Southern Africa’s business-to-business magazine for the sport, outdoor and leisure industries • Vol 38 No 2 • Q2 2017

Can regain players? Hunting and sport shooting is a huge market Trail running offers retailers many opportunities Vol 38 Nr 2 Q2 2017 www.sportstrader.co.za

Highlights:

The good and bad of Q1 trading What to stock for trail runners Can transformation grow cricket participation? the cover Arriving in spring/summer Reach the huge sport shooting

2017, the brand new ladies Messe Friedrichshafen Photo: market Wild-Life Lux I Waterproof Trail running accessories offer a wide variety of stock options from Hi-Tec is packed with for retailers (p18) plus outdoor technologies explained (p30). technologies that’ll make every adventurer light on their Outdoor feet and ready for any terrain. Regulars Its premium leather upper provides support and durabil- People on the move The A-Z of outdoor technologies An alpahbetical glossary of what specifi c outdoor ity, I-shield repels water and News about people in the industry. dirt and the rustproof hard- 2 30 technologies do. ware lacing system provides Brands on the move Father’s Day is a sales opportunity a secure fi t. The Ortholite® News about brand activity in the industry. Impressions sock liner delivers 5 Outdoor products that suppliers predict will have superior cushioning with in- Company results 32 customers lining up at tills for Father’s Day. stant and long lasting comfort. International fi nancial results Hunting and shooting is biggest The high rebound XLR8>> 50 CMEVA midsole offers you Shop talk 36 outdoor market that extra support when tak- Specialized Bicycles Africa has introduced their We give an overview of the many varied and ing on the mountains and get- 54 unique retail concept to 31 African stores. diverse organised sport shooting and hunting ting to the top. Contact Hi-Tec organisations, and the opportunities they off er. SA on Tel: 021 506 6900. Trade show news News about trade and industry shows. HuntEx is the place to be Publisher: Nicol du Toit 56 HuntEx has grown into the third biggest expo in Editor: Carin Hardisty 38 SA and attracts nearly 40 000 visitors annually. Managing editor: Trudi du Toit Industry Proofreader: Liz Milburn Sport Features: Antoinette Muller Stuttafords business rescue Carin Hardisty, Suppliers are not happy with 25% payment. Linza de Jager, Luke Jackson Cricket transformation unpacked 8 Will transformation initiatives give a kick-start to Rhianah Rhode, Trudi du Toit Tekkie Town goes corporate Design: Carin Hardisty, Trudi du Toit 40 ailing cricket participation numbers? Photography: Nicol du Toit 10 How this retailer grew from an independent to Advertising: Nicol du Toit part of one of the biggest global retailers. Cricket equipment news Subscriptions: Carin Hardisty New bat size regulations and news about Printing: Novus Print Solutions SA on fast growth path 44 ranges for season. Distribution: InsideData PUMA SA MD Luke Barrett-Smith on their 12 mission to become the fastest sports brand. Understanding the skateboarding Sports Trader is published quarterly by Rocklands Communications cc. 46 market Reg. No: 1997/057165/23. Reach the women’s market Deciphering the unique skateboarding market Members: N. J. & G. C. du Toit & How sport, outdoor and athleisure retailers can and how to succeed in selling products to it. 14 appeal to female consumers. C. Hardisty Contact details: Base- and markets growing PO Box 12197 Mill Street 8010 Brand and SA stores world leaders How the market is developing and tips on how 22 Rocklands Avenue, , Nike and fi ve SA retailers are among the biggest 48 retailers can break into it. 8001 17in the world. Tel: 021 461 2544 Fax: 021 461 2549 2017 Expo Website: www.sportstrader.co.za Mixed results from Q1 trade Industry members were happy with support Facebook: SportsTraderMagazine Many retailers started 2017 on a more positive 55 received and the new layout. Twitter: @SASportsTrader 52 note compared to 2016 — for others it was worse. Blog: sasportstrader.wordpress.com Advertising: [email protected] Editorial: [email protected] Clothing & footwear Subscribe: [email protected]

Publication information: The What to stock for trail runners title and contents of Sports What accessories retailers should stock to attract Trader are protected by copy- 18 trail runners. right. It is a business to busi- ness publication compiled to Must-have trail running shoes inform, entertain and educate Trail running shoe range off erings. retailers, distributors and man- 22 ufacturers of sports and out- door equipment, footwear and Running round up clothing. It is available only to Running news — from sub2 to green members of the sport, outdoor 24 and activewear industries and is published quarterly. Trending kids wear Will the transformation initiatives in cricket help to grow the © Rocklands Communications. 28What will be trending in kids wear. market again? from p40 21963T_SportsTrader 2017-01-17T14:25:27+02:00 cents 21963T/E cents ninety9

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21963T Sports Trader FP Ad 210x297 FA1.indd 1 2017/01/16 3:18 PM p2 :: Industry

Duca del Cosma CEO ADOLF STOFFBERG is the new CEO of Italian -inspired life- style brand, Duca del Cosma, People on for and Africa. Towards the end of last year the brand was bought by Frank van Wezel, who also owns the distributorship license for Hi- Tec in South Africa, and it is be- ing run as a subsidiary of Hi-Tec Sports SA. Stoffberg is a familiar face at Hi-Tec, where he has been in charge of key accounts. “The brand is well established in European markets, making it an unbelievably exciting role ahead,” Stoffberg says. for me to take on this start up For the time being, Stoffberg in such a diverse market, and will don both caps as CEO of I am looking forward to the Duca Del Cosma and in key ac- challenges and opportunities counts for Hi-Tec SA.

Richard Dixon Africa. has swopped the Before joining Hi-Tec Sports SA has appointed three new directors. While their titles are new, title and respon- the distributorship sibilities of MD of side, Dixon had they themselves are far from new to the company — in total the board now repre- Skye Distribution extensive experi- sents over a century of Hi-Tec service. for the challenges ence in retail, for The new directors are Mike Farrer (Sales Director, second from left), Edson Cloete and rewards of example as COO (Operations Manager, third from left) and Jo Esterhuizen (Marketing Director, becoming an en- of ladies fashion right). Mickey Mallett (left) remains CEO and Esme Coetzee (Finance Director, trepreneur with apparel retail second from right). his own retail and brand Contempo, Frank van Wezel is owner of Hi-Tec Sports and chairman. In December, he acquired brand consulting as well as Retail the distributorship license for South Africa from the new Hi-Tec owners. business Brand Operations Direc- All appointments are from within the company and “reflects the growth of young Triangle Company tor at various well- talent through the ranks of the organization,” says Mallett. “We are a blend of (BTC). known companies young and old, but with huge commitment and passion we are at the beginning After more than like Scotts, Spitz, of very exciting times, although the company has already been active in the South seven years as John Orrs, Select a African market for 32 years!” MD of Skye Dis- Shoe, etc. Hi-Tec has appointed Mike Wallace tribution, Dixon He also previous- from Mike Wallace Agencies as its decided to use ly held key execu- agent for the Western Cape, Northern his 30 years’ ex- tive and director- Cape, Garden Route and new custom- perience in the ship roles on the ers in Cape Town. athleisure and boards of several “Mike is very experienced and has fashion footwear companies. worked in the industry for a very long and clothing industry to start his own He also has a track record in busi- time,” says Mike Farrer, national sales company. ness turnarounds. director for Hi-Tec SA. “He adds value Skye distributes international and Building sustainable profit growth of to our brands and is just generally a well-established in-house brands like international and local retailers and good guy and great to work with. His Converse, Lyle and Scott, Dickies, brands across sub-Saharan Africa will work ethic is good and he fits our Mille, etc. in South and sub-Saharan remain a key focus. brand very well.” Farrer has worked with Wallace in the past and had been very impressed Makro sports buyer Stephen Carney playing for Eastern . with his hard work, which is why he has been in retail since 2010, but “So, when I heard the position at feels he is the ideal person for the job. started to focus on the sports industry Makro was for a sports buyer I jumped in August 2016 when he joined Makro. at the opportunity.” Before joining Makro, Car- ney worked for Pick n Pay, where he started out as a planner and later moved onto buying and looking af- ter various categories. The position as buyer in Makro’s sports department is a “perfect match” for him, says Carney. “I have a pas- sion for sport and I still play numerous sports.” He attended Jeppe High Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli has signed an eight year partnership deal with School for boys, which is PUMA and joins the brand’s family, which reads like a ‘who’s-who’ of the sports very sports focused, where world, many of whom are inspirational leaders in their respective countries and he participated in a number sporting codes. He will also launch his own product range, which will be based on of sports. “My main focus Kohli’s own signature style and his sense of fashion, and will be targeted at Indian was on soccer and I got youth. It will be launched towards the end of this year and will include products for provincial colours in soccer cricket, fitness and sports style.

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Industry :: p3

New Dunslaz division the move brand manager

Rassie Pieterse BRAND ID’S new Dunslaz division now heads brand manager, Jon Haughton, is two teams: TK very familiar with Dunlop and Sla- Sports and South Africa’s zenger from his days handling the national sponsorships and organising tour- hockey naments. He takes over from Steve team, where Gallienne, who has moved to the he is also goalkeeper. UK to up the Karakal brand. TK founder For the past four years, Haugh- Thomas Kille ton had been Account Manager in appointed charge of the Dunlop sponsorship Pieterse as TK International account at The BLD Group (a spon- MD early in sorship, media and PR company 2016. that consults to Brand ID) and for three years he also headed his own company that ran tour- naments. “The account gave me invaluable experience on both the and participated in the local and international front and I program and was a member of the received the opportunity to work university’s hockey teams. with some unbelievable brands Haughton joined The BLD Group and at some incredible events. In in a part time capacity while he 2015 I took on the Slazenger ac- was still studying. It was at this count as a personal project out of time that he started to work in- passion and love of the brand.” timately with Dunlop as its spon- Above left: PUMA athlete and Blue Haughton has worked with Gal- sorship account manager. “My Bulls player Trevor Ntando Nyakane lienne since 2012, when he started time and involvement with The will be seen on fi eld this season in the on the Dunlop account, and con- BLD Group was invaluable and new PUMA evoPOWER Vigor H8 rugby siders him to be the ultimate role very enjoyable as it allowed me boots. He feels that the lightweight, and heavy-duty boot is suited to his game and just perfect for what he does. Above right: PUMA ambassador Kylie Jenner model. “I wish that I could have enough time and fl exibility to features in the brand’s campaign for its Swan Pack collection (see p14). Here spent at least another year learn- complete my studies as well as to she wears the white version of Fierce Strap Swan with the crop top and leggings. ing from Steve as he is a legend develop my other passion in life: in the industry. To say that I have coaching the sports that I love.” some big shoes to fi ll is an under- Over the years he has coached statement. I am confi dent in my a variety of sports (cricket, tennis takeover and whilst I have come to and hockey), but hockey grabbed terms with the fact that my new his attention the most, “whether role is going to take some time to it was training, coaching or play- adjust to, I have some great sup- ing. I think this played a big role port at Brand ID and I cannot wait in my decision to specialise in the to leave my mark on the multiple sporting industry.” brands in my division.” The year after fi nishing his stud- He has a rich history in sport, ies, he opened his own coaching having played multiple sports at business, through which he has school level and beyond (cricket, organised hockey tournaments for soccer, tennis, golf and hockey) Slazenger. At the time the brand and coached after school. He was wasn’t part of his consulting work Mountain climber and K-Way ambas- chosen to represent his province in at The BLD Group, but because sador Robby Kojetin presented a talk in February at Cape Union Mart’s Ad- tennis from grades 8-12 as well as he has a passion and belief in the venture Centre in , Cape South African NGO Waves for Change in hockey at U21 level. brand he was given the opportunity. Town, wherein he shared details of his won the Laureus Sport for Good award He enrolled at the University of “I have taken on the development, experiences through an audio-visual for using “surftherapy” to relieve the (UJ) with the inten- growth and exposure of Slazenger presentation. stress of living among violence and Kojetin has climbed and trekked poverty in townships “one wave at a tion of studying accounting, but in hockey as my own personal mission all over the world, including nine Kili- time”. his second year he was given the and I have an incredible amount of manjaro and Mount Everest summits Since the NGO was founded by Tim opportunity to work at the SA Open passion for the brand.” and through his presentation he took Conibear (above) in 2011, Waves for held at Montecasino. “After a week Towards the end of 2016 Haugh- audience members with him through Change has taught coping skills and ton resigned from The BLD Group, the trails and triumphs of high alti- provided emotional support to more of working in a sports environment tude and sub-zero temperatures by than 1 000 youths in six South African with ATP professional tennis play- with the intention of going showing his images and video foot- townships and recently also in Liberia. ers (a title I had always aspired to) abroad. Gallienne, however, ap- age. The talk also covered advice on They have also trained more than 50 I decided to change my choice of proached him to take on the posi- fi tness, training and health consid- coaches in surf coaching, lifesaving, degree to BCom Sports Manage- tion at Brand ID. “It came as quite erations, gear and equipment needed, child protection, trauma counselling budget, and what one can expect on and computer training. ment,” he says. a shock when Steve contacted the adventure. Photo: Getty Images. While at UJ he also captained me,” he says.

2017 Q2 :: Sports Trader p4 :: Industry A fighter to the end ary Steele-Boe, who sadly lost the ment and later the government departments battle against renal failure on 10 responsible for fisheries started reducing the February, is known in the industry West-Coast lobster quotas for recreational di- as a crusader for justice and fair vers and anglers. Steele-Boe started attend- deals, as well as a fishing retailer ing these meetings where he showed that the ofC note. As founder of Recreational Fishing catch reductions for recreational fishers were Services he tirelessly campaigned for a fairer either calculated incorrectly, or were unfairly deal for the recreational lobster industry and biased when compared to commercial quotas. as head of the fishing section of Somerset This had a huge detrimental impact on West- Sport in — which became Kloppers ern Cape diving, snorkelling, fishnet and wet- Sport — he developed a loyal following among suit suppliers and retailers. Cape anglers. Members of affected businesses — which Deemed too old to qualify for dialysis in a included outlets providing food, fuel and ac- state hospital after being diagnosed with final commodation to visitors — supported his cru- stage renal failure in July 2014, his last battle sade. He started Recreational Fishing Services was to stay alive long enough to qualify for and he and some of the 5 000 odd members medical aid cover of weekly dialysis sessions. nature continued. He loved snakes and always continued attending meetings where quota al- Because of the pre-condition he had to wait had a snake or two with him — and was sent locations were discussed and even won a few a year after joining the medical aid last May. home from school many times because he had court cases. He also wrote many letters to the With the assistance of Just Charity, friends and a snake with him. This is where his nickname, government departments responsible, their family in the meantime organised fundraiser snake child, came from. overseers, and the press, to highlight what he events to pay for monthly dialysis. In his teenage years there was hardly a considered unfair allocations. His friend Russell Horne of Russell’s Angling weekend when he was not at the seaside, div- When Somerset Sport opened their branch in and Patrick Franck of WET Sports kindly com- ing and fishing. Cape Gate — which was subsequently bought by piled this tribute to a member of the industry Cary matriculated from Fairbairn High School Kloppers Sport — Steele-Boe joined to start the who will be missed by many. in 1980 and after his two year national ser- fishing section. He successfully set out to prove Born in Natal on 28 September 1962, Cary vice, he joined the navy, which he enjoyed. He that the fishing department was a crucial part Steele-Boe grew up in a rural Zulu community, left the navy in 1997 to start a tackle shop in of the business with consistently good turnover. where Zulu became one of the languages he Gordon’s Bay. He noticed a gap in the market He was a loving husband to Olga and devoted spoke while growing up. He and his father were for crayfish nets and started producing these father to Kyle and Caryn. “Cary will be sorely always at the sea fishing and diving, and this for the crayfish season. His supply of crayfish missed and always be remembered as the big is where his love of nature and the sea began. nets to the retail sector eventually covered man with a small heart who loved his family They moved to Goodwood in the Cape, the Western Cape. and fishing and was willing to fight for nature where he went to primary school. His love of In the early 2000’s Marine Coastal Manage- and for what he believed in,” says Horne.

