership. www.sports-insight.co.uk 23 RETAIL INTERVIEW TALKING SHOP Sarah Thornton is manager of Biketreks, a cycle equipment store based in Ambleside, Cumbria WHY AND HOW DID YOU GET INTO SPORTS RETAILING? Biketreks started in the 1990s with Andy Stevenson selling all manner of cycling equipment from a van. He soon found there was an opportunity to sell cycle equipment to the masses and established a shop in Ambleside. In the last 15 years the business has gone from strength to strength on the promise ‘Staff who ride, gear that works’. WHAT IS THE STRONGEST SECTOR OF THE MARKET? The road market is where we‘ve seen the biggest growth. With the Tour de France having been so captivating this year, many people have been inspired to get out on their bikes. Add to this the increase in petrol prices and more people are starting to bike to work - another growth area. HOW HAS TRADE BEEN OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS? Trade has been steady, with us maintaining good sales across the board, but all growth has been in road biking. The enthusiast market is where we have suffered this year, as we are unable to compete on pricing levels with the likes of CRC and Wiggle. WHAT ARE YOUR CURRENT BEST-SELLING BRANDS AND PRODUCTS? With it winning awards every year and being perfectly suited to the Ambleside terrain, our best-selling bike has always been the Orange Five Pro. As for clothing, Gore Bike Wear is without doubt the product of the moment and most of our staff are decked out top to tail in it, which helps. ARE THERE COMPETITORS NEARBY? HOW DO YOU COMPETE? We have one smaller retailer in the village and two big shops either side of us in the next towns. There is little crossover on branding and local competition isn’t something we concern ourselves with, as we all get along quite happily. We pride ourselves on our knowledge and have a customer charter to provide service to all levels of cyclist, which sets us apart from many cycle retailers. We are not the cheapest, but we guarantee a unique service that is always backed up. We have a referral system in place to encourage current customers to refer new ones and we look after all our customers the same, whether they spend £10 or £5,000. ARE THERE ANY CURRENT OR FUTURE MARKETING STRATEGIES YOU CAN TALK ABOUT? We’ve finally come out of the dark ages with the invention of broadband in the Lake District and are looking to expand our online services with help and information rather than hard selling. HOW DO YOU FIND OUT ABOUT NEW PRODUCTS? We aren’t a member of any buying groups, but when it comes to new products and innovations we are ahead of most people. We are all cycling geeks at heart and always have our ears to the ground, WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST AND LEAST ABOUT THE BUSINESS? The best thing about our shop is its innovation and location. We have the most beautiful scenery with a lifetime’s worth of trails on the doorstep just waiting to be ridden. The thing we like least is other cycle shops’ attitude towards discounting when there is really no need. If you truly believe in a product and know it is right for someone, why should there be the need to discount it? You don’t see Apple doing it, so why does this industry need to with our premium products? WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR BIGGEST RETAIL CHALLENGES? Keeping it fresh and sorting the wheat from the chaff. Also, there is much out there to confuse the consumer and many people end up not buying products as they are constantly researching the best one. Our challenge is educating people to believe in us when we say: “We have done the hard work for you, believe in us and our products, and just get out there riding”. 24 www.sports-insight.co.uk XPRES CUT ® E PERSONALISED SPORTSWEAR SOLUTION increasing demand for low volume runs of onalised sportswear make the Xpres Cut transfer em a must for all suppliers of sports apparel. roduce single and multi colour transfers for ootball Shirts, T-Shirts, Bags, Polo Shirts, Caps, ackets, Tracksuits, Promotional Wear and more o screen or set up costs uperb profit potential 3LHZL ?WYLZ*\[ MVYHZSP[[SLHZ WLY^LLR V]LY`LHYZ www.xpres.co. Tel: 01332 85 50 www.brookspureproject.co.u PEOPLE Frédéric Olivier, president of Force XV WHEN DID YOU GET INTO THE SPORTS TRADE AND WHY? of our size - we don’t want to miss anything and spend tremendous energy and time pushing the brand forward. I run a family business that was set up by my parents in 1985. I am an active sportsman and enjoy windsurfing, surfing, sailing, diving, running, skiing, snowboarding, and played handball and rugby when I was younger, so sport is in my family. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT BESTSELLING PRODUCT? WHO’S BEEN THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR CAREER? Both my father and mother have been great examples of how you can start from nothing, but reach your goals if you are passionate, hardworking and committed. WHAT OTHER BRANDS DO YOU ADMIRE AND WHY? Patagonia sportswear is an example of consistency, while D3O has an excellent business model. I admire Oakley and Neil Pryde for their product design, and I must say that the coherence at Nike is impressive. HOW HAS BUSINESS BEEN DURING THE PAST 12 MONTHS? Our protective products are now very popular all over Europe, thanks to their highly distinctive design and trendy style. WHAT IMPACT DO YOU THINK THIS YEAR’S RUGBY WORLD CUP WILL HAVE ON RUGBY PRODUCT SALES? just entered. We are mainly focused on the field side of rugby, not the street one. HOW’S BUSINESS FOR 2012 SHAPING UP? We are currently busy building a stable basis for our midterm project that will lead us to a European top three position by 2015. At the same time, our sales forecasts are already up 30 per cent for 2012. The global market will grow, but in sectors we have only Tough. We are struggling to get our sales department organised properly, especially when it comes to export. You know how it works in companies www.sports-insight.co.uk 27 IRELAND UPPING THEIR GAME For Ireland’s independent sports retailers it’s no longer a case of just opening the doors and seeing who comes through them. They’re having to fight for every sale With recent research revealing the country’s economy shrank by more than a fifth between 2007 and 2010, Ireland’s independent sports retailers are having to up their game to offset the fall in consumer spending. But despite 14.3 per cent of the labour force being out of work (304,000 people out of a total working population of 2.1 million), there’s still decent business being done by Ireland’s many proactive retailers and the brands that support them, according to John O’Connell, managing director of Lee Sports, which distributes brands such as uhlsport, Precision Training, Sorbothane and Unicorn. SPECIALISTS “It’s very difficult at the moment, but Ireland is not unique in that regard,” says O’Connell. “For retailers, it’s no longer a case of opening the doors and seeing who comes through them. You simply have to fight for every sale. Some retailers have become specialists, which is always a good tactic, while others have gone down the discount road, which also seems to work in the current climate.” Ward Robertson, joint managing director of STAG, agrees that retailers are finding it tough at the moment. “Most sports retailers are now focusing on sport and outdoor pursuits as opposed to fashion,” says Robertson, whose buying group hosts its second All Ireland Buying Show in Tullamore on October 23-24. “Fashion is unpredictable, but sport is still strong. Because of this, many brands are hiring reps specifically to look after Ireland instead of relying on distributors.” The sports market has reaped an unexpected benefit from the economic downturn, as Robertson explains: “Because there is high unemployment, there are more people with free time doing sport to keep themselves fit for the jobs market and to keep their minds sharp.” As well as hurling and Gaelic football, strong sectors of the sports trade in Ireland include triathlon, running and boxing. Adds O’Connell: “People are more health conscious today and many have more time on their hands to devote to sports, which can only be a good thing for the trade.” John Riordan, ISRA’s coordinator, says: “Running seems to 28 www.sports-insight.co.uk be an area bucking the trend. Consumers are gravitating to this cost-effective core activity that they can engage in at a number of levels individually, collectively and at a time to suit.” Nevertheless, keeping a close eye on costs and stock holding is still seen as critical to retail success. “Costs were too high and couldn’t be supported by the margins being achieved,” says O’Connell. “Retailers’ buying patterns have changed also - they’re now buying in less quantities, but doing so more frequently.” Robertson says: “Cutting back on buying and reducing the amount of stock they have in store is the number one thing for retailers at the moment. Also, they’re cutting forward orders.” Austere times further highlight the strengths of the buying group model in the sports trade, where independents are able to take advantage of group buying power, as well as a host of other benefits. BUYING In July Riordan said there was a “real buying environment” at ISRA’s summer show in Killenard. “It is a time where it is critical that the retail and supplier links in the chain work closely together,” he says. “The overall effect of this cooperation was that levels of orders placed at the show were on a par with the same period last year.” No mean feat when you consider Ireland is still experiencing a sharp fall in domestic demand. Adds Riordan: “ISRA retailers are working harder, reducing costs where possible and generally managing their businesses more efficiently. Upskilling, diversifying product offerings, improving merchandising and working more closely with brands are some of the ways that our members are coping with the downturn.” STAG’s looking forward to another successful buying show in Ireland this year. But despite signs of recovery - STAG reports that some of its existing retail members are opening new sports and outdoor shops - Ward Robertson says that retailers are resigned to the fact that they will be in hard times for the next few years. “Although Ireland is considered to have stabilised, it has done so at a low level,” he concludes. MAKE NO To ensure your marketing is effective, it’s important to avoid committing basic errors, says Paul Clapham There is a simple and free way to improve your marketing effectiveness - avoid making the classic errors. Most of these are very basic, but they refuse to go away. If any piece of marketing activity is time sensitive, make sure all the elements can work together or your spend will be wasted. For instance, a major computer company invited me by mail to visit my local stockist after a given date to try its new product. When I went there, they hadn’t yet got it and didn’t know when it was due. BACK TO SCHOOL There was another famous instance that achieved comments by politicians. A retail group advertised its back-to-school range nationally; unfortunately, that included Scotland, where the school year begins earlier than the rest of the UK and children were already in class when the campaign started. Then there was the bank advertising car loans: ‘Be first with the new registration on August 1st’. But by the time the adverts appeared