Skechers ambassadors on the campaign trail

THE SKECHERS PERFORMANCE of only 11 golfers to ever receive GO Golf division has extended this honour. its partnership with US pro golfer They join pro ambassadors like Billy Andrade for five more years. Matt Kuchar, Russell Knox, Colin Andrade, who has been with the Montgomerie, etc. in global mar- brand since it launched its first keting campaigns that place the golf apparel and footwear line, is golfers in a number of comedic currently the 13th highest earner settings, which debuted at the on the PGA Champions Tour. He 2017 PGA Merchandise Show. holds four PGA Tour titles and Skechers is also going back to has been under the top 50 of the where it all began by re-signing Russell Knox, Wesley Bryan, Matt Kuchar and Billy Andrade. World Golf Rankings. film and television actor Rob Lowe Earlier the year, Skechers Per- as well as Hall of Fame sportsman

formance also signed PGA player Joe Montana, who will appear in Business Wire. Photos: and YouTube sensation Wesley the company’s new global, multi- Bryan. He was part of the 2016 tiered television, print and digital Web.com Tour — the developmen- men’s footwear marketing cam- tal tour for the PGA Tour, where paign launching later this year. he was named Player of the Lowe helped the brand introduce Year and had three wins, which its casual collection 15 years ago, secured him a prestigious Bat- while Montana was the first ambas- tlefield Promotion and advanced sador to promote the Relaxed Fit him into the PGA Tour. He is one footwear collection in 2012. Joe Montana and Rob Lowe.

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Industry :: p5 Brand news

Skechers wins again

Skechers’ UK and Ireland MD Peter Youell (far right) and marketing/visual merchandising manager Will Cheung (second from the right) were among the members accepting the award. Image: The Imageworks. Skechers wins awards SKECHERS IS staying on top of the game, as is brands and retailers are nominated and voted evident by its hat trick at the Footwear Industry for by their peers in the trade, which means Awards. that a nomination is a form of endorsement by The brand made headlines by winning the the trade. It is supported by the British Foot- Brand of the Year title at the 2017 UK Footwear wear Association (BFA), the Independent Foot- Industry Awards for the third consecutive year wear Retailer’s Association (IFRA), Society of in a row. Skechers was also highly commended Shoe Fitters (SSF) and the Footwear Today trade in the Ladies Footwear Brand and Comfort/ magazine. Wellness Brand of the Year category. Last year, globally, the company set a new an- “It’s officially a three-peat!” says Peter Youell, nual sales record of $3.56-bn and now in its 25th MD of Skechers UK and Ireland. “This award con- year has revamped its footwear lines to include tinues to be a testament to the growing appeal more youthful, trend-forward styles and am- of Skechers and its product to consumers across the UK and Ireland, who have become loyal fans plified its successful comfort offering. “We’re of the brand. Of course this award wouldn’t be thrilled that the Footwear Industry Awards possible without the ongoing support from our continues to applaud our dual inside/out ap- retail partners; together, we have elevated Ske- proach to product for today’s consumer — and chers in their stores, making it an in-demand forward to building on our style and com- lifestyle and fashion footwear brand.” fort innovations for years to come,” says Marvin To be eligible for an Footwear Industry Award, Bernstein, managing partner of Skechers S.à.r.l. Blue Blast FOR THE first time, adidas’ soccer boot col- grip. lection includes a street soccer shoe. The The ACE 17.1 TR Street is predominantly shoes and boots in the new Blue Blast collec- constructed with a Primemesh material that tion cover wearers’ needs from the stadium to gives it a lifestyle-focused look. The shoe, cage to the street. which is blue with pink details, has a Techfit The on-pitch laceless ACE 17+ Purecontrol colour coating covering the three stripes and features an all-new Purecut Sock System a full-length Boost midsole that enhances its that uses stretchable material to help lock lifestyle look, yet also provides energy return. the player’s foot in place while allowing it to ACE Tango 17.1 TF, the cage boot in the col- adjust to even the most complex movements lection, features a ballistic nylon upper as and provide the optimal fit. Because of its 360o well as black EVA strips above the heel’s Boost, Primeknit upper no wear-in time is required which create stability and energy return. It and its ultra-thin Non Stop Grip (NSG) film pro- also features a rubber outsole for abrasion re- tects the upper material, while also improving sistance and strong grip.

ACE 17+ Purecontrol for on-pitch, ACE Tango 17.1 TF for cage, and ACE 17.1 TR for street soccer. p6 :: Industry Brand news Fresh sliders THE FILA sandal collection is here and summer The Fila sandal collection also features a selec- 2017 belongs to the slider, says local distributor tion of striking thongs. Whether you’re out for Footwear Trading. Fila is launching a fresh range a hike, headed to the beach or simply embark- of sliders, in men’s and ladies sizes, “for comfort ing on an open-toed wander, the Fila thong seekers and fashion pioneers alike. Fila uses pre- collection with it’s classic colours and distinc- mium fabrics designed to radiate the sophistica- tive branding creates that carefree, relaxed tion of Italian craftsmanship, and the slider col- look, says Footwear Trading. The EVA rubber lection is no diff erent!” outsoles are lightweight yet durable, while the Available in signature Fila colourways, the uppers fi t snug around the foot for a comfort- The 2017 ASICS Frontrunner team members have slider collection is “practical and unpretentious. able stride. every right to be excited: the fi nal group of 30 was Fashion forward consumers may wear their slid- The Fila sandal collection caters for a wide vari- selected from a huge number of applications, 3 400, from across the country — a tough selection for the ers with socks for an old school retro vibe, while ety of tastes and preferences, with several styles panel of selectors, which included Runner's World, the rest may pair it with straight leg cropped and colours across the slider and thong ranges. ASICS FrontRunner core members and ASICS SA. jeans for a chic minimalist look”. “Summer sandals have never looked this good!” “We were completely overwhelmed by the response received nationwide for the ASICS FrontRunner pro- gramme,” says Sarah Mundy, ASICS South Africa's Superga retro styles Marketing Manager. THE NEW Superga S collection is inspired by retro designs and a sporty tennis aesthetic. “We live in a culture that’s infatuated with the past and the Superga Club S is a col- lection that retro lovers will obsess over!” says the brand. These sneakers are made with premium quality materials in a classic design that fea- tures trendy yet functional perforated holes. They are as at home on the court as on the street, says Superga, which points out the sneakers look equally good worn with jeans The Base, adidas’ new urban soccer centre in Johan- and a bomber jacket, as with a suit. nesburg, provides a place where players can play “Superga is well over 100 years old and still multiple formats of the game, test products, and remains an infl uential shoe icon since the very watch players and teams. It offers pitches, Pana beginning, transforming with current trends court, media room, dedicated skills area and a game and inspiring many sneaker styles from canvas room. Like in London, this venue plays host to the South African branch of the adidas tournament, to fl atforms (a fl at shoe with a thick sole) and TANGO LEAGUE (see next page). mid-tops that transition from season to season.” The Bolton marketing and design team. Stand- ing left to right: Lukholo Mambu, Ronnie Jacobs, Wayne Roos, Stuart Hopwood, Gary Gilder, Jody Henry, and Kiran Shunmoogam. Front: Fahiem Frizlar. Bolton Footwear’s fashion show in the park AFTER TWO successful retail trade shows in Johannesburg and Durban, the Bolton Footwear group showed its latest winter footwear ranges to the Cape Town media. Presented in the tranquil setting of , the shoes were shown off to their best advantage on podiums with glass tops, giv- The Sharks (above left) and Cheetahs (above right) in their Columbia outfi ts. ing you a view of every detail. Photo of Sharks: Howard Cleland. Columbia teams up with Sharks and Cheetahs OFF THE FIELD the Sharks and Cheetahs will “Columbia’s outdoor specifi c ranges are ideal now be able to enjoy the outdoors in cloth- for the game reserves, farming community ing provided by their fi rst outdoor apparel and general outdoor lifestyle embraced by the partner, Columbia. And their outdoor-loving people of KwaZulu Natal. It makes this part- supporters can copy the team look in dual- nership a great fi t for the brand.” branded supporters’ kit. farmers love their rugby and Cur- “We see a massive opportunity at the Sharks rie Cup team and the Cheetahs Co- for the Columbia PFG range that is directed at lumbia outdoor apparel range will therefore the big fi shing community in KwaZulu Natal,” also speak directly to the needs of the large says Du Toit Botes of local distributor Brand ID. farming community in the region, he adds.

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Advertorial :: p7

adidas’ new TANGO LEAGUE begins adidas’ new TANGO LEAGUE combines football skill with social media savviness to determine the winner

didas South Africa’s brand new se- ers earn points for the right to top the Tango brings two passion points together in a very ries of football events, named TAN- League leaderboard. This ranking system will functional way.” GO LEAGUE, kicked off on the 25th see players earn points for what they do on Spectators are welcome from 10:00 at THE of March 2017. the pitch, as well as how active they are on BASE, Unit 5, Cambridge Commercial Park, 22 aThe Tango League concept was initially re- twitter and Instagram. Witkoppen Road, Paulshof, Johannesburg. vealed at the launch event of the adidas Foot- In addition, players will be also be vying for For further information please visit http:// ball Base Jo’burg last month, an exclusive new the right to be crowned the tournament MVP, www.adidas.com/tangoleague or follow @ football facility in the heart of Johannesburg’s which results in the event standout player win- adidasZA on twitter and Instagram to join the northern suburbs. ning an adidas boot deal and getting a points conversation. The Tango League season started in March boost on the leaderboard. The ultimate Tango For trade enquiries contact adidas South Africa 2017 and will culminate in May 2018 prior to League MVP could win an exclusive opportunity on Tel: 021 442 6200. the FIFA World Cup fi nals taking place in Rus- to attend an adidas Global Tango League event sia over June/July 2018. adidas is hosting a abroad. series of tournaments, with each tournament Adrian de Souza, head of Football at adidas comprising of 8 teams that were selected via South Africa is excited about what the Tango an online registration portal. The 8 teams will League series will bring to the table. “This battle each tournament out in a 4 v 4 format tournament will merge football talent, look with each match lasting 10 minutes. for brilliant young creators and be played at It’s not just football skill, ability and prow- a world class venue and we’re looking forward ess that will set each player apart as adidas to seeing how all this comes together,” he are looking for athletes who are also active said. “These young creators are active across on social media platforms. Football ability social media on a daily basis and we have now and social media activity will be key, as play- added a digital element to football which p8 :: Industry

Stuttafords: Suppliers are not smiling

tuttafords provided many brands in creditors would, however, have got a repre- the industry with a first taste of a There is international evi- sentative proportion of what they are owed, business rescue plan … and for sev- dence that only 5% of which would have included assets like the eral of them it was akin to Don Vito business rescue cases are fixtures and branding for store-in-store areas Corleone of The Godfather making successful that Stuttafords now retains together with themS an offer they couldn’t refuse. R200-m worth of stock. Losing 75% of the debt owed after Stuttafords If the suppliers had not been satisfied with applied for business rescue at the end of Octo- the terms of liquidation, they could have sued. distressed companies in a manner that bal- ber last year, was never going to go down well ances the rights and interests of all relevant with suppliers. It is estimated that the retailer Three plans stakeholders. The management of the com- has R200-m worth of unsold branded stock. The business rescue plan that the shareholders pany is placed under supervision and there is a But, the terms of the agreement makes it and big creditors like Nedbank voted to adopt moratorium on all legal action. even less palatable. They will only receive 4% on March 8, had several facets to it. Apart A business rescue plan must be approved to of what they are owed up front, and a fur- from the debt repayment structure mentioned restructure the company’s affairs, property, ther 21% over the next 21 months, provided above, the main difference between this res- debts, liabilities, etc. to maximise the like- they continue to supply further stock during cue plan and the previous two proposals con- lihood of the company continuing its exist- the period. And they must leave their store-in- cerns the future ownership and management ence — or, if that is not possible, to result in a store fixtures in place. There is, however, an of the store: better return for the company’s creditors or • The Ellerine Brothers will invest R12-m in unspecified promise of perhaps some more if shareholders than would result from the im- the retailer is sold or makes a profit. the company for a 76% stake. They previ- mediate liquidation of the company. ously had a 26.4% shareholding. The remain- But, in the end it didn’t matter if they re- With the business rescue plan for Stutta- ing 24 percent would be held by Stuttafords’ fused the offer, or not. Major creditors like fords, the benefits to the creditors who sup- parent company. Nedbank (owed R147-m) and certain share- plied their stock are not as obvious as the ben- • The management team appointed by the holders like Ellerines, owed R37.49-m, had efits to the people who created the problem in other major shareholder, venture capitalist enough votes to approve a business rescue the first place, namely the management and firm Vestacor, including CEO Robert Amoils, plan put forward by the Ellerine brothers at a owners (shareholders) of the business. are to step down. creditors meeting on March 8. But, since the amount owed to suppliers is • An unnamed retail expert would run the less but a fraction of Stuttafords’ R836-m total Industry suppliers are the losers business until a buyer can be found. debt, they had a minority vote, even though • They propose an 18-month period to meet The biggest losers are some of the cosmetic none of the suppliers at the final meeting vot- performance targets and pay creditors back, brands like L’Oreal or Estee Lauder and direct- ed in favour of the business rescue plan, says or pay creditors back earlier if they find a ly imported brands like Tommy Hilfiger, which Alex Elliott of Hogan Lovells, who with partner suitable buyer. are owed more than R10-m each. But, distrib- Gareth Cremer, represented some suppliers. • The rescue plan would also be dependent utors of brands in the athleisure industry like It can be argued that the business rescue on Nedbank giving Stuttafords a R60-m loan adidas, PUMA, Polo, Levi’s, Jeep, etc. are also practitioners (BRPs), Neil Miller of Mazars and facility for operating expenses. owed amounts worth more than seven digits. John Evans of RS Advisors, had their eye on At the time of going to print the name of the The implication of the deal is that a brand the bigger picture. A debt of say R2.1-m may retail expert or potential buyer was still un- that was owed R2.1-m at the end of October therefore seem insignificant as it is but 0.25% known, although Ellerines said they had been will lose R1.6-m; one that was owed R1.34-m, of the total, yet it is a huge amount for any in contact with interested parties. will lose more than R1-m and a distributor that athletic brand to lose. “For all we know it could be the former own- is owed R800 000 will lose R600 000. Despite numerous attempts, Sports Trader ers,” commented a disgruntled supplier, who, All stock they supplied after business rescue was unable to reach either of the BRPs for like most others, was kept out of the loop. commenced in October 2016, has to be paid comment before going to print. A previous proposal by the BRPs was rejected for in full. But, if Stuttafords had applied for liquida- by nearly 30% of the creditors on March 2nd. Ironically, the purpose of voluntary business tion, the tables would have been turned: it Then, the terms had been as follows: rescue, as defined in the Chapter 6 of the new would have been the worst-case scenario for • Unsecured creditors {suppliers) would have Companies Act of 2008, is to provide for the management, the employees and owners who received 23% of what was owed to them: 5% efficient rescue and recovery of financially would have lost their job and a company. All up front and 18% over the next 19 months, Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Industry :: p9