very few dealers could supply a new car for delivery on the said date. Similar, but subtly different, is stock availability. As far as I am concerned, this one beggars belief. Spending one penny on publicising a product that you then can’t supply is madness, but it happens. “ ESS GET SOMEONE L EAD INVOLVED TO R LS YOUR MATERIA E BEFORE THEY’R PRODUCED www.sports-insight.co.uk PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY As witnessed by this magazine and lots of catalogues, the sports industry largely avoids one classic error - using poor photography. Professional photography is expensive because the photographer is trained, understands lighting, shot composition and exposure, and has thousands of pounds worth of kit to show the product off to its best advantage. Your amateur version is just not good enough and it will stand out like the proverbial sore thumb. Use of amateur models is likely to suffer the same problem. Your niece or nephew may be drop dead gorgeous in the flesh, but strangely the camera will find out any flaws in 1/200th of a second. Do not be tempted to use amateur photography in any circumstance and be very wary of amateur models. A general point on photographs is that what makes them interesting is people. Whether it’s product or facilities you’re talking about, pictures are far more interesting with people in them. These comments are especially relevant to photographs for PR. An editor with a choice between a warehouse shot showing just bricks and mortar and another including people wearing or using a product will pick the latter every time. With spellchecker available on every computer, you’d think this would be a thing of the past, but spelling mistakes get a public airing every day. Does it matter? Quite simply, yes. How can a customer trust you to recommend the right product if you can’t spell your own marketing materials correctly? Incidentally, spellchecker won’t solve ” In the run-up to one recent Christmas stores ran out of a product from a major international toy manufacturer - in November. The product was being heavily advertised on TV. Moreover, because of licensing agreements it was not going to be produced again. So what was the TV spend for? In the same year there was a shortage of many children’s must-have games systems. The business press said that lack of stock cost the manufacturer as much as $1.3 billion in lost sales. How do you fancy explaining that at a shareholders’ meeting? Judging the right amount of stock to hold is, of course, something of an art form, but the above examples look like guesswork rather than professional marketing. 30 Typography is a potential minefield. A big cereal brand offered an on-pack children’s toy, similar to a mini frisbee, which you flicked and hence was called the little flicker. When the pack flash was artworked in upper case, the marketing manager wasn’t happy to offer his subteen customers LITTLE FLICKERS. It was, of course, changed, but it highlights an issue - what looks fine as draft copy can go badly wrong when turned into artwork. In fact, it should never have been an issue because you shouldn't use solid upper case, as people find it harder to read than upper and lower. The exceptions are few - new, win, free, save - and are all short words. Be conscious too of people’s eyesight. Small copy is unreadable to many, and white reversed out of black is the worst of all. A 25year-old designer might be able to read it perfectly, but a good number of your customers can’t. Be wary about some colour combinations, because a lot of people are colour blind. Oddly, these sins turn up most often on websites, where space constraints are hardly an issue and colour options infinite. The facilities on our computers enable all manner of stress - bold, capitals, italics, underlining, colour. Unfortunately some people think that means you have to use them all and, worse, all together. Stress should take the eye to individual keywords or phrases and should, therefore, be used sparingly. Never use inverted commas for stress. ‘Free’, rather than highlighting the benefit, implies that it is, in some unstated way, not free. MARKETING incorrect use of homophones (words that sound alike, but have different meanings). You might get away with mixing up ‘practise’ and ‘practice’, but you’ll have egg on your face if you use ‘flare’ instead of ‘flair’, especially if related to trousers. If you advertise on the radio, do not be tempted to force the proverbial quart into a pint pot. Three words per second is not the target, it’s the maximum. Listeners just do not get your message if it’s an incoherent gabble. You would be better served having a longer slot repeated less often. However, in most cases, editing out secondary information will enable your advert to be comprehensible, effective and short. Take care, also, not to commit the audio version of ‘little flickers’. A script may look fine in black and white, but get someone to read it to you just in case there’s a problem lurking. One major record company planning to launch a country and western blockbuster decided against radio advertising for this reason - and that’s why you didn’t hear Dolly Parton’s Greatest Hits advertised on the radio. SELL BENEFITS, NOT FEATURES This should be tattooed on every marketer’s arm, but it’s remarkable how often this golden rule is broken. I suspect it’s because the billions spent on car advertising have made consumers aware that features such as 60mpg means economical and 0-60 in six seconds means fast. Sports retailers don’t have the budgets to achieve that awareness level and many customers won’t have a high level of product knowledge. Whether via advertising, direct mail or your website, any special offers should be up front and at the top. Obvious? Not to everybody. I’ve seen great offers relegated to a corner flash or buried in body copy. One high street bank offered a free RAC check on used-car loans, but instead of being a big headline the offer was in a paragraph of the body copy after the bank had finished explaining the wonders of its personal loans - a deeply dull subject. We are all human and therefore make mistakes. More than that, we can get too close to the subject and miss the obvious. One agency I worked at gave a piece of client approved artwork to a printer who, happily, noticed the ‘deliberate’ error in the headline: ‘2 for the price of 3’. Get someone less involved to read your materials before they’re produced. All the examples I’ve quoted come from major, high profile businesses, the sort that have wall-to-wall brand managers on one floor of their offices and a variety of highly paid agencies. Most of the errors come from poor planning and giving yourself too little time to create the best result. Remember, haste is the sister of regret. www.sports-insight.co.uk 31 TRADITIONAL VALUES WITH A MODERN TOUCH If you’re not connecting with modern technology, chances are you’re not going to connect with customers, says Lauren Fox Time was that a trip to the shops was exactly that. An outing that combined a search for some essentials and a few frivolous extras with a spot of lunch or tea. And at the heart of it was something so vital to the whole experience it was almost inconceivable that you could manage a shopping venture without it. The most intricate, well prepared item that held the key to which outlets were visited and how much was going to be spent - the shopping list. “ NEARLY TWOTHIRDS OF HE SHOPPERS IN T E UK WILL SOON B USING THEIR S MOBILE PHONE FOR RETAIL HEY PURPOSES, IF T Y AREN’T ALREAD efficient online service, social media engagement and a hand on their smartphone as well as the till. The cloud on the horizon for the high street has not just been business rates, or even the constantly blamed discount giants, it has been cloud computing, which involves delivering hosted services over the internet. After the initial dot-com burnout, it was retail giant Amazon that played a significant role in this internet development in order to improve its own service. The concept had, in fact, been predicted in the 1960s - a way of sharing computer information via a public utility - so like many things today it’s not actually a new idea, but the branding persuades us it is. A poll by ForeSee Results last winter confirmed that more smartphone owners in the UK have been shopping on their handheld devices than ever before. Monitoring the habits of 10,000 shoppers at high street retailers over the 2010 Christmas season confirmed that 32 per cent of respondents accessed shops’ websites with browsing or shopping on the agenda. Most were comparing prices, but eight per cent actually made purchases. This figure may seem low, but it represents a 400 per cent increase in a year. “It looks like nearly two-thirds of shoppers in the UK will soon be using their mobile phones for retail purposes, if they aren’t already,” says Kevin Ertell, ForeSee’s vice president of retail strategy. “Any retailer not actively working to develop, measure and refine its mobile experience is leaving money on the table for competitors.” There is no doubt that consumers want a well organised, well informed and keenly priced traditional sports retail service. While discounters obviously save their customers money, they do not always save time or improve performance. And many sports enthusiasts say they have to visit specialists to get specific products, which is even more reason for them to shop online. So sports retailers needs to make sure these customers know they exist digitally and reinforce their expertise through the channels that connect. A well written and engaging web presence is essential, especially if you want to build loyalty through knowledge, providing access to sports and retail expertise that will draw and keep customers’ attention. ” This simple piece of paper was carefully produced and guarded. In some instances prices were even included - and heaven forbid if a family member was sent to do the shopping and didn’t follow these essential guidelines. I can recall standing in a shop with my dad shaking his head and saying: “But it says on this list it should be two and six.” Bizarrely this language sounds almost futuristic - no doubt attracting comments from store juniors asking what sort of source code those numbers refer to and whether it’s an app for Android. NEED FOR SPEED And that’s the point. Your customers have moved beyond wondering if you have a website. The need for speed in modern life has meant everything has to be abbreviated - and if time is money you have to make an impact in a split second to survive. Three years ago at an industry event I was stunned to discover that 85 per cent of sports retailers had never used eBay. Fast forward to today and it’s almost unbelievable that anyone in the retail business can survive without an 32 www.sports-insight.co.uk QR CODES Bear in mind that today access to knowledge is all about the QR code. Which means that with one quick click or scan of a mobile phone camera a little bit of artwork becomes an encyclopaedia of product information. It’s something that’s been used in Japan for about a decade (the codes were invented by a subsidiary of Toyota). QR codes can be as complex as you want to make them, but they can certainly add to the retail experience if they’re put on brochures, loyalty cards, business cards and shop windows. QR codes can increase your customer base, driving them to your website, Facebook page or blog containing special offers and promotions. You can share TECHNOLOGY as much about your shop and its activities as you like - and they are now being automatically generated when URL links are shortened, also providing useful analytics. Do you need to pay a fortune for expert service? Not necessarily, as this is where the energy, interest and expertise of your younger staff can be harnessed. How the sports retailer manages today’s technological and social changes and challenges is very important. They can’t be ignored - and any industry dialogue, whether independently with brands or through a buying group, for example, should be helping to educate, encourage and embrace what’s going on. The introduction of MediaCart’s smart supermarket trolley a couple of years ago was something that would seem incomprehensible to people searching for a ‘vintage’ one complete with a mini-clipboard on which to fix your shopping list. Designed in conjunction with computer giant Microsoft, the trolley guides a customer to the exact shelf they want, adds up groceries, highlights special offers and more. In addition, personalised features activate when a customer inserts their loyalty card. The trolley even analyses your previous purchases and displays items it ‘thinks’ you may want to buy. In South Korea Tesco has been covering subway walls with images portraying shelves of products labelled with unique QR codes. As commuters pass by on their way to work they can use a mobile phone app to take pictures of the products they want, then check out. Groceries are automatically delivered to their doorstep by the end of the day. Location-based advertising like this is only going to get bigger, especially with the introduction of payment via mobile phone included in the QR. Closer to home, in London Sainsbury’s has just introduced a test scheme in conjunction with Sky for an iPad-friendly trolley, complete with docking station and sensors in the front bumpers so that shoppers engrossed in Sky Sports are alerted to other consumers, trolleys and obstacles. Why is all this relevant? Because it is here - and now. It’s not about cool, it’s commercial best practice. When the barcode was introduced in the 1970s many people thought it would never catch on. Just as many said they didn’t need a website, or use eBay. It’s a new world out there, with a place still for traditional expertise. Taking the initiative to learn about it and become involved is essential and, as the saying goes, fortune favours the brave. www.sports-insight.co.uk 33 SPRING/ SUMMER 2012 For those brands targeting exercising women, summer 2012 is going to be an exciting time and hopefully a platform to help increase sales. The Shock Absorber collection for SS12 will include a unique flexible underwire as well as strong red, white and blue limited edition colour on two of our best-selling styles. INTRODUCING THE SHOCK ABSORBER FLEXI-WIRE SPORTS BRA The award winning Shock Absorber RUN bra is designed specifically for running and reduces breast movement by up to 78%. University of Portsmouth (Scurr et al 2009) Tested against 'no bra' conditions Shock Absorber likes to stay ahead of the game, and is the only sports bra brand on the market to use a titanium flexible underwire. The titanium memory wire moves and flexes in harmony with the body, giving both support and comfort. Titanium is as strong as steel, yet incredibly light and will not bend out of shape with wash and wear like a traditional underwire. This sports bra meets the challenge of addressing the need of many of the women out there who are still not wearing a sports bra to exercise in. When we asked these women to describe their ideal sports bra, they said that it would be an underwire**. WHY A SHOCK ABSORBER SPORTS BRA? ■ The award winning Shock Absorber sports bras offer scientifically proven support to give the best performance whatever your activity. ■ Our sports bras are made from performance fabric. Fabrics are moisture wicking, quick dry, durable and breathable to offer the optimum comfort when working out. ■ Importantly, Shock Absorber sports bras come in back and cup sizes to guarantee the optimal fit and support. For information on stocking Shock Absorber or supporting PoS materials contact your local Shock Absorber sales representative or call our sales coordinator on 01483 291450. So our new Titanium underwire sports bra has lingerie styling yet still has the support and features of a sports bra, such as padded and adjustable straps, a padded hook and eye, sports performance fabrics and an adjustable back fastening, which means it can be worn as either a straight or racer back style. We are confident that the Shock Absorber Flexi-wire will not only prove to be a popular style, but will help to bring current nonwearers into the sports bra category. The Shock Absorber Flexi-wire is available in black/silver and white/silver and comes in sizes 30-38 B-F. The style will be launching in November 2011 and will be supported with PoS materials and strong PR across key women’s sporting titles. The patriotic and vibrant red, white and blue colour on the Shock Absorber RUN bra and the Max sports bra top will definitely appeal to those looking to show their patriotic side next year. **GFK consumer research 2010. There has definitely been an increase in the number of female only sporting events over the last few years. As the leading sports bra brand, Shock Absorber has been steadily increasing its sponsorship of women’s events in a drive to raise education and awareness of sports bras with this important demographic. Our involvement so far this year has included the women’s only triathlon held at Dorney Lake which attracted over 1,200 women, Davina McCall’s cycling initiative - Diva 100, Cyletta cycle events supported by Victoria Pendleton, Everywoman’s Series (a range of duathlon and aquathon events) as well as the Great Scottish Run. In this context of increased participation, it perhaps not a surprise that despite tough economic conditions, the sports bra market continues to grow year on year. The sports bra category is one that has huge growth potential as there are still widespread misconceptions of sports bras and a lack of understanding of the necessity for all exercising women to wear one when they exercise. DAVID VS GOLIATH It’s hard on the high street, but Burnley sports retailer HD Cockers & Sons is continuing its battle against the odds. Adrian Hill reports The mighty beasts of UK sports retail prowl the high streets and shopping malls up and down the country, seeking to gain an edge in one of the most competitive of sectors. For them it’s all about image, marketing, advertising and ferociously undercutting each other on price. If Dave Whelan’s JJB and Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct are the big players, locked in a power struggle for the sporting pound, then the likes of HD Cockers & Sons in Burnley are among the small fry, trying to eke out a living on their coat-tails. It’s like intensive farming against the subsistence brigade. Cockers has been a part of life in the old Lancashire mill town for 118 years, almost a century before Whelan and Ashley founded their companies in 1971 and 1982 respectively. The Cockers shop has passed through six generations of the family, but never in all that time has trading been as hard as now. UNPREDICTABLE “It’s tough - you just have to live day-to-day,” says Craig Cocker, a director of the business and son of current proprietor Ken Cocker. “One day is very good and the next day is a kick in the teeth - and demonstrates why you had to make the previous day very good. The weather plays a part - we had eight Saturdays in a row in July and August when it rained. People did not come out shopping. It’s also down to the economy - people have no money, they’ve been screwed by the recession.” Ken has worked in the shop for 45 years and now is assisted by Craig and his sister Cheryl. They are from the old school of salesmanship where the person serving the customer has knowledge of the product and is willing to suggest the best buy. Anyone walking into Cockers is not left to wait and wonder. “We’re very hands-on. We prefer to serve customers than stand there and let them fend for themselves. We walk around, offering advice,” says Craig. “We go from the lower end - someone who wants a tip for their snooker cue - to rugby, darts and now mixed “ martial arts is very popular. We don’t sell three items - football shirts, trainers and football boots. We try to specialise.” Cockers had its fingers burnt by the multinational brands and made a strategic decision to move away from the most popular sports products as its wealthy competitors flooded the market within margins it just could not dream of rivalling, as Craig explains: “Years ago we had big accounts with the likes of Nike and Reebok, but we had our noses pushed out by them. “They began talking ridiculous money, which may have been okay for others, but was out of our reach. They sell to Mr Whelan and Mr Ashley. An adidas shirt would be sold at the same price to us as it is to Mr Ashley - there’s no difference - and we just can’t afford it.” It was a sad end to the shop’s association with football. In the 1950s Cockers would nail the studs to the legendary Tom Finney’s boots. Further back in time it used to provide clogs, one of the symbols of Lancashire’s great industrial past, and even used to make its own skis to get a foothold in a new market. It’s been a slippery slope since those heady days. History and reputation can only get you so far, and in the harsh world of retail there is no room for sentiment. Bills have to be paid and when the money doesn’t come in to cover them, downsizing is the only route to avoid bankruptcy. “For 10 years we paid £30,000 a year in rent,” adds Craig. “We have now moved to a smaller shop and the rent is £7,000. The overheads are still crippling. Most established small businesses are not all right and the banks don’t seem to care. New businesses are offered six months free, but then get into problems and disappear. Eighteen years ago we had 10 local businesses in the town like ourselves. Now we are the one and only in Burnley.” WE PREFER TO ERS SERVE CUSTOM HERE THAN STAND T FEND AND LET THEM ES FOR THEMSELV 36 www.sports-insight.co.uk ” EDUCATION SECTOR The core reason for Cockers’ continued existence is the education sector. The shop works with around 40 schools from Burnley and the wider area in the county of Lancashire. “We have a tight business plan but the main thing is to keep people happy,” admits Craig. “Our wholesaler is now on pro forma, so we buy in, pay and then go into the schools over the next 30 days. Our wholesaler has just been done for a massive order of £4,000-£5,000. The company ordered but never paid. They now work from week-to-week, and they struggle.” RETAIL Adds Craig: “It’s about customer service. In the big sports stores they seem to be happy to just stand behind the counter and take the money. The staff are not taught how to sell. We are one-on-one with the customer. That’s the decision we have taken, but that’s how it’s always been.” With no marketing or advertising budget to speak of, Cockers must make use of the personal touch to drum-up trade. Recommendations are the crock of gold that businesses like theirs seek, not gimmicks or slogans. The way they reach their customers has not changed since the shop was set up in the 19th