Many local suppliers of clothing and footwear brands got their first taste of the concept of busi- ness rescue from Stuttafords — and didn’t like it at all. Luckily, Edgars seems to be back in busi- ness. Words: Trudi du Toit

provided they continued to supply stock; • Vestacor, headed by current Stuttafords Edcon back on track? CEO Robert Amoils, would have contributed Edcon’s dEBT restructuring has been final- compared to the third quarter of 2016. R10.3-m for a 56.12% stake. Some industry ised, the Competition Commission approved Profit margins dropped due to a focus on members would remember Vestacor as the the acquisition by Parentco — formed by competitive entry price points and discounts former Fashaf and Moresport owners; some of the group’s major creditors who offered to customers in the form of a gift • The shareholding of other shareholders (In- were offered equity instead of full debt re- card — but by the end of December 2016 cluding Ellerines) would have been diluted payment — a new board has been appoint- only about half of the discount cost had ma- to below 15% in total, or 1% or less each. ed, and all seems to be in place to get the terialised in the form of sales. • The management of Stuttafords Interna- retail group back to profitability. The Edcon Group, however, estimated that tional Fashion Company would have 20.08% Unfortunately, customers didn’t exactly during the next quarter, which ended 25 shareholding and Stuttafords Stores 13.9% respond to the retailer’s improved status by March 2017, sales would have been slightly The changing-of-the-guard differences be- crowding the Edgars aisles over Christmas. better than guidance set in management’s tween the two proposals elicited the cyni- The Edgars division’s sales for the third internal planning budget and they are ex- cal remark from a creditor that “it is mainly quarter of financial year 2017 (October to pected to improve even more during the about a spat between shareholders — every- December 2016) were 2.5% down to R3.47- next quarter. body knows there has been a fall-out between bn, compared to the third quarter of 2016. Stock clearances at Edgars are complete, the Ellerine and Rubenstein families.” Which October was the worst, with sales drop- and they have worked their way through 80% is costing the industry dearly. 8.3%, but improving in November and of the aging inventory, CEO Bernie Brookes December to about the same levels as the reported. Remaining challenges are in- In trouble before same period in 2015. Compared to the first creased competition and tighter restrictions For business rescue to succeed, there must be two quarters, apparel sales also improved. on granting credit. a reasonable expectation that the financially Despite initiatives to improve credit sales, The new board members, under chairman- distressed business would again trade profit- Edgars credit sales dropped by 10.2% in the ship of De Beers CEO Gareth Penny, further ably under careful management to reorganise third quarter, but cash sales increased 4.8%. brings considerable management and retail and restructure it until it overcomes the spe- Same store sales were 3.1% down when expertise to the group. cial circumstances that caused the financial difficulties, attorneys Lawrence Whittaker and Henry Stubbings of Herold Gie Attorneys ex- plain on their website. other members of the Rubenstein family. Four months later Stuttafords was placed un- “One of the key criteria to qualify for protec- The department store took a further knock in der supervision of the BRPs. For the next three tion is that it can be proven that the company 2008 when former CEO Marco Cicoria decided months, over the 2016-17 festive season, all has a fair chance of recovery,” says Whittaker. to supplement their in-house brands by direct- stores traded profitably, recording sales of Even then, there is international evidence ly importing expensive international brands R176.9-m, which is a gross profit of R82.8-m, that only 5% of business rescue cases are suc- like Gap, Ted Baker, Banana Republic, Tommy they reported. cessful, he writes. In South Africa studies are Hilfiger, etc. This strategy also proved costly When applying for business rescue, CEO still being conducted, but the success rate is for fellow department store Edgars — espe- Amoils said the turnaround strategy would estimated to be 10-12%. cially after the Rand came tumbling down and include growing house-brands to 10-15% of Stuttafords has been struggling for at least credit controls were tightened. sales and only concentrating on own inter- thirteen years under various owners and manag- More recently, by financial year end in June national brand imports that are the most ers and it would therefore be difficult to identify 2015, Stuttafords reported a R59.8-m loss, profitable like Ted Baker, Tommy Hilfiger and the current special circumstances. which it attributed to operating expenses and Banana Republic. After the management buyout of 2004, high finance costs. They were also planning on closing some debt and inadequate funding had placed it on In the following year, ending June 2016, their non-performing stores and no longer invest in a path to commercial insolvency. In 2006 a pre-tax loss was R17.5-m, despite making a shopping mall rejuvenations. consortium of shareholders came to the res- gross profit of R299-m on revenue of R753-m. After the adoption of the Ellerines proposal, cue. They were the Ellerine Brothers (26.4% ), This was due to high operating expenses (R276- this becomes moot. It now remains to be seen Vestacor under CEO Gerald Rubenstein (20.1%) m), finance cost (R13.8-m) and depreciation what the turnaround strategy of the new man- plus various smaller shareholders, including (R28.4-m) they reported. ager or buyer will be. 2017 Q2 :: Sports Trader p10 :: Industry Tekkie Town becomes corporate From an independent store to part of one of the largest retailers in the world in just 18 years — the Tekkie Town success story is based on much more than luck. Words: Trudi du Toit

ighteen years is a very short period huge footprint earns them. The fact that the in anybody’s life. It just about cov- By becoming part of Stein- athleisure styles they focus on come with a ers childhood and the school go- hoff, Van Huyssteen and more modest price tag than the top technical ing years. Yet, it took Braam van Tekkie Town shed the en- footwear is a benefit in the current economy Huyssteen less than eighteen years trepreneurial mantle and when money is tight everywhere. “The mid- Eto grow one retail store into a subsidiary of the dle price tier we operate in is still nicely af- biggest retailer in Africa and the Middle East. entered the global eco- fordable and its going to grow even bigger in If you want to nit-pick and only include the nomic leader space future,” he predicts. Tekkie Town stores in the countdown, the time frame comes down to less than sixteen years. Started as independent In the next nine years they opened 230 more Tekkie Town is a teenager who just became His roots as an independent makes Van Huyss- stores. part of a very wealthy family. teen sympathetic to the difficulties faced by The rate accelerated after a substantial $65- When its acquisition by Steinhoff Interna- smaller traders — especially with the growth m investment from UK private equity firm Ac- tional Holdings became official on February 1 of chains like Tekkie Town. But, he is also very tis in 2014, which enabled them to open 37 this year, the footwear chain became part of a cognisant of the fact that like him, several stores in the following two years, 25 of them retail empire worth $25-bn*. other South African retailers who started as in 2016. In addition, they gain access to the legal, small independents, have gained significant By the middle of March this year they had financial, tax and other services a corporate market share and are growing despite the 330 stores … and the tally is growing. Towards like Steinhoff can offer. Steinhoff CEO Markus economy. The unspoken implication is that the end of March they added more stores in Jooste and COO Danie van der Merwe join Tek- perhaps a little less complaining and a little Springs Mall, Ballito Mall, Elukwatini Mall kie Town’s Bernard Mostert (CEO), Dawie van more initiative might breed success. (Mpumalanga) and Steilloop Shopping Centre Niekerk (COO) and Van Huyssteen (Chairman) Apart from the financial safety blanket of- on the Tekkie Town board. Van Huyssteen gains (), with others in the pipeline. fered by Steinhoff’s vast resources, as an Exco a seat on the Steinhoff Exco and shares in the What makes this growth even more remark- member Van Huyssteen regularly comes into company. able is the fact that until 2014, when Actis contact with the executives from other subsid- bought a 42% shareholding, Tekkie Town fi- iaries in the group, where they naturally share Rapid growth nanced all their new stores internally, without information and discuss possible opportunities Apart from that, it’s business as usual for Tek- any loans or debt. for example about retail space. kie Town, says Van Huyssteen. Their head of- Apart from expanding countrywide, they Active in diverse fields like household goods fice remains in George, and they will continue now also have their eye on growth into Africa, (Bradlows, Russells, Hi-Fi Corporation, Sleep- trading as normal, making their own decisions and through Steinhoff’s international profile masters, Incredible Connection, etc) and gen- about the best way to sell branded footwear into areas like Eastern Europe — Poland, to be eral merchandise (Pep, Ackermans, Shoe City, at prices most South Africans understand. precise, where they might have to find a name Tekkie Town, etc.) the Steinhoff executives What will change, though, will be their rate that will be easier on the Polish tongue, he share knowledge about just about every as- of expansion. If you thought Tekkie Town’s laughs. pect of retailing in the country, including the growth had been rapid till now, hold on to your Investigating new store opportunities and best and to-be-avoided trading spaces. seat: they now have the ways and means to go keeping abreast of property developments And following the downscaling and relocat- into turbo drive. is a portfolio Van Huyssteen now relishes in. ing of some stores in the JD Group, which Up to now their store expansion had been It was, after all, his insight into the value of Steinhoff acquired last year, many opportuni- financed internally and the pace accelerated property that kick-started Tekkie Town: own- ties come from inside the group. as the group grew: they opened 100 stores ership of a huge warehouse enabled him to It is this keen eye for spotting new opportu- within the first nine years after Van Huyss- negotiate profitable deals with well-known nities that contributed to Van Huyssteen earn- teen opened the first Sport City sports store in brands for end of line and discontinued styles, ing the title of Ernst & Young South African George in 1999 — or a mere seven years after plus a few new styles added as a sweetener. Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011 and Tekkie he opened the first Tekkie Town in 2001. Thus, the stores advertising great brands at Town being selected by the World Economic The stores later merged under the Tek- great prices drew customers in droves. Forum as one of the 16 African global growth kie Town label. Depending on which date you Nowadays, Tekkie Town buyers can choose companies with a clear potential to become count from, they opened an average of 11 or from the latest offerings of all the top brands global economic leaders. 14 stores per year. — still at good prices due to the rebates their By becoming part of Steinhoff, Van Huyss-

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Industry :: p11 Photo: Nicol du Toit du Nicol Photo:

teen and Tekkie Town shed the entrepreneur- Lucky that he did his army service as one of 2 centre owners. And as for the horses? Well, ial mantle and entered the global economic men among 200 women doing accounts for the everybody deserves a bit of luck in their hobby leader space. The South African company, Women’s College in his homeground George. ... especially when the odds are 50:1. which operates in 29 countries, is ranked as Lucky that he opened his first store in Mossel Another success factor had been Van Huyss- the 72nd largest retailer in the world, accord- Bay in 1989 just as 10 000 contract workers ar- teen’s ability to cultivate — and retain — a ing to Deloitte’s Global Powers of Retailing rived to work on the Moss Gas project. Lucky loyal management team, many who have been 2017 report* (see below). Following the acqui- that he brought the Tekkie Town concept to with him almost from the start. sition of Pepkor in 2015, Steinhoff’s 39.5% rev- brands just when they had sufficient returns Current COO and board member Dawie van enue growth propelled it to the sixth fastest on hand to fill his warehouse. Lucky that he Niekerk had been with the Tekkie Town team growing retailer in the world spot. has been able to find such good spots for his since the first store opened in 2001; ditto pro- To put their performance into perspective: stores in retail malls. Lucky that in the current curement manager Michael Brown. Pojects and marketing manager Gert Claas- Steinhoff is bigger than major US retail chains horse racing season he had 10 juvenile winners sen had been overseeing the opening of Tekkie J.C. Penney (74th), Toys R Us (82nd) and Foot from 12 runners in every racing centre in the Town stores right from the beginning and had Locker (126th in the world). And that was in country. been working for Van Huyssteen since 1996. 2015, before the likes of the JD Group and But, as American founding father Thomas CEO and board member Bernard Mostert Tekkie Town became part of the group. Jefferson said: I’m a great believer in luck, might be a newer addition to the team, but In December 2015, when Steinhoff listed on and I find the harder I work, the more I have he had been mentored by Van Huyssteen be- the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, it was the larg- of it. Or to paraphrase another American, gen- fore being appointed CEO in 2014. “He is ex- eral Douglas MacArthur when he said that the est listing of the year in Germany. The com- tremely very well qualified, and has a good best luck is what you make for yourself. pany generates about 60% of its income from understanding of finance — he was one of the Another way of looking at it is to understand Europe. top MBA students of his year,” Van Huyssteen that Van Huyssteen opened that first store in Tekkie Town trades in Southern Africa along- said about him at the time. “He adapted to Mossel Bay with R20 000 he managed to scrape side Pep, Ackermans, Shoe City, John Craig, the company culture like a fish to water.” Dunns and Refinery as part of the General together himself. One should also appreciate Merchandise division, worth Є3.6-bn in gross that Van Huyssteen had the vision to spot a * Deloitte’s report Global Powers of Retailing 2017 revenue. gap in the market and provide a solution that identifies the 250 largest retailers around the brands could just about live with. Also real- world and analyses their performance and growth across geographies, sectors, and channels. Stein- Make own luck ise the amount of time he spends scouting for hoff’s results are based on their audited results for There are some people who might say that new locations and the homework he does be- the year ended 30 June 2015, before the latest Braam van Huyssteen was just born lucky. fore entering into negotiations with shopping acquisitions, when they were still worth $13.6-bn.

2017 Q2 :: Sports Trader p12 :: Apparel & Footwear PUMA on Faster growth path

Despite the economic upheavals of 2016, PUMA SA is moving to a new home to accommodate their Forev- er Faster growth. MD Luke Barrett- Smith explains how they achieved this successs globally. Words and images: Trudi du Toit

fter a year during which most “The idea is to develop young talent with brands were counting the costs, Forever Faster means we an eye on the future,” explains Barrett-Smith. PUMA SA is planning a move to are never satisfied with “If you believe you are fast, you can enter a accommodate their successful what we’ve achieved. We School of Speed event and stand a chance of growth. In April they’ll be moving want to do better in terms winning a sponsorship.” The top finishers in Ainto a huge 16 000m2 building in , each discipline get further coaching and the newly custom-built to accommodate all their of customer service, in opportunity to progress to the next level. The growing warehouse needs as well as expand- our approach to work, we eventual top athletes will be offered a spon- ing office and showroom space. What’s more, want to perform better in sorship that will include coaching, clothing, it has been built with a roof that has enough whatever we do footwear and equipment. extra room to accommodate their expected future growth. Forever Faster Growth and 2016 are not often used in the the scoring table and Rui Patrício was voted There are cycles of difficulties and successes same sentence. But for PUMA SA 2016 had the Goalkeeper of the Tournament. Members for all brands, he believes, hoping that the been a bumper year, says MD Luke Barrett- of the England Supporters club named Adam current resurge of demand for the brand will Smith, with significant growth locally and Lallana of Liverpool F.C. as the 2016 England be providing momentum over the next couple globally. Player of the Year. Cameroon won their fifth of years. A successful company is the one that “Our products had been very well received Africa Cup of Nations football title. has the flexibility to make the changes that locally,” he says. “They made a statement Locally, two PUMA teams — Cheetahs and are demanded, believes Barrett-Smith. from a brand perspective and created a big Bulls - vied for the Currie Cup in the final. For PUMA the growth momentum started hype in the market. We also had a very good In the 2016 Rio Olympics PUMA’s perennial with the new energy and vision provided by year from a sporting sponsorship side. Our ath- performer Usain Bolt made history by achiev- Bjørn Gulden, who was appointed CEO in letes are on a roll, they’re all ship-shape and it ing the triple three — three golds in three con- 2013. “We’ve changed from sport lifestyle helps to sell product into retail.” secutive Olympics. Locally, the brand caught brand to become a Forever Faster brand — we For example, the surprising Leicester City the imagination of potential future Olympic decided we wanted to be fastest sports brand triumph resulted in PUMA teams finishing athletes through the innovative School of in the world. I’ve seen the progress from 2014 in the first and second (Arsenal) positions in Speed concept, a global concept driven to a to where we are today: we only got better and the Premier League. In the UEFA Euro PUMA large extent by South Africa’s Brett Bellinger. better.” players sporting the yellow-pink Tricks boots Usain Bolt is principal for the participating Last year PUMA surpassed predictions of 9% drew global attention: Antoine Griezmanno countries (including Russia and Turkey) to in- annual growth by achieving 10% sales growth was voted Player of the Tournament for being spire the local young athletes, and in South in a very difficult economic climate (see p13), the top scorer, Olivier Giroud ranked third on Africa the vice-principal is Henrico Bruintjies. prompting Gulden to comment: “2016 ended