century. “We have no website,” explains Craig. “It would cost between £2,000-£5,000 and there is no guarantee that it would do us any good. We don’t use newspapers, adverts or flyers - it’s all word of mouth. We specialise and offer good rates. Our biggest trade is out-of-town through word of mouth.” MUSCLING IN On the face of it, it’s a precarious existence, which is not helped by another sector muscling in on their territory in recent years Messrs Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons. Says Craig: “The big supermarkets have got involved. For instance, on the swimming side they have goggles in their stores because Speedo want to get them out there and know that there is a supermarket in every town. It really hurts independent stores like ours.” The traditional blend that has made up the high street for decades is under threat like never before, with those dealing in non-essentials right in the firing line. Originality and scarcity is still sought after, but it’s through innovation that small businesses have to reach some customers. “We have an eBay account,” says Craig. “We sold double six dominoes to a bloke in Glasgow recently, as he couldn’t find them anywhere else.” It’s an unequal struggle of David and Goliath proportions. The squeeze on family-run shops is a by-product of the fiercely competitive world of sports retailing where size is everything. The big chains battle each other without apparent regard for the little man. However, the emotional pull of maintaining a tradition dating back generations keeps the traditional end of the market in existence, but only just. “If we gave up, we would have given in to them [the big stores],” says Craig with determination. “Those 118 years would have all been for nothing, but if we keep on going for another 1015 years we would have done very well. “I’m a realist and I have to be pessimistic. I would love it if one of the big boys went out of business - it would help us massively. JJB talk about shutting 45 businesses. That’s a lot, but how many have they got? It’s a different world for us.” www.sports-insight.co.uk 37 Nick Wilton MY SPORTING LIFE: Although he retired from first class cricket 10 years ago, as a brand manager for Gray-Nicolls Nick Wilton is still deeply involved in the game What do WG Grace, Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook have in common apart, of course, from being cricket legends? Nick Wilton, brand manager for Gray-Nicolls, will tell you the answer to that. They all had bats specially made by the Sussex wizards of the willow - and were delighted with them. Indeed, the company still has a letter from WG, written in 1895 thanking it for its support, and with good reason - that season the great man scored his 100th century and made 1,000 runs with a Gray-Nicolls’ bat. “Top batsmen know exactly what sort of bats they want and we make them to their precise specifications,” says Wilton. “Even today there’s very little mechanisation in bat making and we rely heavily on the skill of our craftsmen for hand finishing, balancing, weight and pick-up.” skill levels have gone through the roof. “The structure of the game has changed, too. There are now three divisions in county cricket and the domestic first class game is more competitive, with relegation and promotional issues to make things more exciting. You only have to look at how the England team is performing to see how these players have benefited from improvements in the county game. Matches are more competitive and there’s more to play for. Technical improvements in equipment have a pretty profound effect, too. in contact with all levels, from Test cricket to youngsters coming into the game. GrayNicolls sponsors three counties - Yorkshire, Gloucestershire and Northants - so I keep up to speed with what’s going on.” And what is going on is a constant surprise. “Cricket has changed dramatically,” Wilton explains. “I can hardly recognise it as the first class game I played 10 years ago. Bats and other equipment have changed just as much as the actual game. In my day you were looking at bats with edges of between one and three centimetres. Now they’re four or five centimetres. “Bats are bigger, lighter and perform better, which makes players more confident and more comfortable. They are going out and expressing themselves. They score more freely and Nicolls’ bats and at one time the captains of all five Test playing countries - Ted Dexter, Richie Benaud, Frank Worrell, John Reid and Trevor Goddard - were satisfied customers. During this time Gray-Nicolls pioneered major innovations like the steel spring and the first shoulderless Superlite bat. In the 1970s the company was the first to use coloured bat labels, which quickly became a major trend. Test stars using the Gray-Nicolls red flash included the Chappell brothers, Clive Lloyd, Tony Grieg and Barry Richards. The company also broke new ground with a revolutionary bat with a weight reducing scoop; Brian Lara was using one when he scored the highest-ever first class innings of 501. Further innovations included carbon and titanium handles, and more runs were scored with Gray-Nicolls’ bats than any other brand in the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Three years ago Wilton was involved in the development of a revolutionary double-sided bat designed for the fast changing modern game, particularly Twenty20 cricket. He recalls: “The bat had a slightly smaller pressed area on the reverse - in essence it had a middle on either side of the bat, which would allow a player to sweep the ball around the wicket to increase scoring options.” The idea stemmed from Kevin Pietersen’s famous switch hit, “ STRENGTH TO STRENGTH can certainly take some of ER, Gray-Nicolls G IG B E R the credit for that. Its story starts in A S T A B 1855 when world rackets champion HJ Gray started a racket making company. LIGHTER AND Nicolls began making cricket bats in , GJ R E T T E B 1876 in Robertsbridge, East Sussex, M R O F PER EXCITEMENT where the company is based today. Wilton misses the excitement of first class AKES The firms amalgamated in the M H IC H W cricket since he retired as Sussex 1940s and the company is still E R O wicketkeeper and batsman 10 years ago, but he owned and controlled by the M S R E PLAY has been deeply involved in the game ever Gray family. It quickly went D N since - first as a Gray-Nicolls coach, then on from strength to strength A T CONFIDEN the sales team and now as brand manager. England captain Wally E L B “Cricket has been my life for as long Hammond and Australian star A T R O F as I can remember,” he says. “Now I’m MORE COM Keith Miller used Gray- 38 www.sports-insight.co.uk ” INTERVIEW which relies on flipping the bat over with a lightning-fast hand motion, and it was hoped the two-sided bat would enable more players to use similarly inventive strokes and play reverse sweeps. “The switch hit moved cricket forward and it was something we had to keep up with,” says Wilton. “We have double-sided bats in our museum from the 1960s, but they had not been seen for a while and reverse hitting had become very popular.” The two-sided bat was marketed for a couple of years, but is not currently in the GrayNicolls range. Wilton believes it still has great potential in the modern game and could well be reintroduced after further development. BAT MAKING Research into improvements in bat design is unceasing, but is to some extent limited by stringent MCC legislation. “For instance, you can’t have coloured bats,” says Wilton. “Or synthetic enhancements such as graphite.” But for all the excitement of technical innovation, the basic process of making cricket bats at Robertsbridge has barely changed over a century and a half. Gray-Nicolls is the only bat maker to grow all its own willow on site - on a 15acre plot near the village cricket pitch. English willow is felled after 20-25 years and chopped into four foot sections - one tree will produce between 30 and 40 bats. The rough pieces, known as splits, are then dried for six weeks in a kiln, pressed at 2,000lbs per square inch and left for six months to dry before being machined into a basic bat shape by a skilled operator. Laminated cane for the handles comes from the Far East and rubber shock absorbers from Pakistan. At this stage bats come under the expert eye of master bat maker John Gasson, who joined the company 50 years ago at 16 and has been fine-tuning bats ever since. Gasson and his team use traditional tools such as draw knives and spokeshaves - plus decades of experience - to balance and shape bats to perfection and cater for every playing style and technique. Finished bats are performance tested using a lignum vitae hammer. “We are continually coming up with new blade shapes and are working on changing the proportion of handles to blades,” Wilton says. “But even with the latest technology, a top class limited edition bat selling at around £350 has a surprisingly short life. “With the demands of today’s game, you’d be lucky to keep a bat for a season. The majority of players will try to keep a match bat going for as long as they can once they’ve found one they’re happy with and use other bats for practice and warm-ups. Others may use different bats for different forms of the game - perhaps a heavier one for hitting out in Twenty20 games. It all depends on what suits you.” At 33 Wilton has lost none of his appetite for cricket and still plays for a local side when he has time. “I enjoy playing and I’ve got a pretty good bat,” he says. No prizes for guessing who made it. www.sports-insight.co.uk 39 RACQUET SPORTS MAXIMISING Sports Insight spoke to Karakal partner Mark Kenyon about the brand and the racquets sector IS THE RACQUET SPORTS MARKET GROWING? The market has remained fairly static over the last 12 months, with some exceptions. Racquetball is in the ascendancy, tennis has been flat, and squash and badminton have seen pockets of growth. In areas that have good and enthusiastic coaches, growth is always a strong possibility. HOW HAS TRADE BEEN FOR KARAKAL OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS? Karakal has seen very encouraging growth in its market share of entry-level tennis, as well as steady sales in racquetball, squash and badminton. We have been particularly delighted in our continued growth in racquet apparel. A large number of retail shops report record sales of Karakal products. WHY SHOULD RETAILERS STOCK KARAKAL RACQUETS? Karakal provides a comprehensive range of racquets in all four sports, as well as clothing, footwear and a good range of accessories. Generally the majority of Karakal’s products will retail at least one price point below its competitors on like-for-like products. We are also very aware of the costs of running retail outlets and provide retailers with probably the best margins in the racquet trade. WHAT ARE KARAKAL’S KEY MARKETS OUTSIDE THE UK? Ten years ago our main market was the UK, but as the number of retailers declined we had to look at other markets. Today, with distributors in over 50 countries, our export sales are larger than our UK sales. Our main markets are Asia, Europe and North America. racquets. However, I have come across some excellent retailers who place a lot of pride in their racquet departments. Julian Lefevre and his team at Greaves Sports in Glasgow is a shining example. They are very proactive in their location and their knowledge of products is excellent. Brian Gannon of Gullane Sports in East Lothian and Andrew Gyles of Gyles Brothers in Bristol are two more very good examples. DO MOST RETAILERS KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT RACQUETS? During my travels around the UK I have been astonished at some of the misconceptions retailers have about the construction of racquets. This is not always the fault of the rep, as they are not always given the correct information themselves. The largest misconception in the trade at the moment is about the graphite composite. Many people believe the main material is graphite, with a small amount of fibreglass added. In fact, the main material is aluminium with a small amount of graphite added. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR RETAILERS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY STOCK? If they have little knowledge about racquet products the customer will soon pick up on it. It’s so important to match the right product to the right customer, as failing to do so often puts the customer off their chosen sport. Retailers also need to stock products that will maximise their profits, and the ‘sexy’ products often don’t allow this. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR CUSTOMERS TO HAVE FACE-TO-FACE CONTACT WITH A RETAILER RATHER THAN BUY ONLINE? It is a massive opportunity retailers need to capitalise on. By meeting and talking to customers direct they can advise them on the product to match their ability and pocket. Often people become disillusioned with products purchased online. The other advantage a retailer has with a face-to-face customer is the possibility that there will be extra add-on sales. HOW CAN RETAILERS BROADEN THEIR CUSTOMER BASE? One of the most important aspects for a retailer is widening their customer base. Good retailers like Greaves Sports don’t just wait for the customer to cross the threshold, they are proactive in the local community. Staff attend functions at clubs’ open days and promote the shop and its benefits. Many shops attach themselves to local coaches and promote their ranges this way. Incentives both in-store and through coaches are also a good way of keeping loyal customers. Many good shops have excellent websites as well. A combination of both should provide a good opportunity for a prosperous and vibrant business. WHICH RETAILERS SET A GOOD EXAMPLE? Independents are generally good at selling www.sports-insight.co.uk 41 launches new 2012 collection Winmau’s 2012 darts collection was launched on September 19 and it is another market leading offering from the premium darts equipment manufacturer. The response to Winmau’s 2011 collection was incredible and the company reached new heights with the record breaking Blade 4 dartboard. The 2012 collection takes this to a new level. Winmau has added Steve ‘The Bronzed Adonis’ Beaton to its World Champion range alongside players such as Ted Hankey, Andy Fordham, Dennis Priestley and Trina Gulliver. With a unique knurled point and micro grip, Steve’s darts are a great addition to the portfolio. Another market first is the launch of the Diamond Plus dartboard, which features 50 per cent thinner dynamic sector wire. Winmau continues to dominate this key market sector and can report a strong growth in dartboard sales this year. However, it doesn’t just stop there, as Winmau has introduced some amazingly quirky and technical products that offer retailers a great opportunity to add value to their darts assortment. The Whizlock Shaft Caps and Flight Punch offer the keen darter a real plus in performance and increased life from their nylon shafts. Ted Hankey’s self-designed Coffin Darts Case is simply a brilliant concept and is a must for any Ted fans or anyone with a love of the Lord of Darkness. The new WinCool darts shirt looks stylish and aids performance with its mesh ventilation and anti-microbial technology, whilst the Winmau flight and shaft range has been enhanced with some eye-catching new designs. Winmau has always been a dominant power in the UK and its export business is thriving, with new markets coming on stream almost every month. The company now exports to nearly 100 countries globally. Winmau is moving the brand into live streaming of darts tournaments through its 38-year relationship with the British Darts Organisation and related bodies. With webcasts viewed for weeks after the events, this promises to be yet another exciting channel for Winmau to deliver televised darts to people’s homes. The company has also invested heavily in the booming area of social media and has a growing following on Twitter and Facebook. Winmau’s commitment to design, functionality and retailer value allows it to justify the reputation it has built up over the past 65 years. The company prides itself on its stock management and delivery lead times. With its slick UK operation and commitment to Group-owned manufacturing via the company’s bespoke facility in Kenya, Winmau has reinvented the darts distribution chain, allowing stockists to gain maximum advantages from keen pricing, increased sales and innovative products that are second to none in the industry. Winmau’s 2012 collection has a magical feel about it, as it strives to define the future of darts retailing in today’s highly connected marketplace. With the televised darts season up and running, the launch of the new Winmau collection and many new products (including world number one Dean Winstanley’s range) already in development, 2012 is set to be another good year for Winmau and its customers. For details of the full range contact Winmau’s sales team via telephone: +44 (0)1656 767042, fax: +44 (0)1656 650468, email: [email protected] or log on to winmau.com Winmau is the largest producer of military grade tungsten darts in the world, and there are several notable additions to the darts range - The Aluminium Titanium Nitride coated 90% tungsten Highlander darts, tungsten and brass Gift Sets (including many extras) and Leighton Rees brass darts in the World Champions range. The Professional Darts Set now includes the Diamond Plus dartboard and the company has also produced a new Slimline Aluminium Case and knurled points, which finish off the new range in style. “2011 to date has been a phenomenal year that has exceeded our expectations in all areas,” says Ian Flack, Winmau’s Sales and Marketing Director. “In fact, we haven’t discontinued one product from the 2011 range due to successful sales across the board. “With the 2012 assortment, we have simply strengthened the portfolio even further. This has been bolstered by the most successful product launch in Winmau’s history - the Blade 4 dartboard. More people are buying Winmau than ever before, and we are really proud of the team effort to produce our 2012 collection.” Winmau’s brand exposure has continued to gather pace worldwide. The Winmau World Masters was broadcast on ESPN, Eurosport and Eurosport Asia in September to a global audience in well over 100 countries. The BBC’s coverage of the Lakeside World Championships will be enhanced by joint coverage from ESPN and also global coverage via BBC Worldwide, which ensures this tournament remains the biggest in world darts. Winmau Dartboard Company Ltd., South Road, Bridgend Industrial Estate, Bridgend, CF31 3PT, UK e-mail: [email protected] Tel +44 (0) 1656 767042 Fax +44 (0) 1656 650468 E W ND SE OL TA & O S E H N M SC 1 O C O H E 01 T 2 AT OW SH THE FABRIC OF SPORT. Sensport offer Stock and custom teamwear solutions in a range of highly advanced technical fabrics providing outstanding value for money. Professional quality products at affordable price points. For football, rugby, cricket, hockey, netball, basketball, leisure and training wear with a service that is second to none. I I I I Caldoni House 3 Crondal Road Bayton Road Industrial Estate Coventry CV7 9NH Tel: 02476 644666 Fax: 02476 367971 Email: [email protected] I I For details of your nearest Sensport Stockist go to www.sensport.co.uk To present your customers with a full colour presentation of their total teamwear requirements go to www.kitselector.com IN SEASON CRICKET England’s ascent to the top of the Test rankings has been swift, and led commentators to call the last few months a triumph for cricket That there was a huge turnout supporting England at last month’s International Cricket Council Awards is hardly surprising. The team has had an extraordinarily good year, retaining the Ashes in Australia and becoming the world number one Test side. The speed of the team’s march to the summit of the world game is particularly remarkable, considering their form as recently as the spring of 2009. Its international success is not just good news for cricket fans and cricket retailers, but a huge vote of confidence for the ECB, which has put many of the structures in place that allow the national team to achieve such excellence. The National Cricket Performance Centre is an all-year-round facility that benefits cricket as a whole. Under the guidance of the ECB’s performance director David Parsons, its philosophy is to identify and select the most talented cricketers, developing them through coaching and support services to achieve their potential. If the ICC awards were any pointer, it appears to be working Alistair Cook was crowned Test player of the year after his efforts against Australia last winter - the first English player to win the award - while Jonathon Trott’s outstanding play over the last 12 months scooped him the award for best cricketer of the year. Sports Insight spoke to ECB spokesman Andrew Walpole about the background to England’s year of success. HOW MUCH OF THE CURRENT SUCCESS IS DOWN TO THE WORK OF THE NATIONAL CRICKET PERFORMANCE CENTRE? The NCPC has had an important role to play both in the provision of the best sports science and medicine expertise, and also in providing access to specialist coaching in all the main disciplines batting, fast and slow bowling, wicketkeeping and fielding. WHAT LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING HAS PRODUCED SUCH GOOD RESULTS FOR ENGLAND? Achieving world number one status in Test cricket is primarily down to the players, who have performed consistently and been superbly led by Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower. Our preparation work has been highly praised, with many cricket writers saying we were the best England fielding side ever to tour Australia last winter. That has helped, as has a renewed commitment to building fitness and helping minimise injuries wherever possible. WHAT HAS THE NCPC BEEN FOCUSING ON SINCE IT OPENED? The NCPC is very much a hub and centre of excellence for all England cricket teams - not just men, but our very successful England women’s team, who won both their home series this summer, and the England Lions, England Under 19 team and the national age group squads we administer from here. The England development programme, which targets the best cricketers in the 16-18 age group, is a priority for us. Former England captain Michael Vaughan is among the leading ex-players who play a key role in preparing the next generation. HOW STRONG IS THE SPORT’S GRASS ROOTS? The ECB puts in excess of £20 million a year into grass roots cricket and the benefits are being felt in all areas of the game with the number of qualified coaches now at an all-time high of 33,000. A major emphasis is being placed on investment into facilities, which means helping clubs improve their pitches, pavilions and practice facilities. DO YOU THINK YOUNG PEOPLE ARE BEING INSPIRED BY THE CURRENT SUCCESS OF THE ENGLAND TEAM? There was a significant upsurge in participation following the iconic Ashes 2005 series in England and the events of this summer will no doubt help boost participation further. Around half a million youngsters currently play the game in a network of around 6,000 affiliated clubs nationwide and new faster forms of cricket like Last Man Stands [an eight-a-side game] and indoor cricket will accelerate this process. SHOULD CRICKET RETAILERS BE ANTICIPATING A GOOD 12 MONTHS OF TRADING? Cricket is not immune to the recession and we have been affected by the fall in consumer spend just as other sectors of the leusire industry have. But our international ticket sales were strong this summer - the best since England’s historic Ashes series win in 2005 - and this has been helpful in driving sales within grounds via club shops as well as in the growing online market. www.sports-insight.co.uk 45 MANTIS is distributed in the UK and Ireland by Reydon Sports PLC [email protected] | 0115-900-2340 Also contact us via our Facebook page : MANTIS Sport International OFFICIAL BALL IN SEASON RUGBY RUGBY OPTIMUM BOKKA RANGE Since being launched, Optimum’s BOKKA range of tops, headguards and rugby boots have proven to be one of the company’s best-selling ranges of products ever. The fabulously varied and excitingly coloured Optimum logo has proved to be the choice for the player who refuses to blend into the background and who instead wears their BOKKA boots, tops and headguards with passion, 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. 