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 as we had hoped, with revenue growth in all lenging convention, colourful, but caring. And regions and product segments, as well as a PUMA has a distinct person- giving back to society is a high priority, says significant increase in EBIT and net earnings. ality: an out of the box think- Barrett-Smith. The year has confirmed that our strategy has er, challenging convention, “There are some big brands out there with been right and we will continue to invest in big marketing budgets and sometimes its out- our mission of becoming the Fastest Sports colourful, but caring. side the box ideas that make people think and Brand in the World. We feel confident that take notice. It forces a company to come up we will continue to see revenue growth and a our female collections. In many accounts, the with new ideas to attract consumers.” significant increase in earnings again in 2017. success of our women’s line was actually a It is, after all the brand that convinced the (See Double digit growth for PUMA p52). door opener to expand our shelf space with conservative board members that it Contrary to reports from many other inter- men’s and kids styles.” is OK for the burly players of the team com- national brands, the contribution from South In the current economy brand growth can memorated by a raging bull statue, to take to Africa is not insignificant: with PUMA SA ex- only come from growing market share, agrees the field in pink or camo. And have the con- ceeded the global sales rate of 10% and grew fidence that the fans of a team with a name Barrett-Smith, adding that they also had sig- by an excess of 20% locally. implying that they will always be in blue, will nificant growth in athleisure. “We are now The Forever Faster concept is behind eve- turn out in pink ... as they did, by buying un- seeing retro coming back, which is favourable rything they do, Barrett-Smith explains. “It is precedented numbers of the pink jersey. “The for brands that have had long histories of icon- not necessarily related to speed, but it refers jerseys proved themselves and they (the board ic shoes — PUMA and adidas will benefit be- to execution, as in being better (faster) in members) were happy.” cause they are some of the oldest brands. We everything you do … in rugby it would mean It is also the brand that provided rugby and soc- will also benefit from the return to athleisure faster to the tackle, faster to defend. Faster cer players with Tricks’ boots in two different, as fashion has morphed into the retro basket- is a generic word in our terms.” very noticeable, colours like pink and yellow. ball look, while the running-shoe-as-fashion The mantra means that the company wants Or supports Cape Town designer Daniel Ting looked has slowed down.” to achieve results faster and better. “It means Chong, who created a traffic-stopping exclu- we are never satisfied with what we have They are also looking forward to good growth sive range of vintage sneakers inspired by Zulu achieved. We want to do better in terms of in local football sales, driven by their sponsor- and Xhosa African mythology. customer service, in our approach to work, we ship of Mamelodi Sundowns. “Last year (their “One of our initiatives is to provide time for want to perform better in whatever we do.” first year) was too soon, but this year sales staff members to do community service,” con- In South Africa, their growth mainly came should grow.” tinues Barrett-Smith. “Whether it is in a com- from huge increases in women’s product sales They endeavor to give back as much as possi- munity initiative, education, or the elderly, — especially fitness,where the gym meets the ble by “looking after sponsorships, looking after we give them time off to go and participate.” runway through sports and fashion styles that the teams, in the hope that they in turn have They prefer to engage with the people of had been merged, says Barrett-Smith. This a good season so that we can benefit,” adds Dunoon because they will be the closest town- was backed by a global campaign to inspire Barrett-Smith. “Like every other brand we try ship when they move into their new building. confidence in women (See article Reaching to ensure that we are visible and seen by con- “We’ve participated in many events and you the Women’s market on p20.) sumers and that we do better than the others, can’t imagine the joy of giving. We’ve, for ex- “The reactions to our Fenty PUMA by Rihan- whether on the sporting field or in athleisure.” ample, been involved in providing Christmas na runway shows during the New York and Par- stockings — PUMA socks — filled with gifts for is Fashion Weeks have been overwhelmingly Out of box thinking the kids of Dunoon, and staff members pro- positive and have created major social media According to several brand gurus consumers vided 480 blankets out of their own pockets to buzz,” the brand reports. “Our women-specif- the personality and social responsibility initia- donate to Dunoon residents for winter. We are ic collections are among the best performers tives of a brand determine how well it will be happy to be reactive when the need arises, in terms of both sell-in and sell-through. Many liked — and by whom. PUMA has a very distinct but prefer proactive planning to ensure CSR major retailers provided additional space for personality: an out of the box thinker, chal- resources are correctly distributed To p16

2017 Q2 :: Sports Trader p14 :: Industry Mother’s Day: A chance to reach the women’s market

More and more women are becoming interested in sport and outdoor activities, and globally companies are targeting this fast growing mar- ket. RHIANAH RHODE explores ways local sport, outdoor and athleisure retailers can appeal to female consumers, especially with Mother’s Day almost upon us

he days when men watched sport be worth $14-bn and has been recognised as made for driven women who know what they want. and women ballet, or men went one of the fastest growing sectors in sport and Their DO YOU campaign features New York camping while women stayed in outdoor. More and more brands are focusing City Ballet dancers Mimi Staker and Olivia Bois- hotels, are almost as ancient his- on women as a special category. son as heroines wearing the new PUMA Swan tory as movies where everybody This year’s ISPO Munich featured the wom- Pack collection, on and off stage. Featuring Tsmoked. Even traditional male sports like rug- en’s category as a key topic at the trade show. strong women from a range of different fields, by, soccer or cricket attract almost as many The show for the first time featured Experts- DO YOU (launched last year August) tells a story women spectators as men and a growing num- 4Women guided tours where experts took of bravery and confidence, encouraging women ber of participants. visitors to selected brands that exhibit and to focus on their strengths, explains the brand. Nearly half of women (46%) are interested in offered women’s products and explained the The PUMA Swan Pack collection is inspired by sport, and 43% of women are as keen as men to specification of collections to them. ballet dancers’ freedom of self-expression as watch sport on TV, showed a major global research Other women-centred events included a well as their strength and grace. It is therefore study on Women and Sport conducted by Repucom panel discussion on women as a target group, fitting that the brand worked with the New York in 24 countries*. More than half of the women sur- where experts explained the opportunities City Ballet to create the campaign. The collec- veyed watch more than three hours of sport per and potential for gender marketing in the re- tion brings together the brand’s “fiercest sport week, with tennis and the most, but tail trade; a talk about consumer behaviour and training styles” with swan-inspired details American football is the sport most women are and future trends in women’s sport in China; including a black-and-white colour palette, iri- likely to watch in future, the report shows. and meetings with extreme sportswoman Isa descent materials, and feather prints. Nearly half (46%) of the 100-m people who Sebastiao at the Watersports Village. Adidas’ new Unleash Your Creativity video watched the 2015 NFL Superbowl were women. campaign emphasises its pursuit of creativity And about a third of the fans following tradi- Fitness brand campaigns that pushes the boundaries of sport. The short- tional American male sports like football, bas- Many brands and retailers are rethinking strat- film series tells the stories of women who use ketball, and are women. egies to attract the female consumer and creativity to change and challenge conven- But, strangely, for many years this large, grow- many innovative campaigns had been intro- tional ways of thinking, create their own and ing and very lucrative market had been mostly duced to appeal to this huge market. new paths, as well as to inspire others to make ignored in the sport and outdoor retail space and But, the focus has shifted from the pretty and a difference and push the boundaries of sport. brand marketing campaigns. Women had to be pink campaigns that might conform to the male Skechers, on the other hand, doesn’t cur- content with smaller sized men’s athletic or out- fantasy of what the ideal woman should like, to rently have a focused woman-specific cam- door footwear, replica shirts or T-shirts. And they what the modern, strong, active, woman who paign as it has always been more of a woman’s queued with men to try on performance clothing can outrun and outplay many men, pitch her brand, with 40% women compared to 30% men in ill-lit and often mirrorless changing rooms … if own tent, hike for a day and then light her own buying footwear from the brand, according they were lucky enough to find any. fire, would actually find interesting. to the local distributor Brand Folio LLC. Their This has now changed. In the US the wom- PUMA’s latest women’s ranges, for example, comfortable, but very functional, GOwalk Per- an’s athletic apparel market is estimated to aren’t aimed at pretty little wallflowers, but are formance range is a best seller among wom-

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Industry :: p15

Image courtesy of OutDoor.

en, says Kim Aires. This popularity helped to more comfort as well as the best possible fit propel Skechers into the number one walking Women now expect more and protection in the outdoors. footwear spot in America. than just a shrink it, pink Attract shoppers’ attention it approach and want Changes in products for women Brands have created the products and the Women now expect more than just a shrink it, products tailored to their campaigns to tell the stories, but what can pink it approach and want products tailored to needs. sport and outdoor retailers do to attract wom- their needs. Women are problem solvers and en into their stores and to entice them to buy want products that make their lives easier, good-looking collection — it means business. these women-specific products? faster and cheaper — versatile, multi-purpose, Retailers need to create an environment where products will therefore appeal, research by Women going outdoors women will feel at ease and comfortable, says the NPD Group showed*. Women also appreci- Outdoor brands are also paying special atten- Mundy. As a starting point he suggests taking a ate those little details that improve a product, tion to their female customers. truly women-centric view. “Traditional sports the research company found. Women further- Hi-Tec SA has collaborated with local ath- stores can be intimidating and I think we are see- more want versatile apparel that is functional, leisure apparel brand MOVEPRETTY in a cam- ing success in the creation of shopping environ- but looks good, the research indicated. paign that combines their footwear and cloth- ments designed specifically for women — from ASICS SA’s key story for this season is What ing ranges to style women in South Africa in the decor and sales staff, to the product on offer.” Matters is You, which is driven by its women’s true leisure, street and fitness wear this win- Retailers could also create a dedicated sec- running and training apparel, says Sarah Mundy ter, says Andrea Engelbrecht from Hi-Tec SA. tion in their stores that is consciously mar- from ASICS SA. They are mindful that women The campaign is mainly digital and “while our keted for the female consumer (whatever that want to look and feel great in whatever they are product range already incorporates a greater may mean for each brand), suggests Aires. wearing, in addition to this and at the core of selection in footwear and apparel for ladies, Women are willing to connect with brands via their collections is their focus on technology. growth in this area and serving this segment social media and like to share their experiences “This essentially elevates our garments to authentically is a big strategy for Hi-Tec,” ex- with friends on social media, the NPD study something more than just a tight, or a sports plains Joanne Esterhuizen from Hi-Tec SA. showed. Apart from listening to and learning bra for instance, underpinning the ethos of our Black Diamond’s Forge Yourself video campaign from what women say on social media, retail- collections being designed with the end con- features two of their very strong women athletes ers can also attract shoppers by joining these sumer’s needs in mind.” training in a gym and climbing rock faces on equal conversations around brand campaigns, recom- Similarly, PUMA’s PWRShape training range footing with men, showing how hard they work to mends Scott Pringle from PUMA SA. has been designed so that women can both be forge themselves to achieve these climbing feats. Placing marketing merchandise, campaign- supported and feel good while training. Their An outdoor brand like Black Diamond and related displays and products in windows, at women’s training collection features clothing outdoor footwear brands like Boreal and doors, etc. will further help lure consumers that offer the wearer everything she needs to Zamberlan offer women-specific products de- into your store, say suppliers. look and feel good while training. The PWR- signed with a woman’s body shape in mind,” “Many buying decisions are influenced by col- Shape range has been specifically designed says Deidre Pieters from local distributors Ram our,” says Mundy. He would therefore recom- and is proof that women can have control and Mountaineering and Traverse Outdoor Gear. mend placing eye-catching colourful items in feel good while training. The collection gives Instead of women making do with lighter ver- shop windows. “ASICS SA offers beautiful graph- women the support they need, combined with sions of men’s packs, helmets, trekking poles, ic tights in their range, which will definitely the brand’s top technology. It’s not just a clothing or shoes, these products now provide catch the eyes of consumers To p16

2017 Q2 :: Sports Trader p16 :: Industry

Faster PUMA cont. from p13 in the right volume to assist the plight of the Dunoon residents.” Global community Globally economic uncertainties and sur- prises like the Brexit vote and US election affected all brands in 2016 — also in South Africa, where brands started the year with a further disadvantage due to the ex- change rate going through the roof. But, within PUMA all the global subsidiar- ies work together as a group to achieve re- Ballerina Olivia Boisson features in PUMA’s Swan American basketball player Candace Parker features sults. “Through the digital age everybody Pack campaign. Image courtesy of PUMA. in adidas’ Unleash Your Creativity campaign. Image courtesy of adidas. has come so much closer,” adds Barrett- Smith. “You can Skype with someone in a shoe box on the wall is a great way to accen- Germany, or wherever in the world, and Attracting women tuate products. Where possible, retailers should communicate more than with someone in also use call outs, he suggests. the same country. We can share strategies cont. from p15 all the time.” Mothers’ Day opportunities What happens globally also has a positive passing by if used in shop windows.” Incorpo- An event like Mothers’ Day offers a retailer the local spin-off because the internet, social rating seasonal colours that tie in with garment ideal excuse — and opportunity — to adver- media and the availability of international displays is a must, he says, despite black re- tise that his sport or outdoor store is women magazines showing what celebrities do and maining a staple colour for women’s garments. friendly. Special promotions on sporty or wear keep consumers in the know. “Rihan- Skechers also offers various women’s products outdoorsy gift ideas will also catch the eye na and Kylie Jenner have been instrumen- that would be ideal for window displays and of family members shopping for mother, pro- tal in bringing attention to our product. placement at store entrances, says Aires. vided they are prominently displayed. But, the product has to be good: it is one Cross-merchandising items on a table in the front Call outs at the products on promotion are a good thing to focus attention on the product, of the shop also always catches the eye and at- way of attracting customers’ attention, says Derik but if people don’t like it ... our product tention, says Ben van der Westhuizen from Hi-Tec. van Wyk from Footwear Trading. He would, howev- is good and by showcasing it a demand had “Colourful T-stands or tent cards with information er, move these to the front of the store to attract been created.” about the promo or products are also a must and passers-by and so that they are the first thing cus- The fact that the influential US trade can be duplicated throughout the shop.” tomers see when they walk in the store. The point publication Footwear News declared the Group items that will go well together in the of sale (POS) items should ideally be displayed on Fenty PUMA, developed in collaboration same display to create a story, suggest suppli- easels at shop entrances, he recommends. with Rihanna, as the Shoe of the Year ers. You could, for example, incorporate ap- To help their product stand out even bet- 2016, proves his point. parel, footwear and accessories in top-to-toe ter in your store, many suppliers like Hi-Tec, Social media also had an impact on the displays, “essentially making the buying decision Levi’s and Skechers have customisable dis- timing of product launches, which are now very easy as everything is housed in one place,” play options, branded wall displays, risers, available at the same time across the EMEA explains Mundy. Mannequins are a great asset for etc. that will help to emphasise and sell region. Shipping and distance might delay highlighting apparel, while on the footwear side their products. product arrivals in South Africa by a week or so, but as a rule, South African consumers can buy the products they see online and in blogs pretty much the same time as their European and Middle Eastern counterparts. Gift ideas for the outdoor woman As an athletic footwear brand whose fol- ITEMS SUCH as lighting products will appeal to the active woman. With a water- lowers are keen to see the latest cosmetic proof construction, the sleek and bright Cosmo from Black Diamond can take on and design innovations, rather than winter a myriad of mountain adventures and offers 160 lumens of light, while the bright, or summer fabrics, the different seasons in compact Moji camp lantern has a simple design, but a durable construction and Europe and South Africa no longer plays a provides up to 100 lumens. role. Plus, performance products are pret- o The Eye Light USB, also from Black Diamond, offers 360 light and is handy for after dark use ty much in demand throughout the year as at home or around the campsite. Its 40cm bendable arm is made from strong ABS material sports like soccer and running seem to go and can be attached to almost anything. on throughout the year. The Commuter Java Press French Press Coffee Mug provides an amazingly bold flavour of Happy people ensure a happy business, freshly pressed coffee or tea every time. This should appeal to the busy multi-tasking woman which contributes to good results … and who has to take her morning coffee or tea fix on the go, says Pieters from local distributor happy people stay with a company. “We Ram Mountaineering. have been able to hang on to our people,” Black Diamond’s beanies like the soft and stretchy lacey-knit designed Karina and the very says Barrett-Smith. This year he handed soft and stylish Susannah winter beanies are the types of products consumers will most likely out six 15-year awards to people who had buy for their mothers or wives, says Pieters. been with PUMA SA ever since the subsidi- Leatherman’s compact Micra tool appeals to the female consumer and has been the ary opened at the end of 2001. best-selling product in the history of their company, says Tim Leatherman, who owns the And in the brand new building, close Leatherman Tool Group Inc. He designed the tool aimed at women because despite most to MTB trails and other environmentally tools ending up in the hands of men, they are often bought as gifts by women. It features ten useful tools, which can fit in a tackle box, pocket, purse, fanny pack, or sewing kit. It pleasing features, staff members will be is also available in pink. even happier, he believes.