48 www.sports-insight.co.uk www.sportindustry.biz To find out more about Gymphlex visit www.gymphlex.co.uk or call 01507 523243. GYMPHLEX LAUNCHES NEW SCHOOL SPORTSWEAR SOLUTION Gymphlex launched a new sportswear range at this year’s Schoolwear Show specifically developed for the school sport sector. The advanced multisport range uses technical fabrics to create high performance garments. Offering a targeted range of garments, schools will be able to create a cohesive sporting identity. Available in a wide range of school colours, there’s also the option to add embroidered or printed badges, which could run across all sporting disciplines. “We have learnt a great deal about school sportswear since we started in 1906, enabling us to capitalise on our design and manufacturing experience to create a high performance and flexible school sportswear solution,” says Simon Ward, sales director at Gymphlex. “We have been able to use all of our knowledge to develop this range, which possesses many of the features Gymphlex has become known for. With our newly developed brand portfolio we are confident that Gymphlex will enhance its customer base further, building on our existing band of loyal followers as more and more schools embrace the opportunity to develop a cohesive school or team identity.” www.sports-insight.co.uk 49 www.canterbury.com Mercury Compression garments feature graduated compression zones to aid circulation and higher venous return resulting in a faster removal of lactic acid, improved warm-up time and the ability to train harder for longer. Enhanced proprioception and muscular awareness promote a positive response to feedback within an isolated training environment. * 0.2 COMPETE The constant compression applied by Mercury Compression garments can reduce muscle oscillation by up to 50%, resulting in decreased energy expenditure linked to improved mean power output, muscle endurance and strength. Enhanced garment fit and freedom of movement obtained from LYCRA® SPORT fabric provide comfort in demanding physical environments. * 0.3 RECOVER Following intense exercise, Mercury Compression reduces muscles soreness and DOMS by up to 30% which is associated with reduced swelling, improved recovery and a quicker return to training. The use of LYCRA® SPORT fabric improves shape retention of the garments maintaining greater levels of compression for prolonged periods of time. * Copyright © Canterbury Limited LYCRA® is a trademark of INVISTA 0.1 TRAIN Graduated compression applies to hybrid legging and long sleeve garments only * Suggested benefits POWERED BY FEATURING BRAND AMBASSADOR BRYAN HABANA Fitness-Mad specialise in high specification fitness equipment focusing on the areas of core stability, resistance, boxing & strength training. The company’s sister brands, Yoga-Mad and Pilates-Mad, are the UK’s leading brands of studio-quality yoga and Pilates equipment, offering a comprehensive range of mats, props and small equipment. The same MAD equipment that is the choice of many leading studios and clubs is available to independent sporting goods retailers in new eye-catching retail packaging. The MAD brands offer high margins and minimal commitments; come and see for yourself! To receive a brochure or enquire about a trade account call 01386 859 551 or visit www.fitness-mad.com Joma Sport is the official technical sportswear supplier to La Liga giants Valencia C.F and the official footwear sponsor to Liverpool’s Pepe Reina. Joma has over 40 years experience of designing and manufacturing the highest quality technical football team apparel and football boots and has established itself as one of Europe’s premium heritage football brands. The Joma Sport UK Sales team are looking forward to meeting all STAG members at the show. In the meantime if you want to find out more about the Joma brand please contact UK & Ireland Sales Director Jon Haile on 07540 049814 or email [email protected] WWW.SPORTS-INSIGHT.CO.UK 51 IN SEASON TABLE TENNIS POSITIVE SPIN Alan Ransome, managing director of Ransome Sporting Goods, the distributor for Butterfly and Donic Schildkrot, explains why table tennis is enjoying new-found popularity There are a number of reasons why table tennis is in favour at the moment. The amount of school children playing is increasing, and when children ask their parents for a table so they can play at home or in the garden the whole family plays. The English Schools’ Table Tennis Association has revealed a substantial increase in participation in competitions. It has been working with the English Table Tennis Association (ETTA) to take advantage of government investment through Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust to increase participation in schools. SUPPORT We support the English Schools’ National Championships by providing the table tennis tables, balls and other equipment for these events. We are also working with them on three national projects: the Butterfly Skills Programme, which is based on a coaching manual and awards scheme with ETTA; the Butterfly ‘More Schools’ Project, which is a toolkit to help new schools start playing the sport; and the Butterfly Schools’ League Project, which has encouraged more than 200 new school table tennis leagues to organise competitions throughout England. This last project falls clearly within the government’s aim of introducing more young people to regular competitive sport. The second reason for the sport’s popularity is the work being done by ETTA and its partners. This has included initiatives such as Ping, where table tennis tables were located throughout London last summer and followed up this summer in Birmingham and Hull. There has also been promotion in universities, where the Butterfly Easifold Rollaway table has been selected for this particular programme. Another major initiative is by the charity Greenhouse, which has supported full-time professional coaches in several schools for the past 10 years to the tune of millions of pounds. Sales of outdoor 52 www.sports-insight.co.uk tables are on the rise, not just for gardens but parks, open spaces and schools as well. Throughout Europe outdoor table tennis tables in campsites, recreation areas, town centres and on beaches are a familiar site - and they’re becoming increasingly common in the UK. We have seen a significant increase in sales of both our range of concrete tables and the standard permanent tables that have a special wood finish for the playing top and steel legs and undercarriage. The concrete tables have a particularly long life. Some new ideas are coming through for the sport as well. Recently I spent a couple of evenings at the Spin Club, a social table tennis club in New York, which is part owned by the actress Susan Sarandon. It resembled a 10 pin bowling alley, except instead of bowling lanes it was all table tennis tables, with a bar and restaurant, purely for social play. The idea has already spread to Toronto, Milwaukee and St Petersburg in Florida, and I’ve heard talk of similar initiatives in London. DIFFERENCE Next year’s Olympics has already had a significant impact on table tennis. In particular, government investment through the Youth Sport Trust into schools has made and will continue to make a big difference. The publicity concerning the test event, the ITTF Pro Tour Finals in November at ExCeL in London - the venue for 2012 - and the Games themselves will obviously be very beneficial. We are hoping some of our sponsored players will be in Team GB. In fact, the whole of the English team selected for the European Championships in Poland this month (seven players in all) use Butterfly equipment, and this includes current number one and three times champion Paul Drinkhall. In terms of brand popularity, a new range of Butterfly rubber sheets called Tenergy has taken the international game by storm and most of the best players are now using it. At the English Championships in March all the winners and runners-up in the main events were using Butterfly equipment the first time any table tennis brand has enjoyed this level of achievement. IN SEASON FOOTBALL www.sportindustry.biz FOOTBALL UHLSPORT INFINITY RAIN JACKET From the start of pre-season to the end of season awards, conditions can be unpredictable to say the least. The uhlsport infinity rain jacket incorporates Smartbreathe HI COUNT technology, making it highly weatherproof and water resistant. The elasticated hem cord, cuffs and full mesh lining work together to keep the rain out and players training for longer when lesser jackets would force you inside. Available to all uhlsport customers at a net price of £10 in all colourways while stocks last. For additional information call uhlsport on 08448 849861 or email [email protected]. NEW SENSPORT ADRENALIN CUSTOM RANGE Adrenalin by Sensport is a range of stylish, cutting-edge garments in high performance fabrics designed to offer the complete multi-sport package to large clubs and organisations, or focused ranges to single sports clubs, offering great value for money. Available in combinations of 18 colours, male and female pro and regular fit. With styles to suit football, rugby, cricket, hockey, netball, lacrosse, basketball, athletics, and leisure and training wear, the possibilities are endless. Lead times: 6-8 weeks. Minimum order: 15 units per style. For more information on Sensport Adrenalin call 02476 644 666, email [email protected] or visit www.sensport.co.uk. www.sports-insight.co.uk 55 IN SEASON SWIMMING The British Gas Learn to Swim programme has taught 600,000 children to swim, making it the most successful sports initiative of its kind. The Big Splash campaign, launched earlier this year, is also looking like a winner, says Catherine Eade Not since a disorientated whale took a wrong turn and ended up in the River Thames in 2006 has a swimmer attracted so much attention from an adoring public. Comedian David Walliams’ achievement of swimming the length of the Thames recently garnered as many column inches as Eddie Izzard’s multiple marathon feat in 2009. Walliams managed the 140-mile swim - equivalent to swimming the Channel seven times in eight days, despite various setbacks including illness and back problems. HEROES The comedian’s accomplishment is one of many such long distance swims to raise money for charity, and it seems there are an increasing number of heroes of the open water, such as Julie Bradshaw, the British woman who recently circumnavigated Manhattan Island doing only the butterfly stroke. It is great news for swimming that there is no shortage of high profile ambassadors. Recent research released by the ASA, the sport’s governing body, showed that apart from walking, swimming is still the most participated in sport in England, with the total number of adult swimmers who swim at least once a month estimated to be 5.56 million. The number of swimmers has increased this year, says the ASA, which although helped by high profile names signing up for swimming challenges, is mainly due to the ASA’s mass participation campaign the Big Splash. Launched in May this year, the Big Splash hopes to inspire people to get into the pool ahead of the 2012 Olympics, and the signs are it has already been extremely successful. ASA spokesperson Kelly McHugh says: “We have definitely seen an upsurge in the challenges being undertaken at present. 