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Industry :: p17

Steinhoff executives celebrate listing on the Franfort Stock Exchange: Bruno Steinhoff, Ben la Grange, Danie van der Merwe and Christo Wiese. Brand stores in world top 250 brand like Nike has a larger global retail footprint than ma- jor US sports stores like Dick’s Sporting Goods, or a foot- wear retail chain like Foot Locker, according to the latest report of the world’s largest retailers*. Nike is the world’s 123rd biggest retailer, earning revenue of $7.86-bn in 2015. ADick’s, on the other hand, ranks 129th in the world ($7.27-bn revenue) and Foot Locker is the 126th largest (revenue $7.41-bn). Nike is, how- ever, ranked behind France’s Décathlon (94th with $10.1-bn revenue). In addition, Nike’s Direct to Consumer retail division is the 17th fast- est growing of all global retailers. UK-based sporting goods company Sports Direct International lags far behind its American and European counterpart in 221st place and $4-bn in revenue. But, it is one of the 50 fastest growing retailers in the world, ranked #44. Apart from Nike, other athletic or athleisure brands, have not been so aggressively involved in retailing. Abercrombie & Fitch Co’s retail arm just-just made it onto the list at #248 with $3.5-bn revenue. Companies were included in the report based on the revenue they generated for fiscal year 2015. For retailers to be listed among the top 250, their minimum retail revenue had to be $3.5-bn. South African retailers South African household goods and general merchandise retailer Stein- hoff was ranked #72 in the world — and is the world’s 6th fastest grow- ing retailer (see p10). Four other South African retailers are among the world’s top 200: • Shoprite Holdings (110th) reported $9-bn revenue — with 14.4% growth, it is also the world’s 47th fastest growing retailer. • The Spar Group (155th) with $6.2-bn revenue and 34.6% growth, it is ranked as the world’s 30th fastest growing retailer. • Woolworths Holdings (197th) with $4.5-bn revenue and 15% growth it is the 22nd fastest growing retailer. • Pick n Pay Stores (171th) with $5.4-bn in revenue, is not among the 50 fastest retailers. In general, retailing in the Africa/Middle East region is on a high-growth path, reports Deloitte’s. The rising middle class in Africa has contrib- uted to the modernization of the retailing sector, and many African economies are transitioning toward consumption-driven markets. The Middle East also remains an attractive destination for retailers. The Africa/Middle East region has been identified as the biggest retail growth hot point in 2015 with just over 19% retailing growth and just under 6% net profit margin for this sector — the highest of thefive geographic regions. Nine retailers from the region (classified by where the company is based) are among the top 250 largest in the world. Aside from the five from South Africa, four other top 250 retailers in the region are based in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

* The Global Powers of Retailing 2017 report by Deloitte’s identifies the 250 largest retailers around the world and analyses their performance and growth across geographies, sectors, and channels. Also see p10. p18 :: Apparel & Footwear Hot on the Trail

Trail running gear consists of more than running shoes. Think weather, think terrain, and then think some more! LINZA DE JAGER asks retailers, suppliers and runners what is necessary,and what is simply nice to take along.

Photo courtesy of Brooks

rail running events can be as un- less.” bladder is a must have as it keeps your cus- predictable as the Cape weather: Technical socks are also extremely important tomer hydrated on long runs and has space for it can be a sunny 5-10km run in wet conditions like river crossings, whereas accessories and food. These are also his best- through verdant vegetation, an in dry sandy conditions gaiters become appli- selling trail accessories. anything goes obstacle race, a cable. He will supplement water with energy drinks multi-dayT mountain challenge, a muscle-burn- Shoe care and cleaning solutions for techni- and cautions that a minimum amount of water ing beach run, a gruelling leg of a triathlon … cal fabrics are essential for the longevity of is required for endurance races. Food would the only common denominator will be that you your products — but items that trail running include energy bars, energy gels and other do not run on a level road or on a nicely laid customers rarely think of or ask for, adds Bry- trail food like nuts. out athletic track. Apart from that, anything ant. “Washing or cleaning them incorrectly Lightweight windbreakers to keep warm in goes in terms of challenging terrain, weather can significantly shorten their lifespan.” cold, windy conditions and prevent hyperther- conditions and sheer endurance required. “The choice of path will dictate what ac- mia, and lightweight waterproof running rain Therefore, to attract trail running custom- cessory is required,” says Wayne Rossouw of jackets to keep out cold and wet in harsh rainy ers, a retailer should stock every item they footwear specialist The Athlete’s Foot. “Natu- conditions, are also essentials. would possibly require, Run Specialist Store ral fibre products regulate core temperatures, Trail running sunglasses that relax the eyes, owner Grant Bryant advises. which afford you a better run, and you won’t GPS running watches to track the distance, Apart from the obvious trail running shoes be in danger of overheating,” he advises. route and heart rate and gaiters to keep out and running clothing, this will also include The accessories that are most in demand by mud, dirt and snow, are also nice to have ac- essentials like waterproof jackets, hydration his customers are good socks, hydration bibs cessories. packs and systems, nutrition, base layers, run- and phone pouches. “The thing that separates trail running from ning watches, headlamps, first-aid kits, etc. He must, however, remind customers about road running is exposure,” says PUMA’s tech- (see list of Must Haves). the importance of blister-proof socks, col- nical sales specialist Rae Trew-Browne. In the “The most popular trail running accessories lapsible nutrition bottles, nutritional tabs and mountains especially, the weather can turn vary with the level of expertise of the runner sun block, as they usually don’t think of these from warm sunshine into thick cloud cover and and the race being entered.” items themselves. high winds in a matter of minutes and a high For beginner runners the most crucial item Trail and Tar’s marketing manager, Noel Ern- quality packable jacket is an essential item. would be their shoes. “This is the starting stzen, points out the importance of regulating If the route is going into higher mountains point of their trail running journey,” Bryant body temperature, especially in summer. For and valleys, a beanie and gloves will be es- says. As the distances the runner enters be- this he advises UV arm protectors. Other items sential, she adds, and “if he is stranded it is come greater and the races start having gear on his shopping list include photochromic sun- much easier to attract help with a whistle, requirements, the level of accessories start to glasses that can be used in all weather condi- especially in high winds.” increase. tions, waterproof sunscreen and running caps. For Ram Mountain’s Deidre Pieters trail run- The most popular items among his custom- His customers often forget about buying nu- ning is “very distance specific”. When running ers are hydration packs, nutritional items, tritional supplements, which he considers to longer distances a backpack bladder and some functional scarves/headwear and waterproofs be important. kind of hydration will be must haves. “The jackets. “Considering that trail runners run in the terrain, weather and season play a big part in Dry bags are crucial to protect first-aid kits, most extreme weather conditions in rugged basic necessities,” she says. phones and electronics, he says. They are also terrain, they need to be prepared for the “If it’s cold, you will need thermals, gloves vitally important to keep your mid-layers and worst,” adds the owner of The Trail Shop, and head protection; if it’s steep, trekking fleece dry. “Should you get into trouble, hav- Paiter Botha. poles are a must; if it’s dark, a headlamp; if ing wet warm layers end up being function- For him, a hydration pack or race vest and it’s isolated you would need first- To p20

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2

p20 :: Apparel & Footwear

Jan Ham Brendan Lombard Johan Jansen van Vuuren Zeke Snyman Top runners’ preferences Brendan Lombard, ASICS trail running brand Depending on the time of the year or the ing to run. When heading into the mountains ambassador says a hydration pack with wa- weather conditions other of his must haves the runner should take along a minimum of ter or electrolytes is a must have. “Not only include technical headwear/scarf, cap or 1.5 litres.” does it help the runner carry important gear, peak, arm warmers or UV protective sleeves, Essential clothing items would include a it helps the runner to stay hydrated on of- moisture wicking clothing or base layers. base layer, running shirt, shorts and a hat. ten remote trails. It is also perfect to carry a A GPS enabled watch is nice to have. “It’s not A technical scarf can be used for sun pro- phone as well in case of emergencies.” only helpful as a training aid, it is also quite use- tection or like a beanie. For longer runs the Nice to have items are an action camera and ful in races. It lets you know at what distances runner would also want a light waterproof specialised technical apparel, which makes aid stations are so that you can plan accord- (not just windproof) jacket, a first-aid kit, sun running on the trails more enjoyable. The ap- ingly.” block, charged cell phone (with emergency parel should be breathable and fast drying. Johan Jansen van Vuuren, Ram Mountain- numbers), space blanket, and scissors or a Jan Ham, Columbia Sportswear’s trail run- eering brand ambassador, packs his trail run- pocket knife. ning ambassador, says “trail running takes ning kit with care. His essentials will include a “I also like to run with a bank card or mon- you off the beaten track, where small mis- backpack or waist belt — if the run is a short ey, medical aid card and driver’s license,” Van takes can have huge consequences.” A distance, then a waist belt is sufficient. “That Vuuren adds. “You never know what might hydration pack that can carry water, a fully being said, a backpack is more versatile and happen.” charged cell phone with emergency num- ideal for longer runs.” brand ambassador Zeke Sny- bers, a space blanket, whistle, a waterproof He will also include a water bottle, bladder man’s list of must haves include a hydration jacket, first-aid kit and nutritional items like or hydration pack. “The amount of water a pack, a headlamp for running at night, a cell gels or bars and food. runner needs depends on how far he is go- phone, medical kit and nutrition.

Must-haves cont. from p18 Trail running • Arm band with UV protection aid essentials and a survival kit.” through thicker overgrown areas. • Baselayer A high quality jacket with taped seams, is a • Beanie GPS Watches must have, says Trew-Browne. “It could cost a • Cell phone (charged, loaded with emergency GPS watches allow athletes to monitor their few thousand rand but it could also save your numbers) heart rate, speed, distance, altitude and al- customer’s life.” Depending on where he is • Dry bags low them to plan their pace, fuelling and stops running, it is always a good idea to run with a • Eyewear for running along the way, says Bryant. packable jacket that is at least wind resistant, • Energy drink A good GPS watch is really nice to have, but if he can afford a fully waterproof jacket, • First aid kit: small, compact, with safety blan- agrees Rossouw. “It measures, plots and maps this is even better. ket, bandage, pain killers, etc. the runs, elevation, distance, speed and time. • Gloves in cold weather Your customer can even get messages on the Running in the dark • Gaiters in sandy conditions watch, which saves him from having to scratch “A headlamp is always necessary if trail run- • Hat around in his bag to see who’s calling.” ning at night,” says Bruce Woodroff of Awe- • Hydration pack or race vest and bladder: keeps A GPS watch isn’t crucial, but it does make some Tools, local distributor of Ledlenser. you hydrated and provides storage space for the experience a whole lot better, adds Trew- A headlamp should ideally be over 100 lumen accessories and food Browne. “Knowing how far you have gone and strong, with a wide arc, adds Ernstzen. • Long fleece tops how many meters you have climbed is good to Athletes often train during periods when • Multi-functional technical scarf know.” A runner herself, she made good use of visibility is poor, and they need high visibility • Nutrition: energy bars and gels, and other trail her GPS watch on Reunion Island. “While on items, adds Johlette de Jager of Glow Gear. food like nuts Reunion Island I once mapped out a route on “The majority of runners are forced to run • Pocket knife or scissors the laptop and then loaded the route onto my early in the morning or late afternoon, and • Jacket: water- and windproof with hood watch and enjoyed a stunning 5 hour long run running during these periods pose challenges.” • Running shirt and shorts through some incredible valleys and mountain High visibility items need a certain amount • Socks, technical tops, to finish at the coast.” of reflective per square meter on apparel to • Space blanket make the wearer fully visible. “High visibility • Sun block Keeping warm and dry colours like the well-known lime-yellow and • Sweat blocker A waterproof jacket is compulsory in some orange are only day glow and add no value • Trail shoes with a good grip that offers protec- events. “Make sure it’s waterproof and not to visibility at night,” she explains. Therefore tion and confidence just windproof — there is a difference,” warns tops or shorts need good standard silver re- • Watch: running specific with GPS and heart rate Rossouw. Calf sleeves not only aid recovery; flective to be visible during darker periods i.e. data they also prevent scratches when running after dusk and before dawn. • Whistle

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2

p22 :: Apparel & Footwear Must-have trail running shoes

rail running shoes are most defi nitely a best-in-class fi t and The high performance synthetic mesh upper must have for any trail runner. Suppli- biomechanics tech- and microfl eece moisture-wicking lining keep T ers give information on shoes in their nology to the dirt the wearer’s feet breathable, and its nylon ranges. and couples it with fork shank and improved gait help keep strategic protection feet stable and secure on adidas and a grippy out- more adventurous ter- The TERREX Agravic trail running sole. Its decoupled rain. The moulded shoe is “made for trail runs midfoot allows impact-absorbing through rough terrain independent move- EVA midsole ensures where fl exibil- ment of the heel and fore- long-lasting cushioning ity and foot that generates a powerful push-off , and comfort. pro- and the propulsion plate creates a stable plat- tec- form for powerful and aligned toe-off s whilst tion also protecting wearers from hazards. With Merrell’s new Dexterity athletic and low are Mazama and Caldera each features a protec- trainer (above left), “tough just got easier,” need- tive, double-layered mesh with strategic stretch says the brand. It combines fabric, mesh and ed,” says Michelle Fraser of adidas. “The and structure (for improved fi t and a nearly a UniFly midsole for rugged performance on revolutionary Boost cushioning technology seamless upper) and a sticky rubber outsole mud-covered courses. To p25 provides more energy return than any other with high surface area lugs that provide up- and cushioning material in the industry and helps downhill traction and allow the outsole to fl ex. the runner to push his limits on steep trails.” For cushioning, versatile traction and adap- Medalist’s trail accessories The Boost midsole also off ers “endless energy tive fi t, look no further than Cascadia 12 with THERE IS hardly a trail running accessory in the mountains and high adaptability on rocky its evolved pivot post system that creates a sta- that’s not available from Medalist, dis- surfaces, with an outdoor-adjusted EVA frame bilising suspension system for improved overall tributed by De Wet Sports. for stabilizing the tooling while traversing”. cushioning and fl exibility at toe-off . The full- The hand strap on the Hydro Grip bottle In addition, its breathable EVA tongue is in- length Segmented Crash Pad creates a smooth and the angled bottle on the Hydro Flow hip tegrated into the minimalistic, reduced design heel-to-toe transition, the Ballistic Rock Shield bottle holster make it easy to keep liquids for a lightweight look and feel. The Continen- protects against surface hazards, a rugged out- on hand. The two nutrition belts, Hydro tal rubber outsole ensures grip both on dry sole improves midfoot traction on wet surfaces Gel 2 and Hydro Gel 4, hold two and four and wet ground, and “the new lug profi le is in- and tricky terrain, and the mesh upper has 300ml bottles respectively. spired by the Continental Trail King mountain moisture-management. There are several refl ective options to bike tyre and provides an extremely smooth The durable, lightweight Puregrit 5 is built help runners in low light: Lunar Glow (a roll-off ”. for enhanced proprioception, features the refl ective wrist runner), refl ective snap Ballistic Rock Shield technology, and has a dust bands for wrists, ankles or on the pack, Brooks shield that keeps debris out. It also has Omega and Flux, an adjustable, lightweight LED Brooks’ BioMoGo DNA midsole cushioning in Flex Grooves (increased fl exibility), reinforced arm band that can also be worn on the its trail running shoes dynamically adapts to 3D Hex Lugs (added durability), and a rounded legs and has two visibility modes. One every stride. Brooks is locally distributed by heel (provides better alignment and helps lightweight, breathable runner’s pack SBR Agencies. minimise stress on the joints). has red LED’s in two modes (continuous, It’s new trail shoe, Caldera (below), is for fl ash) and an adjustable elastic belt to the outdoor adventurer who wants Hi-Tec hold smaller items in, while the other two to test his endurance on techni- “The Speed-life Breathe (Supernova and Speed Lite) each has a cal trails. “The responsive shoe Ultra (left) is designed mesh pocket and refl ective belt with an ID card pocket. Medalist also has a high provides energy and a stable ride as a visibility adjustable, elastic refl ective belt. even as fatigue sets in,” says the trail Runners taking part in races will appre- brand. Additionally, gaiters can runner ciate the race number belt and the four be secured to the integrated Gai- that’s magnets that help runners to attach their ter Tab at the heel with a hook so good race numbers without the use of pins. The and loop. looking number can be attached to the adjustable, Brooks’ lightest and fastest trail shoe, Maza- your customers will refl ective belt with lace locks, and the belt ma, “makes the most of every eff ort on rocky, be wearing it to drinks with the boys,” says also has elastic loops for gel packets. rooty, and undulating terrain”. It brings their Hi-Tec. It provides feet “personalised com- The adjustable, refl ective Tailwind vi- fort and a secure fi t with its fl oating lacing sor (with a moisture management inner system,” and the PU ergo frame “adds extra sweat band) and adjustable Fast Track ankle-support as your customers adventure and Air Vent caps (made from moisture along the tougher terrain”. management fabric with mesh inserts for “One might even say you’ve hit the trifec- ventilation) will keep the head protected. ta: a value for money, slick design and tech- Other useful accessories include the re- packed all-in-one shoe.” fl ective shoe pocket that attaches to any The i-shield technology repels water and laced shoe, the sport band that allows dirt, its Ortholite Impressions sockliner with the runner full use of his holstered touch slow recovery foam provides cushioning, and screen MP3 player or phone, and the the multi-directional traction gives the need- touch screen compatable, refl ective Volt ed grip when treading tougher terrain. gloves with silicone palms for better grip.

p24 :: Apparel & Footwear Running

PUMA’s Speed 600 Ignite 2 PUMA’S SPEED 600 Ignite 2 running shoe features a “three-punch combination of new technologies that’s sure to leave the competi- Technical sponsor ASICS is celebrating the Cape Town ’s new tion behind,” says the IAAF Gold Label Status with its new golden Mexico 66 limited edition shoe (above brand. left), which select guests showed off at the press conference to announce the gold status. With the marathon awarded this prestigious title, the fi rst in Africa It is designed to cov- to gain it, it’s a win-win situation for everyone and all guests received their very er runners’ needs: a dual own “medal” in celebration. Above right is ASICS’s Sarah Mundy with her medal. layer midsole with Ignite The marathon takes place 17 September and it’s expected that with the new technology provides longer status even more elite athletes will be interested in taking part. lasting cushioning and re- sponsiveness as well as great ASICS’ urban-inspired running shoes energy return. An engineered Speed 600 Ignite 2 women’s (top) and men’s models. forefoot propels the wearer ASICS’ METARUN forward and generates more speed through the toe-off phase, AND FUZEX RUSH and the EverFit+ technology locks his foot on to the platform for a running shoes are smooth fi t and secure ride. both inspired in dif- The Speed 600 Ignite 2 also features a lateral release groove and ferent ways by the decoupled heel that slow down the rate of pronation and creates a urban landscape. more gradual transition from heel-strike to mid-foot stance for the Inspired by Japa- runner. Additionally, a moulded EVA Supreme sockliner provides nese culture and step-in comfort and the upper features refl ective detailing that the iconic city of makes the wearer more visible in low light conditions. The shoe fea- Tokyo, ASICS’ new tures EverTrack+ — a lightweight injected blown MetaRun 2017 — rubber that PUMA claims is 43% lighter — and because of this lightweight which features MetaRun 2017 leading technology quality only weighs 295g. It also — follows in the steps of the brand’s best ever long-distance running off ers added cushioning and du- shoe. Originally launched in 2015 and developed by the ASICS Institute rability for a smoother toe-off . The model is available in men’s of Sport Science over three years, the MetaRun retains the same quali- and ladies’ versions. ties of the original shoe and still caters for all levels of runners. “It “The Speed 600 IGNITE 2 Women’s continues to score higher than industry benchmarks in performance for Ignite v3 is PUMA’s pinnacle women specifi c runners in the four core long-distance running attributes: lightweight, performance running shoe, now even stability, fi t and cushioning,” explains the brand. faster than before with the new and improved upper,” says the The colour palette of the MetaRun makes the runner feel that he is brand. stepping into Japan. The concrete grey represents its urban streets, the Several features of the women’s shoes have been designed spe- hazy white represents Tokyo’s famous skyline and the Shu-red repre- cifi cally for women: the newly engineered lightweight mesh upper sents the ancient traditional Shu-iro colour that is used on temples and provides breathability and support without hindering the bunion shrines across Japan and symbolises good fortune. The shoe’s sockliner zone area, the woman-specifi c last has a wider forefoot and narrow- also features a Tokyo train station design, which enhances its connec- er heel, and the high-rebound sockliner provides arch support that tion to Japan. accommodates the biomechanics of the female body for a smooth MetaRun features FlyteFoam, ASICS’ lightest and durable midsole transition. An external, asymmetrical heel counter also improves with organic fi bres for high-level cushioning. Its sloped DUOMAX dual heel support to lock down the ankle with additional medial support. density midsole adjusts smoothly to dynamic motion and it has an opti- To build the Ignite franchise, PUMA has also launched the up- mised upper with a glove-like, one-layer Jacquard Mesh and MetaClutch dated Ignite v3 running shoe. exoskeleton external heel counter with built-in memory foam. Other The new Ignite men’s v3 running shoe’s upper mesh stretches features include ASICS’ newly patented carbon reinforced AdaptTruss over the middle and outsole. adaptive stability system and X-GEL hybrid high-tech gel. The new shoe, which has a 12mm heel-to-toe drop, has a split ASICS’ new fuzeX Rush is “the perfect running shoe for all urban ad- colour midsole and features enhanced energy return, increased durability and breathability. It also has the added benefi t of upper ventures,” says the brand. “FuzeX Rush is a no-frills, performance shoe mesh over the middle and outsole. designed for the wide-ranging urban explorer. The legacy of this shoe lies in the cushioned midsole, which of- fers a lightweight, ensures a snug and comfortable fi t. responsive ride.” The shoe, inspired by the aesthetics of the urban landscape, off ers Its ultra-light urban adventurers versatility and style, and it is backed by the human- fuzeGEL in the mid- centric science of ASICS’ research and development. sole (from heel to “The new generation of ASICS consumers is more creative, more social toe) means the shoe and more adventurous,” says Sarah Mundy, Marketing Manager of ASICS has responsive fl ex- South Africa. “Fitness today should be fun and spark a sense of com- ibility and bounce, munity. The fuzeX Rush is the perfect running shoe to help cultivate the ASICS’ fuzeX Rush and seamless mesh spirit of adventure within the South African running community.”

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Apparel & Footwear :: p25 round up Will the sub2 marathon fall? Nike vs adidas he sub-2 marathon has become didn't break the 2 hour mark, but he recorded Tucker questioning the shoe’s legality. He something of a holy grail for the a personal achievement by breaking the sub- was a vocal critic of the decision to allow Pis- long distance running world; a 2:04 mark for the fourth time in his career. torius to run against able-bodied athletes be- glowing beacon that brands are The prime weapon in adizero SUB 2’s arsenal cause his carbon spring blades reduced muscle striving towards and pushing their is its new Boost technology, the Boost Light, fatigue. athletesT to reach. In this quest, sports brands which adidas says is lighter than before while “The elite athletes who have worn [Pisto- such as adidas and Nike are developing shoes retaining the energy return properties. rius’ blades] report that they have no muscle that they say will help athletes break the two “Independent sports science research has pain after running, which suggests the shoes hour barrier. shown that the new adizero Sub2 can provide unload the muscles, exactly as a spring would Seven of the men’s and three of the women’s 1% improvement in running economy, the over- do,” he writes in an article for The Times. top 10 fastest marathon times were achieved all 100g weight reduction also enables an ad- “Are they legal? That’s the big question. in the over the years, includ- ditional 1% improvement in running economy My opinion is that they should not be. I don’t ing the current fastest time of 2:02:57. It and its Continental Microweb rubber outsole think any device added to the shoe, acting as seems like brands should especially be aiming provides more grip and reduces slip.” a spring, or providing energy return, should be at this year’s event to set new records. Other features include a lightweight, rein- legal. In last year’s Berlin Marathon, adidas’ Wilson forced mesh upper and its Microfi t technology “The current regulation says that the shoe Kipsang was only 10 seconds behind Kenenisa gives support, comfort and good fi t. must not be constructed so as to give an ath- Bekele who won in 2:03:03 (the second fastest Nike’s Zoom Vaporfl y Elite (below right) also lete any unfair additional assistance, includ- men’s marathon time). At this marathon, Kip- works to improve running economy. Its ZoomX ing by the incorporation of any technology sang joined Emmanuel Mutai on the 2:03:13 midsole cushioning is lightweight, soft and re- which will give the wearer any unfair advan- mark (joint fourth fastest marathon time), a sponsive, has a 21mm forefoot stack height, tage. time which Mutai also ran at the Berlin Mara- and it is designed to give energy return and “Curved carbon fi bre plates that add to en- thon, but two years prior. protection from the road. ergy recoil, in my opinion, contravene both The adizero range has already been involved It also has a curved carbon fi bre plate, simi- clauses. They provide additional assistance, with breaking four world records. Will adidas' lar to what Oscar Pistorius used on his Nike and they do so by incorporating a curved car- adizero Sub 2 shoe (below) be the next? It blades. It “critically serves to add bending bon fi bre plate. certainly did well for Kipsang, who wore it in stiff ness, tuned to improve stride-by-stride “Where the argument will happen is the its premier race earlier this year (the Tokyo effi ciency and minimise energy loss over the defi nition of unfair, a loophole big enough for Marathon) — he won it with a comfortable two course of the race.” The extra spring in his a lawyer to run through. Until then, we count minute lead over the rest step might not have resulted in a win for Pis- down to May, when the attempt of the runners. He torius, but Nike is hoping it will propel either is due to take place.” Eliud Kipchoge of , Lelisa Desisa of Ethi- opia or Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea to break the 2 hour barrier during a special attempt at the Monza F1 racing track in Italy in May. It’s this carbon fi bre plate and its energy conserving rebound that has sport scientist

Must-have trail running shoes cont. from p22 The shoe features a fabric and mesh upper, tra- provides step-in comfort. This PU foam also O-Ring that enables the attachment of a re- ditional lace closure system and bellows tongue helps to reduce ground contact time and in- movable gaiter accessory to keep debris from that keeps debris out, as well as a padded lycra creases cadence for the wearer. entering the top of the shoe as well as a gus- collar, neoprene lining for padded comfort in the The midsole also has the Rock Protection seted tongue wing construction that improves heel area, and an integrated EVA footbed. sockliner, which consists of hardened foam the upper fi t and further prevents debris and Dexterity’s UniFly midsole connects wearers that has been moulded to the removable EVA water from entering the top of the shoe. to the trail while protecting them from the sockliner to give a personalised fi t and pro- Furthermore, it features a lace garage terrain. The TrailProtect pad provides addi- tects the wearer’s feet. pocket with an internal key ring holder loop tional support when off road. The engineered forefoot Propulsion Zone in and protective toe Merrell is locally distributed by Medicus Shoes. the outsole propels the wearer forward gener- cap that provides ating more speed during toe-off , and its Multi- lightweight pro- PUMA directional lugs on the outsole also provide tection. PUMA’s Speed 300 Ignite TR is built for speedy extra grip for a secure push off on uneven or trail running. “Built to perform, it is designed slippery terrain. to make the runner feel light and fast on his The Speed 300 Ignite TR’s strong abrasive feet while giving him the protection he needs and lightweight mesh upper enables 360 on the toughest terrains,” says PUMA. degree water release. It features 360 Its dual layer midsole features Ignite Foam degree refl ective print for extra visibility in the heel, which improves energy return and in low light conditions, a U-throat Gaiter

2017 Q2 :: Sports Trader p26 :: Sport

Skechers LA Marathon Organised runs go green Left: Skechers created the limited edition GOmeb Razor with graphics of the Old to commemorate their Los Angeles THE ORGANISERS Marathon sponsorship. Mutual Two Oceans Mara- Photo: Business Wire. thon (OMTOM) and Merrell- sponsored trail runs are up- ing South Africa, India’s 10km na- ping their eff orts to reduce tional record holder Kavita Tungar the waste generated through also participated, as well as ama- events. teur runners, retailers that stock OMTOM, sponsored by adi- Skechers, and media members das, is introducing an anti- and personalities. Skechers Per- littering and waste manage- SKECHERS PERFORMANCE re- formance kept track of runners’ ment campaign, #GOGREEN, turned as title sponsor of the Los journeys as they trained for the that off ers a sustainable way Angeles Marathon in March, and marathon on SkechersGOrunLA. to collect and process the A runner in the Merrell Autumn South Africa’s rising young triath- com and via #GORUNLA. non-organic waste generated Night Run enjoys her functional medal. Photo: Erik Vermeulen. lon star, Nick Quenet, was invited “Our inaugural title sponsorship during race week by athletes to participate in a VIP experience of the 2016 Los Angeles Marathon and spectators. Along the route there will be a series of GREEN leading up to the race. was extremely successful and ZONES where athletes can throw away their waste into large Prior to the race, Skechers this year we wanted to build on branded troughs. Alternatively, Old Mutual is asking that athletes launched its global Road to Los our record-setting international hold onto their waste until the end of the race. There will be Angeles marketing campaign, growth by creating an experience penalties for athletes who continue to litter outside of these which culminated in 60 interna- for as many international partners zones. tional partners from 35 countries as possible,” says Rick Higgins, The waste that is collected will be converted into Green Desks taking part in a VIP experience on senior vice-president of merchan- — it is estimated that it will contribute to the manufacturing of the marathon course known as dising/marketing for Skechers about 500 school desks — through a partnership between Wild- the Stadium to the Sea. The aim Performance. lands and NGO industry body POLYCO (Polyolefi n Recycling Com- of the campaign was to create The brand also supplied the ex- pany NPC). This way the waste also won’t end up in landfi lls. further global awareness of the panded offi cial race apparel col- For over a year Mountain Runner Events, organisers of the Mer- marathon in Skechers’ interna- lection featuring technical running rell trail runs, has been serving water in enamel cups at water tional markets. wear, casual t-shirts and running stations, instead of throw away cups. Apart from Quenet represent- accessories. For the past four years they’ve also handed out Gidgitz bottle opener keyrings on lanyards as fi nisher medals, which many peo- ple appreciated as functional medals, says race director Graham Bird. Starting this year, however, they are giving fi nishers functional medals in the form of reusable Merrell-branded bottles that they Mikasa hope will accompany the athletes on future runs. The bottle medals premiered Merrell Autumn Trail Run, which took place in the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens and off ered 20km, 12km and 6km routes.

Grip the ball with Mikasa YOUR NETBALL CUSTOMERS won’t easily drop the ball with Mikasa’s new netball ball series. Previously the full focus used to be on durability, but while this is still an important factor for Mikasa when designing its ranges, grip is now the feature that eve- ryone is asking for, says Nick Wilt- shire of local distributor Pat Wilt- shire Sports. Not only does the machine stitched HSNT Ultra Grip series off er excellent grip with the ultra From Mikasa’s HSNT Ultra Grip series. grip technology, it also has raised dimples for even more improved grip and handling. The 3550 Rubber Dimple series also features dimples on its top qual- ity rubber covers, which won’t let the ball slip out of the hands easily. Recommend the moulded Ultra Durable series to those players who play in Africa’s harshest conditions, advises Wiltshire. It is durable, makes use of Mikasa’s wound ball technology and has a traditional 32 panel design. All the balls in the range conform to IFNA’s offi cial size and weight regulations.