56 www.sports-insight.co.uk This has coincided with David Walliams’ Big Splash Challenge for Sport Relief and also the Irish Channel swim. “We heavily promoted the Thames swim and this is currently the most popular challenge being undertaken. These events certainly help to raise the profile of swimming and we fully support them.” With an increasing number of swimmers looking for such challenges to liven up their routines, the launch of the Big Splash seems timely. Last month a partnership was launched between Community Swimming and LA Fitness, where 78 pools nationwide opened their doors to the public, allowing nonmembers to enjoy private swimming pool facilities. Zoggs is one brand that is putting its money where its mouth is by becoming the title sponsor of the Aspire Channel Swim. Laudably, the brand has signed up its entire head office staff of 30 people to swim the 22-mile English Channel distance in their local pool within 12 weeks. KEEN Inspired by such athletic feats and being a keen if casual swimmer myself, I am attempting to swim the Channel in my local pool after registering with Swimfit, the online programme developed by the ASA and sponsored by British Gas. (To manage the entire distance in less than three months I need to swim 118 lengths per week.) The Big Splash website has a range of watery targets. Fancy swimming round the Isle of Wight? That’s a cool 65 miles to cover. The interactive map is particularly useful and a great motivation to stay in the water that bit longer and do 10 more lengths. The ASA says more than 50,000 people have signed up to the Swimfit challenge since it was launched. Next year Swimathon, the world’s biggest fundraising swim, joins British Swimming, the BBC’s Big Splash, Marie Curie Cancer Care and Sport Relief to promote what is hoped will be the biggest Swimathon Weekend ever on April 27-29. The event will be hosted in 600 pools across the UK and provide swimmers with a personal challenge, goals to train for and causes to support. This is good news for swimming brands and could be the start of a long distance swimming habit for many people, myself included. As Sports Insight went to press, Catherine had swum almost halfway across the Channel. IN SEASON SWIMMING SWIMMING www.sportindustry.biz JAKABEL IS IN STOCK ALL YEAR ROUND ● Full range of neoprene wetsuits 0-11 years. ● Floatsuits from 2-5 years. ● UV 50+ wear from baby to 13 years. ● Pool toys and accessories for all ages. ● 2-3 day delivery. For more information call +44 (0)20 8715 2385, email [email protected] or visit www.jakabel.com. BACK TO SCHOOL NEW KAYENNE JUNIOR SWIM GOGGLE Voted ‘10 out of 10’ and ‘Best on Test’ by 220 Triathlon, Aqua Sphere’s Kayenne goggle delivers true innovation. Its smart lowdrag frame offers outstanding four-way vision (up and down as well as 180 degrees to the side), a great bonus for open water swimmers as well as pool enthusiasts. The clever Quick Fit buckle enables fast and simple strap adjustment for a superbly comfortable fit. Fast becoming a design icon, Aqua Sphere is now primed to launch a junior version - available for pre-order now - in fresh teen shades, bringing the best goggle innovation to a younger market. Call 01254 692200 for your intro to the uber-cool Kayenne Junior. www.sports-insight.co.uk 57 IN SEASON INDOOR SPORTS www.sportindustry.biz INDOOR SPORTS For more information call +44 (0)1656 767042, email [email protected] or visit www.winmau.com. WINMAU The Diamond Plus Dartboard is another first from the world’s leading dartboard manufacturer. This stunning new dartboard offers a wiring system that is leaner, more refined and geared towards modern darts performance at the advanced level. This board features a completely new high tensile Dynamic Sector Wiring system with wafer thin 0.75mm wires for reduced bounce outs. GIFT SETS - ADVANCED RETAIL FOCUS Winmau’s amazing value gift sets give retailers the opportunity to sell a professional 80 per cent tungsten or brass set for any aspiring darts player. With two extra sets of flights, two extra sets of shafts and a checkout table, this truly is the perfect darting gift. www.sports-insight.co.uk 59 HOST WITH THE MOST A robust hosting service for your online store is a prerequisite for its success, says Dave Howell How long has your website been hosted by its ISP? Often overlooked, many retailers will have set up the hosting for their online store several years ago and then neglected to review the service on a regular basis. But in a market awash with vendors due to the explosion of cloud-based services, now is a good time to overhaul your business hosting. The quality of your hosting service is vital, as even short downtimes could mean substantial amounts of lost revenue. “There is strong evidence that the faster the website, the more successful it will be,” says Nick Kington, managing director of ecommerce supplier Actinic. “We know that Google uses performance as a key factor when ranking a site and your visitors will expect a fast response. If the response is slow, it will put them off. “Research has highlighted that a half-second delay in loading a web page can reduce traffic by 20 per cent and that improving speed reduces abandonment rates by up to 41 per cent when selling online. The use of modern, fast hardware and high speed internet connections, together with controlling the number of sites on each server, will help to ensure a fast response. Too many sites on a server will lead to server overload and poor performance.” “ A HALF-SECOND G DELAY IN LOADIN N A WEB PAGE CA IC BY REDUCE TRAFF 20 PER CENT EASY OPTION ” Dominic Monkhouse, UK managing director of PEER 1 Hosting, says many hosting providers charge an all-in fee for set-up, hardware, operating system, support and bandwidth. “This may seem like an easy option, but the problem with these deals is you can’t see exactly where your money is going and so can’t see if you’re paying for things you don’t need,” he explains. “The best way to ensure you’re not taken for a ride is to ask for a breakdown of services and individual quotes for support, bandwidth, additional hardware, etc. It’s the only way to know what’s being delivered, what isn’t and what is surplus to requirements.” 60 www.sports-insight.co.uk The cost of server space has fallen significantly over the last few years. The chances are your site is still hosted on a managed server, which simply means you share it with several other businesses. The problem with this approach is that any issues the other businesses may have with their websites could adversely affect your online store. A dedicated server, as the name suggests, gives your business its own unique server that is physically separate from the others your ISP has in its server rooms. Companies like ServerBeach offer customers dedicated servers, as well as the ability to purchase different levels of support, thus avoiding high maintenance costs. “Hosting is very much a horses for courses thing - it’s a question of getting the best and most appropriate solution that you can afford,” explains Abby Hardoon, founder and managing director of web hosting specialist Daily. “There’s no need to hamstring yourself financially, though. If you’re just starting out or you’re a relatively small business and you know your way around a server, you might like to consider a virtual private server, for example. These provide the flexibility of a dedicated server, but at a reduced cost. “If you want to set up an online shop, it’s worth considering something like an eShop package, which includes shop creation and back office functionality along with the hosting. If you’re smallish and not confident managing a server, a higher-end shared web hosting package could be just up your street, as they’re usually easier for the non-techies among us to deal with.” GEOGRAPHIC REDUNDANCY To ensure your site stays live for the maximum time possible ISPs are now offering geographic redundancy services, which simply means that several servers at different locations are used to ensure a website is live at all times, no matter what happens. “The 1&1 Dual Hosting concept delivers a new dimension of resilience as every online presence exists in two different high performance data centres at the same time,” says Oliver Mauss, CEO of web host 1&1 Internet. “Freelancers, professionals and small to medium-sized businesses thus benefit from a safeguard that before now only large organisations could afford.” 1&1 uses geo-cluster systems in order to create redundancy across locations. All data and processes are mirrored in separately located European data centres. If there should be any unexpected problems at one of the locations, such as an electricity or server blackout, all upcoming exercises are automatically taken over by the other data centre. It is also important you understand who is hosting your E-TAILING site. This may sound odd, but some hosting companies are themselves hosted by other ISPs. One of the best ways of finding out the owner of your ISP is by using Netcraft (http://news.netcraft.com), a service that allows you to see who is hosting your site, which is important when ensuring your service level agreements are honoured by their rightful owners and not handled by a third party. The advent of cloud computing, increased mobile internet access and the continued proliferation of ecommerce has meant that today’s business hosting services offer much more than they used to. Looking to the future, Abby Hardoon concludes: “It seems likely that cloud and software as a service will continue to play an increasing role in business hosting, and the trend we’re seeing is definitely towards virtual private servers, so we expect this market to continue to develop. In the still recuperating economic climate, we also expect there to be an increased focus on reliability and service customers can ill afford to risk their businesses on pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap hosting companies that place less emphasis on service delivery.” Customers are more inclined to buy from reliable online businesses that are available when they want to shop. A robust hosting service for your online store is a prerequisite for its success and the ISP you choose to host your site is an important partner that should be embraced as an essential component of your company. CHECKLIST 1. SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT Any hosting service worth its salt should offer you one of these. Look closely at every clause so you don’t have any nasty surprises. Most items should be open for negotiation. 2. BANDWIDTH The speed and efficiency of your website depends on how much data your server can send and receive. This is the bandwidth. Look for a hosting service that has bandwidth utilisation of below 50 per cent to avoid bottlenecks. 3. DEDICATED SERVERS To avoid problems that other websites may have on the server you are sharing with them, look for a hosting service that offers dedicated servers. These cost more, but give you greater control over security. 4. CONNECTION TO THE BACKBONE Your ISP can be connected to the internet in one of three ways - these are referred to as tiers 1, 2 and 3. Look for a host that has a tier 1 connection, as this means it has its own portion of the internet that it controls. Tier 1 connections are the most expensive, but also the most reliable. 5. CAPACITY Look at the data traffic statistics your ISP should be able to provide you with. What you are looking for is high levels of uptime, which means that the ISP is always connected to the internet and can cope with the traffic your website is generating. 6. TRACKING Your ISP should be able to provide you with full traffic statistics of the data that moves though your server. This information is important when you are tracking return on investment. www.sports-insight.co.uk 61 Cybertill @ STAG Ireland & UK Buying Shows: 23/24 Oct & 20/21 Nov Reduce Stock and Increase Sales with Cybertill Cybertill has helped many sports and outdoors retailers reduce stock whilst increasing sales. It is an easy to use web based EPoS system, which seamlessly links with Cybertill’s ecommerce solution. It gives retailers a real time view of their stock and sales in-store and online so they never sell stock they don’t have. To find out more visit Cybertill at any STAG or INTERSPORT Buying Shows or arrange a free demonstration in-store by calling 0800 030 4432. [email protected] Cybertill is recommended by both STAG Buying Group and INTERSPORT to their members E-TAILING CHRISTMAS IS COMING Mike Thornhill, CEO of ActivInstinct, provides his top tips for a successful season I know what you’re thinking, the sun has barely set on another classic British summer, so it’s surely not right to be talking about Christmas already. In many ways that is the right sentiment to have particularly if, like I, you think that there is something slightly distasteful about Harrods opening its Christmas shop in July. However, if you are a retailer you should already be planning for the busiest time of the year - especially so if you are an online retailer, as the sales peak comes a couple of weeks before that of bricks and mortar. Verdict Research is forecasting that online sales growth for Q4 2011 will be 16 per cent, so that’s an incentive if ever there was one to ensure that you’ve thought of everything before it is too late. At ActivInstinct we’ve found the following list a good basis to plan from and check that we have contingencies in place: PRODUCT Make sure you have a view of what your best selling lines are likely to be and you’ve got plenty of stock ordered - now is a good time to double check and place top-up orders where you’re low or think you might have underestimated originally. MARKETING For many online retailers paid search is a major channel for sales, so now is a good time to review your campaigns to make sure they cover all the categories and products you offer and check the ad copy to make sure it is up to date. Remember too that as the Christmas trading season starts to heat up, prices for clicks start to increase, so closely monitor the performance of your campaigns in the peak weeks and adjust where necessary to make sure they perform across the period. Plan out your email communications and update your newsletter templates, so that they reflect the season and help get your customers in the mood to buy. WEBSITE Finally, and perhaps the most important part of the whole mix, is the place where customers will spend their money. Now is the time to take a good look at your site and the analytics to see if there are any areas with high bounce rates that you need to fix before things get busy, as there’s no point in driving traffic to your site if people leave without ordering. Remember that web shoppers are time poor at the best of times, but at this time of year that gets amplified hugely so make sure that your navigation is clear and the categories and products that will sell best are on view as soon as the customer hits your site. Make sure that you put a bit of festive sparkle on your site as soon as you are able to, as shoppers will expect this and you’ll really stand out if you don’t. JANUARY SALE Not strictly a part of Christmas, but with many online retailers hitting the sale button on Christmas day last year, you’ll need to have the change over planned and ready to go so that you don’t miss out on any opportunity to close out the year with a bang. DELIVERY Make sure your last order/delivery dates and times are easy to find on your site, and be as specific as possible if different products or geographies have differing cut offs. The past two bad winters have proved that even the biggest couriers can have difficulty delivering presents to customers in time for Christmas. This could mean that customers might be wary and need reassurance, so have a contingency plan for bad weather (and make sure your couriers do) so that you can reassure them. It also might mean that sales pick up earlier than last year as people place orders in plenty of time to get them, so make sure all of your stock is in as early as possible and your marketing activity is underway. STAFFING Plan the number of staff you need in customer services and the warehouse, and make sure that everyone is available. It is also good to have an agency on hand that can send part-time staff quickly should anything happen and you need someone to step in. www.sports-insight.co.uk 65 TAIL-ENDER UNDER THE COUNTER A sideways look at the world of independent retailing I should have twigged something was up when my assistant Norman put on his best blazer and asked for an hour off to have his ears syringed. He also mentioned twice in one week that he hadn’t had a pay rise since 1984, was still owed two weeks of last year’s holiday and I hadn’t paid his National Insurance since 2004. Okay, I might not be the world’s most wonderful employer, but I have bought the elevenses doughnuts on a pretty regular basis since 1998 and usually turn a blind eye when he logs on to Twitter during the lunch hour and pretends to young ladies in Thailand that he’s Stephen Fry. PRETTY DAFT Anyway, when I came back from lunch last Tuesday Norman handed me a letter addressed to ‘To Whom It May Concern’, which was pretty daft considering there’s been no one in the shop but him and me since I took over from my dad in 1981. The letter, which began ‘Dear Sir,’ officially gave me four weeks’ notice and asked for his P45 and - would you believe it? - a reference. The formalities over, he told me he had been offered a job as acting assistant temporary deputy manager of leisure footwear by our deadliest rival, the local branch of a sports goods chain, and as he had read somewhere that proactive marketing was here to stay, felt it would be prudent to take it. It seems his wife has also been sticking her oar in by saying that I had exploited him mercilessly and underpaid him for years and it was high time he found a job more suited to his undoubted abilities. They had also offered him four weeks’ paid holiday, a non-contributory pension scheme, opportunities for promotion, a discount on in-store purchases, subsidised canteen facilities and a place on the waiting “ list for the firm’s holiday timeshare in Marbella. “That’s all very well,” I said. “But you’ll have to buy your own doughnuts.” When it seemed obvious that Norman (or his wife) had firmly made his mind up, I shook his hand, wished him all the best and gave him the bottle of Scotch I’d got from a pub raffle. That evening my wife was very cross when she heard I had accepted Norman’s resignation without a fight. “You know you can’t manage without him,” she said. “You can’t do the VAT returns and you can’t work the burglar alarm. You don’t even know how to kick the front door shut when it rains. And remember I play whist with his wife and we’re in the semifinals of the WI Cup. You’d better sort it out tomorrow and I’ll have a word with Kevin.” Kevin, in case you’re wondering, is my wife’s second cousin who works in the swimwear department of the sports chain’s branch in the next town. It seems that in exchange for a bottle of Scotch Kevin agreed to give Norman an idea of what he was letting himself in for. T ATTENDANCE A THE COMPANY’S FOOTBALL AND ES CRICKET MATCH RY WAS COMPULSO 66 www.sports-insight.co.uk ” TOOK THE BAIT I can report that Norman took the bait. They met apparently accidentally in a pub down the road and Kevin soon got into his stride. Norman would, of course, be expected to wear trainers, not only at work but at home, too. At work he would wear a yellow blazer with his name on the pocket and be expected to order a sushi takeaway for lunch. After work he would be compelled to attend departmental seminars on organisational culture, loyalty overlap, the tall poppy syndrome and counselling out (that’s getting the sack). His boss was into amateur dramatics and would require Norman to attend the shows (he was about to play the lion in The Wizard of Oz). If he claimed time off to go to the dentist, a supervisor would later check what dental work had been done and mark the fillings on a chart. Attendance at the company’s football and cricket matches was compulsory, so were bowling nights and country dancing competitions. Self-defence and karate classes were encouraged - the CEO’s wife was a brown belt. A wheelbarrow race in the car park commemorated the chairman’s birthday. When I arrived at the shop the following morning, Norman was sitting at the counter with his head in his hands. He said he might have made a terrible mistake. After he had agreed to buy the doughnuts until at least the end of next year, I said he could have his job back. That evening I rang Kevin to congratulate him on his powers of persuasion. Of course, I intend to keep my side of the bargain and give him a bottle of Scotch the moment I’ve found some way of getting it back from Norman. GFORCE. NOT JUST ANOTHER STOCK TEAMWEAR BRAND High Performance Bespoke Sportswear With a passion for sport, GFORCE prides itself in knowing how important it is to deliver high quality, affordable, multi-sport apparel with low order quantities and quick turn–around times. Up to 13,500 Colour Combinations Low Minimum Order Short Lead Time Free Design Service A BRAND YOU CAN TRUST T: 01507 523243 [email protected] www.gforcesportswear.co.uk