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 EXCITING NEW MIKASA 2017 NETBALL SERIES

MIKASA HSNT ULTRA GRIP SERIES • Mikasa superior championship ultra grip • Machine stitched technology • Raised dimples for improved grip & handling • IFNA Offi cial size and weight

MIKASA MOULDED ULTRA DURABLE SERIES • Mikasa wound ball technology • Traditional 32 panel design • Designed for Africa’s harshest conditions • IFNA Offi cial size and weight

MIKASA 3550 RUBBER DIMPLE SERIES • Mikasa improved dimple grip • Highest quality Mikasa rubber cover • IFNA Offi cial size and weight

Pat Wiltshire Sports (Pty) Ltd EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR

Tel: +27 11 466 1800/1/2 Fax: +27 11 466 1960 [email protected] www.pwsports.co.za p28 :: Apparel & Footwear Trending kids wear for Easter and Eid

During Easter and Eid holidays parents will often buy new clothing and footwear for their kids. RHIANAH Rhode asked suppliers what will be trending over these periods

arents tend to spend money on the top of the list of Skechers’ vast range for the classic silhouettes. their kids for special, religious oc- kids, she adds. casions like Easter and Eid so that With kids footwear comprising about 30% of Colours they will look their best. While their sales they provide just about every pos- Canvas sneakers continue to lean towards Easter always takes place during sible style and innovation parents can wish for. white, says MacLennan. “This creates a blank autumn,P this year Eid also takes place during Their gimmicky styles — like games that can canvas on which kids can allow their creativity this colder time of the year, which will affect be played on shoes — are more popular than to come to life. In addition, the white canvas how parents shop for their children; during formal or smart-looking footwear, adds Aires. sneaker is extremely versatile.” this period parents will be interested in buying Commercial footwear fashion styles are White and black are popular choices for products that can be used for layering suppli- performing at the moment due to afford- them, but other colours are also doing well ers point out. ability and alignment to trend, says Ma- depending on the style of shoe trending at the With Eid now falling in winter, items such as cLennan They have also seen an increase moment, says Watermeyer. hoodies, sweats and tees used for layering will in popularity of different designs within the PUMA’s new Basket Heart lifestyle shoe — an sell for both girls and boys, says Casey Water- same footwear models, which answers the updated version of its court classic — is avail- meyer of adidas. For their boys, parents will need for diverse product offerings alongside able in both white and black patent as well also want track pants, zippered track tops and also tees, which are worn underneath other clothing, she says. “Layering is important to ensure that items Planning ahead are transitional from autumn to winter,” FOR THOSE planning for next year’s winter, there are four new international clothing and agrees Kate MacLennan of Skye Distribution. footwear trends for kids, say style forecasters of the Magic fashion trade show. Any bulk and discomfort should be eliminated • Poetically Romantic: Kids’ fashion will feature romantic and whimsical prints, rich Dutch floral to ensure all day comfort, she points out. oil painting inspired prints, ruffles and lace. It is based on a time when young ladies’ and mens’ clothing styles were prim and proper, and includes items such as tailor fitted denim trousers, Trends are important for kids boxy fitted jackets, Cashmere sweater vests, pleated skirts, spencer jackets, and blouses with Parents are, however, not walking into stores big bow high collars. It will also include fabrics like wool, gabardine, tartan prints, felted wools, looking for a specific look from years gone by and herringbone. in mind, and retailers can’t just rely on what • The Pop-Con trend features gender-neutral silhouettes, smart textiles, graphics, interactive sold well last year to sell well again, caution prints that glow and reflect, reflective high-gloss wet coated fabrics, sonic waves graphs, -ge suppliers. ogrid shapes, dimensional mesh and heat transferred iridescent foils. The 3D printed design It’s important to stay up to date on the latest elements will make products seem like an extension of the virtual world and prints and graphics in trends, even for the youngsters, says Water- will replicate gaming motifs of the 80’s, computerised mesh-mapping, oversized fonts prints, meyer. “Kids are now becoming more aware of quotable tech humour, popular memes, personalised emojis, as well as action-packed heroes trends and demanding that their parents buy and villains of comic books, Magic predicts. • what is hot at the moment.” In their range, Wild Wild West: Think western motifs on denim and shirts, embossed hand-tooled leather with ornate patterns, personalised ranch branding, fringed edges, and western medallions. Designs footwear styles like the Superstars, Stan and will be inspired by the diverse landscapes including tumbleweeds, cacti, streams, mountain ZX flux are popular for this time of year. ridges, and valleys found in the West. Simple Liberty florals prints, conversational western Energy lights and rechargeable sneakers prints such as horses and horseshoes on button up cattlemen shirts will also be key. are among Skechers’ hottest footwear trends • The Urban Utopia trend will create an utilitarian wardrobe that combines the performance of for kids, says Kim Aires from local distributor CrossFit and graffiti of street skaters. It will feature remixed camouflage prints, artistic graffiti Brand Folio LLC. Other trends such as sneak- motifs and distressed textured denim that reflects the grit of the streets. The colours used are ers with easy-on Z-straps (that make fastening inspired by city landscapes like concrete walls, asphalt pavements and public walls with modern and loosening shoes easier) icy aqua colours day artistic installations and neon expressions. and emoji icons, glitter and satin, as well as The next Magic fashion trade show — covering apparel, footwear, accessories, and manu- boots featuring pom-poms, glitter, faux fur in facturing — takes place 14-16 August in Las Vegas. suede and sweater knit materials; are also at

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Apparel & Footwear :: p29

Image courtesy of OutDoor. as in pastels, with satin, suede and denim Although many of their styles are specifically finishes. It has a feminine twist and connects Kids are now becoming designed for kids, take downs are also popular with the brand’s sport heritage by staying true more aware of trends and purchases from Skechers ranges, says Aires. to the OG silhouette, says Robyn Frick from demanding that their par- She finds that their most popular styles for PUMA SA. “With two lacing options it enables ents buy what is hot at the girls and boys are not only Twinkle Toes and wearers to either create the perfect bow with Light ups, but also take down from men’s and a satin ribbon or funk it up with chunky laces.” moment. women’s styles. These kicks help drive PUMA’s DO YOU cam- Sport shoes are also among the popular styles paign message (see p14) that inspires women suppliers expect consumers to purchase. for, say suppliers. to show off their confidence and style. These Performance features will appeal to par- Their main product priority is designed for shoes can be paired with cropped pants, ents buying shoes for their kids who play the kid, engineered for the parent, says Ma- jeans, leggings, etc. and come in toddler and a variety of field sports, but also want to infant sizes, she adds. cLennan. “Take downs from adults to kids re- use them on outdoor adventures, says Sarah main important in range assorting, as parents Mundy from ASICS SA. Features such as ag- Parents want mini-me’s are always looking for mini-me clothing.” This gressive, rugged trail-specific outsoles that Whether for clothing or footwear items, concept is also filtered into footwear to en- can handle rough, uneven terrain are use- take downs from adults’ to kids’ styles will sure they are offering kids product that iscool ful, as well those that provide features like be a popular feature that parents will look and convenient, she adds. cushioning and support.

Another award for Skechers Kids THE SKECHERS KIDS COLLECTION has re- and girls’ product and some of our latest ceived a design excellence award from the innovations are currently found in the Kids’ Footwear Plus trade publication — its ninth collection in our lighted footwear, says Mi- award for footwear design excellence and chael Greenberg, president of Skechers. the third for its kids division. These awards “We’re delivering great product for every are nominated and voted for by thousands of age from toddlers to tweens with fun, footwear retailers and consumers globally and bright and lightweight designs that kids gives recognition to the industry’s most com- pelling product offerings. everywhere love for school and play. And Since 2005, Skechers has won the Footwear the collection is strong not only in the US, Plus Company of the Year award seven times but around the globe as well — we can’t and seven Plus Awards for design excellence. wait to build on this with amazing product “We’re exceptionally proud of our boys’ coming later this year for back-to-school.”

2017 Q2 :: Sports Trader p30 :: Outdoor ABC of outdoor technologies

Bi-Flex: a technology developed by Boreal to ments, while allowing heat and sweat to injected nylon — the manufacturer can fi ne- improve the forward and lateral fl exibility escape through evaporation. tune the fl ex of each insole, so that it’s just of mountain boots by carefully positioning Climawarm is a lightweight, breathable insu- right for its intended purpose. panels of soft pliable materials in specifi c lation technology from adidas that keeps the Flexconnect from Merrell was designed to areas of the upper. These soft compressible wearer dry and comfortable in cold weather resemble and support the ligaments and panels act like hinges to allow the natural conditions by using densely woven synthetic. tendons in the human foot, the Hyperlock articulation of the ankle in both the lateral heel provides a precise heel lock for quick and fore/aft directions. - D - descents and sharp turns. Anatomically-in- spired dual-directional fl ex grooves support - C - Dri-Tec: an advanced, waterproof, breath- the natural motion of the foot by promoting able membrane developed by Hi-Tec to pro- upward and downward fl exibility for agility Climachill keeps you cool and dry in the hot- vide waterproofi ng in even the wettest of and stability on uneven terrain. A sticky, du- test weather. Used in adidas’s outdoor Ter- environments. Millions of microscopic pores rable, rubber outsole with skeleton-like lugs rex range, this cooling technology is based on in the membrane allow water vapour to and fl ex grooves moves with the foot to of- ultra-breathable moisture-wicking fabric and escape without allowing water droplets in, fer a full range of fl exibility for superior grip aluminium cooling spheres. It absorbs and keeping feet dry and comfortable. and traction on wet or dry trails. wicks away moisture fast, in under 2 seconds. Dry-Line: a waterproof lining system devel- Foam Tech Cushioning is provided by foam Climalite is an adidas textile technology that oped by Boreal that combines the water- material in Jeep footwear to provide struc- wicks perspiration away from the skin to the proof laminate Sympatex 337 professional tural support, stability and shock absorption. outer fabric for quick evaporation, enhancing and a leather or synthetic outer layer to the body's natural temperature regulation. enable horizontal as well as vertical breath- - I - Climaproof: the adidas technology keeps you ing. Moisture vapour in the boot enters an dry from inside out in all weather conditions. air space between the membrane and lin- I-Shield: a Hi-Tec technology that provides an It provides breathable protection against ing and is pumped out of the boot during invisible protective layer to repel water and weather conditions like harsh wind, rain and normal walking action. The Sympatex 337 dirt to keep shoes clean and lightweight. By cold by optimising the body’s temperature membrane has a breathable micro-fi bre lin- reducing water uptake the shoe stays lighter and allowing moisture to escape easily. ing and since it is made of polyether/ester and the inherent stain resistance also pro- Climastorm is a textile technology from adi- copolymer it has no pores to clog, so its per- tects against oil and stains. das that protects from wind and light rain formance does not deteriorate with use. by acting as a barrier to the ele- DTA (Dynamic Transition Aid): a nylon light- - M - weight shank that off ers the same rigidity adidas Outdoor’s new TERREX M-Select DRY technology in Merrell footwear of a steel shank in Hi-Tec footwear. Agravic Alpha Hooded Shield provides protection for footwear in wet jacket is lightweight and - F - weather conditions. The products shed ex- offers wearers more ternal moisture from precipitation and wet protection than the average wind jacket. FIST: Flex Insole System Tech- ground conditions, while allowing moisture The jacket – made nology from Merrell designs in- from physical activity to escape. For ex- from lightweight, soles around the way a shoe will treme wet weather there is M-Select XDRY stretch-woven, dura- be used. Stiff er soles provide that delivers added protection. ble and windproof M-Select GRIP: outsole technology by Merrell Pertex Quantum — the stability needed when features Polartec carrying heavy loads through that off ers superior grip. The outsoles are Alpha insulation rocky, uneven terrain, while slip-resistant on wet and dry ground, and with breathable lighter, more fl exible insoles over mixed terrain, and releases dirt and heat regulation, enhance agility while speed debris with specialized lugs. which keeps the wearer hiking. By using diff erent GRIP+ delivers added traction and WET warm in cold materials and confi gura- GRIP provides maximum grip on wet surfac- tempera- tions — like steel shanks es. Highly angled lug designs channel excess tures and of diff erent lengths and water away from underfoot while the razor dry in wet thicknesses and tapered siped rubber increases surface contact for conditions. Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Outdoor :: p31

The unique technologies in outdoor clothing and foot- wear help protect the wearer, keep him warm and dry, cool and comfortable, amongst many other benefi ts. But, some of these technologies have even more unique and diffi cult to remember names. In this alphabetical glossary LINZA DE JAGER unpacks the meaning behind the outdoor technologies used by brands

The latest outdoor technologies will be seen at the 2017 OutDoor Show in Friedrichshafen, held June 18-21. Photo: OutDoor Friedrichshafen.

better traction. and corrective positioning for women to en- ground, as well as maximum propulsion. M-Select Move: the footframe from Merrell sure a balanced, natural stride. It provides has been anatomically designed to follow a soft landing, a little guidance, transition, - U - the natural fl ex and contours of the foot. It support system and all-day cushioning. Unifl y from Merrell is a footwear technology integrates resilient Return Foam cushion- using premium, uLeathera durable, light- ing and contoured support to off er an ideal - S - weight EVA foam that is 20% softer than combination of natural freedom of move- in Merrell footwear compris- standard EVA foams. Strategically placed ment, stability and all-day comfort. Stratafuse Cage es of injecting a TPU foot cage into the mesh heel and forefoot shock pods are made of a - O - upper, fusing it together for a lightweight, special formulation of fi rmer EVA foam that glove-like fi t, that enhances natural move- distributes impact and provides feedback Omni-Heat Thermal Refl ective: this warm- ment, and increased durability. The process from the ground. This provides a strike that ing technology from Columbia regulates body also reduces manufacturing waste. is soft to the ground for cushioning and ter- temperature with little silver dots that refl ect Stealth Rubber from adidas provides unbeat- rain absorption, and fi rm against the foot for and retain the body’s heat. The patent-pend- able grip, high friction and optimal shock stability and agility. ing OutDry Extreme waterproof membrane absorption. keeps moisture out, while the abrasion-resist- - V - Super Comfort is a feature of Jeep footwear ant material on the outside provides perma- that off ers relief of foot pain and tired feet re- V-Lite technology in Hi-Tec shoes reduce nent water repellency and durability. lated to standing or walking on hard surfaces weight and increase comfort through con- Omni-Shield technology from Columbia re- for extended periods. A removable innersole, struction and lightweight performance com- sists the absorption of liquids into the yarns that may be hand washed or aired out to allow ponents through the minimum use of rubber to prevent stains and water penetrating. trapped moisture between the innersole and while retaining outsole performance. Blood ‘N Guts goes further to prevent and foot bed to dry, adds further comfort. remove stains. It provides long-lasting stain - X - repellency without aff ecting the breathabil- - T - ity or feel of the fabric XLR8>>: Hi-Tec’s lightweight midsole tech- Omni-Tech from Columbia is a technology that Tecproof: an invisible waterproof membrane nology gives 10% better rebound and 10% provides 100% waterproof and air-permeable from Hi-Tec that serves as a protective layer better energy absorption than regular EVA. (breathable) apparel that allows perspiration on rain jackets. It is also 10% lighter than regular EVA. The to escape. The membrane is windproof, wa- Thermo-Dri is a waterproof insulation tech- midsole is very comfortable and signifi cantly terproof and breathable while Omni-Shield nology exclusive to Hi-Tec. It integrates boosts performance. off ers protection on the face-fabric. Thinsulate insulation from 3M with Hi-Tec’s - Z - Dri-Tec waterproof membrane, keeping feet - Q - both warm and dry. Zenith Rubber: a high performance rubber Q FORM: Merrell developed this footwear Traxion: this technology from adidas off ers developed by Boreal for no-compromise technology especially for women’s feet. It maximum grip by combining an optimal lug performance, which features incredible combines properly sequenced cushioning pattern with the most appropriate rubber friction properties combined with an ability with a supportive and naturally aligning mid- compound. It off ers an optimal alignment to hold micro edges. Prevents feet slipping sole to provide proper support, cushioning, of cleats, maximum outsole grip on specifi c when climbing on very small rock features.

2017 Q2 :: Sports Trader p32 :: Outdoor

Photo courtesy of HuntEx. Father’s Day gifts offer great sales opportunities

Outdoor accessories are the ideal gift options for Father’s Day. With consumers look- ing for new and interesting products to surprise their loved ones, outdoor retailers can use the lead up to this day to their advantage. RHIANAH RHODE found out what products suppliers predict will have customers lining up at the tills

our customers will want to treat ensure fathers are equipped with the right hours and produces up to 100 lumens of light. their fathers on the 18th of June light on any of his outdoor adventures. The MT18 torch is the brightest torch of the with a special gift that says I love “Their functionality, design and use have series and features a USB connection through you. There is no shortage of in- been specially developed for experiencing which it can be charged in just eight hours, says teresting new products available nature at night,” says Bruce Woodroffe from Woodroffe. It produce 3 000 lumens of bright Yfrom local suppliers as gift options that cater local distributor Awesome Tools. illumination, provides a lighting range of up to for a variety of consumer tastes and stock op- The lightweight MH10 headlamp can produce 540m and is excellent for illuminating paths, tions for outdoor retailers. up to 600 lumens of light, enables adjustment caves and expanses, he explains. Lighting products, especially, are popular between close-up and distance vision through The MT14 torch offers a lighting range of up to gift options for fathers. its stepless focus function and offers up to 120 180m and can stay lit for up to 192 hours after a hours of battery life. single charge. It features the Speed Charging and Lighting gift ideas The MH6 headlamp, which can be relied upon to Smart Light technologies, which help ensure it is While enjoying the outdoors your customer’s fa- light up roads and paths, intuitively operates be- fully charged within eight hours and provides ide- ther will be without electricity and away from tween several modes at the touch of a switch and al lighting function at all times, says Woodroffe. overhead power sources — it’s after all one of the offers up to 200 lumens of light for up to 120m. The lightweight MT10 torch is suitable for illu- drawcards of getting away from it all. But, he’ll It features an integrated charging indicator that minating narrow spaces or rock crevices can eas- still want to be able to see in the dark. Outdoor warns users when the battery is running low, as ily fit in any of dad’s jacket pockets. Its battery lighting products have therefore become popular well as a replaceable and washable headband. operation and speed charging system ensure that gift options for fathers because they are so versa- The entry-level MH2 headlamp is a handy it is fully charged in just six hours and offers up to tile and cater for so many different needs. companion for short or spontaneous adventures 144 hours of uninterrupted light. Whether in the forest, atop a mountain, or and offers consumers high performance at a low The stable, robust and compact MT6 torch is on water — Ledlenser’s new outdoor series will price, says Woodroffe. It can run for up to 40 the most cost-effective torch in To p34

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 p32 :: Outdoor

Photo courtesy of HuntEx. Father’s Day gifts offer great sales opportunities

Outdoor accessories are the ideal gift options for Father’s Day. With consumers look- ing for new and interesting products to surprise their loved ones, outdoor retailers can use the lead up to this day to their advantage. RHIANAH RHODE found out what products suppliers predict will have customers lining up at the tills

our customers will want to treat ensure fathers are equipped with the right hours and produces up to 100 lumens of light. their fathers on the 18th of June light on any of his outdoor adventures. The MT18 torch is the brightest torch of the with a special gift that says I love “Their functionality, design and use have series and features a USB connection through you. There is no shortage of in- been specially developed for experiencing which it can be charged in just eight hours, says teresting new products available nature at night,” says Bruce Woodroffe from Woodroffe. It produce 3 000 lumens of bright Yfrom local suppliers as gift options that cater local distributor Awesome Tools. illumination, provides a lighting range of up to for a variety of consumer tastes and stock op- The lightweight MH10 headlamp can produce 540m and is excellent for illuminating paths, tions for outdoor retailers. up to 600 lumens of light, enables adjustment caves and expanses, he explains. Lighting products, especially, are popular between close-up and distance vision through The MT14 torch offers a lighting range of up to gift options for fathers. its stepless focus function and offers up to 120 180m and can stay lit for up to 192 hours after a 50 24 8 hours of battery life. single charge. It features the Speed Charging and HOURS40 HOURS18 HOURS6 HOURS HOURS HOURS Lighting gift ideas The MH6 headlamp, which can be relied upon to Smart Light technologies, which help ensure it is While enjoying the outdoors your customer’s fa- light up roads and paths, intuitively operates be- fully charged within eight hours and provides ide- ther will be without electricity and away from tween several modes at the touch of a switch and al lighting function at all times, says Woodroffe. overhead power sources — it’s after all one of the offers up to 200 lumens of light for up to 120m. The lightweight MT10 torch is suitable for illu- drawcards of getting away from it all. But, he’ll It features an integrated charging indicator that minating narrow spaces or rock crevices can eas- still want to be able to see in the dark. Outdoor warns users when the battery is running low, as ily fit in any of dad’s jacket pockets. Its battery lighting products have therefore become popular well as a replaceable and washable headband. operation and speed charging system ensure that With double-walled vacuum insulation and a just have to have a cold one. an easy task throughout the year, and the gift options for fathers because they are so versa- The entry-level MH2 headlamp is a handy it is fully charged in just six hours and offers up to no-sweat design, Thermo Steel’s stainless steel BUT not only do they keep drinks cold … they perfect addition in just about any situation: tile and cater for so many different needs. companion for short or spontaneous adventures 144 hours of uninterrupted light. tumblers will keep drinks colder for longer — do just as good a job to keep liquids warm. camping, travelling, picnicking, supporting the Whether in the forest, atop a mountain, or and offers consumers high performance at a low The stable, robust and compact MT6 torch is perfect for summer days when your customers This versatility makes selling these tumblers kids next to the fi eld, in the car, at the desk, etc. on water — Ledlenser’s new outdoor series will price, says Woodroffe. It can run for up to 40 the most cost-effective torch in To p34 For more information, contact Lite Optec: Tel: 011 462 6986 or [email protected] Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 p34 :: Outdoor

adjustable brightness settings and optional 360o Father’s Day gifts cont. from p32 light, the LED flashlights (T300, T350, T650, T700) feature adjustable light beams, and the LED spot- the range, says Woodroffe. It produces up to 600 lights (T600, T650) offer rechargeable capabilities. lumens of light and is suitable for night-time hikes There is no shortage of AceCamp’s waterproof flashlight is also a or walks. Its one-handed focusing ability makes it interesting new products powerbank, says Andrew Robinson of distribu- tor Outdoor Supply Company. The flashlight is easy to use and like all other lights in the series available from local sup- it can be used in temperatures ranging between available in 600ML and 1000ML, made from air- -20°C to 40°C. pliers as gift options that craft grade aluminium, and has three modes The father who is constantly on the go will cater for a variety of con- (high, low and flash). “It is ideal for those who welcome Black Diamond’s smallest and light- sumer tastes and stock op- love the outdoors, but still need the conveni- est rechargeable headlamp, Iota. It’ll not only tions for outdoor retailers ence of staying connected with technology.” lessen the worry about phones, etc. running Venture Outdoors’ beanie with headlamp, flat, whether he’ll have the correct type of plug locally distributed by Outdoor Supply Com- point, if travelling outside of South Africa, for AAA batteries. Similarly, the Meteor and Nebu- pany, is ideal for the keen fisherman, camp- the various chargers for his devices, and it also lar torches also have the full, low and flash- ing enthusiast and the perfect gift for any means he can travel lighter (no extra chargers!). ing modes. They can also provide up to 120 dad who likes to braai, hunt or do adventure The Iota can produce up to 150 lumens of lumens of light with a beam range of up to races in the winter, says Robinson . It produces light for use during fast moving training ses- 150m, and each has a built-in zoom function a 60 lumen light output and can cover a 20m sions, morning trail runs, post-work evening and aluminium body. The Meteor runs on a work zone. It can toggle between three light hikes and urban adventures, says Richard Turk- rechargeable Li-ion battery, and on three AAA intensity levels and the integrated LED light ington, key accounts manager for Ram Moun- batteries — all are included. The Flare 9 torch can be popped in and out so that the premium taineering. It also features the brand’s unique features nine bright long life LED’s as well as quality polyester beanie can be washed, she PowerTap technology that enables fast and an aluminium body and convenient wrist lan- explains. This product provides up to one and easy brightness adjustment, and offers two to yard. It is powered by three AAA batteries. a half hours of run time and can be recharged four hours’ run time for up to 40m’s at a time. With its emergency red flash mode Nebo’s via USB. “Our headlights and torches are always pop- Big Larry light is ideal for distress signalling or ular gifts for Father’s Day, especially fathers roadside emergencies, says Brendan Lambert Drinking outdoors that love camping and the outdoors,” says from local distributor Lite Optec. It produces The main man in the house will love Thermo Kevin De Wet from Medalist distributor De Wet up to 400 lumens of intense light through its Steel’s Big Daddy drinking cup that holds up to Sports. The brand’s variety of headlamps and new C.O.B. LED technology and also features 890ml and keeps drinks ice cold or piping hot, torches offer an array of sought-after features a low (160 lumens) mode. Furthermore, the says Lambert. “He’ll be the boss with the big- like tiltable bodies to adjust the beam angle, anodized aluminum body and recessed LED gest mug around while manning the Braai with adjustable head straps for the perfect fit, as housing ensures that the BIG Larry can handle a Tonglite braai tong!” well as several useful modes. any situation, says Lambert. Kaufmann’s steel beer mug is the perfect size to The Spark headlamp not only has one 3W Kaufmann offers fathers a range of lighting hold a 375ml drink and will keep the drink colder white LED, but also another two red LED’s — products with various versatile options. The for longer, Nieuwenhuizen adds. In addition, their combined they can generate up to 80 lumens high powered and rechargeable spotlights are high quality and stylish stainless steel flasks fea- of light. It has two modes (full and flashing) ideal for hunting, fishing or general outdoor use ture unique double walled vacuum technology and comes with three AAA batteries. The Star- whereas the headlights are multi-adjustable that provides optimum insulation to keep drinks burst headlamp features an LED light that gen- and useful for freeing up the hands while dad hot for 12 hours and cold for up to 24 hours. erates up to 180 lumens, has a beam range of does what he does in the dark, explains Peter “These bottles are durable and lightweight, 150m and a zoom function. It can be used in Nieuwenhuizen, from distributor Agrinet. can take a beating and still provide you with an full, low or flashing modes and comes with 3 The LED lantern range (T200, T400, T600) has ice cold drink,” he adds. Their slim design means

FIVE STAR LIVING IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS GO VISIT KAUFMANNOUTDOOR.CO.ZA TO VIEW OUR RANGE For more information on the range, contact the Agrinet team. Samrand: T. +27 12 657 2000, Bellville: +27 21 959 5420 or [email protected], www.agrinet.co.za Exclusively distributed by Outdoor :: p35

Luxe cooler bag will help make the father’s picnic trip even more enjoyable. The picnic set enable him to keep his cans cold at the same time as carrying enough cutlery, goblets and plates for four people as well, a cutting board, can opener and salt and pepper shak- ers. It also features carry handles that make it easy to transport, adjustable shoulder straps, and a wine bottle holder. The De Luxe cooler bag, on the other hand, has a 600D nylon con- struction and is available in size options that can carry six or up to 24 cans. It also features adjustable straps, two storage pockets and Photo courtesy of HuntEx. has a fl ip lid that enables easy access. Lite Optec’s Tekut biltong slicer will make they fi t most vehicle bottle cup holders and the another great gift, says Lambert. It not only stainless steel inners allow for easy cleaning. slices biltong super thin, but could be used for “These fl asks are perfect for use in a gym bag, lemons, peppers or salami. car, bicycle and backpack to enjoy drinks during An item to slice biltong with is a great gift long hikes, trekking, hot yoga class, long load for Father’s Day, agrees Robert Beamish of trip, or any other outdoor activities,” he says. Brentoni Distributors, local distributor of Dog They are available in their 500mm, 750mm and 1 of War (DOW). Its Biltong Buddy is in the form 000mm sizes and come with a fi ve year guarantee. of a biltong knife in a stylish display box. “It’s cool outdoor necessities The durable Glacier stainless steel Vacuum always a winner: simple and small, but some- Bottle from GSI has an insulated design that thing that lasts for years.” It features a 420 provides superior heat and cold retention for stainless steel blade, solid brass bolsters with up to 30 hours and is ideal for camping, com- rosewood scales and brass pins. New range availible muting, a picnic and sporting events, says Turkington. It also features a non-slip foot, a Other nifty gift ideas solid pour-through insulated stopper, a double • The Oregon Scientifi c weather station will walled cup/cap’s stainless steel liner for bet- enable a father to plan all his outdoor activi- ter taste and an insulated plastic exterior that ties ahead, while taking the weather into ac- protects lips and hands from heat. count. “Oregon Scientifi c is all about smart living,” says Lambert of Lite Optec. He be- For coffee lovers lieves that the WMR series of weather sta- These days there is no excuse to not be able to tions are a must for any outdoor active life- enjoy a good cup of coff ee – no matter where style and the RGR126N Wireless Rain Gauge your customer fi nds himself. will appeal to men who want to know how Jetboil’s coff ee press will appeal to out- many mm’s their garden received last night. doorsmen as it can be used to turn certain Jet- • Once he’s enjoying Kaufmann’s range of fold- boil camping stoves into French Presses that ing outdoor chairs, the customers’ father will make the perfect brew, explains Turkington. not want to get up again any time soon, says For the coff ee enthusiast who prefers to Nieuwenhuizen. The chairs are ultra-compact grind his own beans and enjoy freshly ground and lightweight, making them convenient and coff ee anywhere, GSI’s Javamill is the perfect easy to take along on any occasion. The new gift, says Turkington. Its rugged and compact innovative Ultra Compact lightweight folding design integrates an adjustable ceramic burr director chairs are convenient and easy to grinder, which provides unequalled brews dur- take along to any occasion, and are therefore ing travels. This device has a foldable handle especially popular, says Nieuwenhuizen. and nesting design that makes it compact, its • Nite Ize’s Steelie secures any brand of mo- silicone handle provides good grip and it has a bile phone in the vehicle, but still provides high performance, durable co-polyester build. easy access. “Dad will wonder how he man- It’s not only outdoorsmen who want to take aged without it,” says Lambert from local their coff ee with them. If a cup of coff ee makes distributor Lite Optec. The magnetic phone the dad’s morning commute to the offi ce more holder is great from a safety perspective and bearable, then GSI’s Personal Java Press is just enables easy viewing of the user’s mobile the right gift. “An incredibly clever, sliding inner device on his offi ce desk or in his vehicle. carafe replaces the rod from classic French press- • Daiwa’s BG Series Spinning and Black Gold es for unencumbered drinking and a double wall Multiplier reel, as well as the Saltist Surf of insulation rounds off the perfect coff ee on the Casting rods, will be great gifts for fi shermen. go!” The Personal Java Press is made from BPA- An additional motivation for sourcing these free Copolyester, dishwasher safe, impact resist- products from local distributor The Kingfi sher ant and has a 444ml capacity. Other features also is that retailers may off er a free Daiwa cap or include a spill-resistant top with an attachment sports scarf with any of these products sold loop and sealable spout, a cloth-wrapper, foam during their Father’s Day promotion. sleeve that insulates the user’s hand for a secure The new 2016 BG is big on looks and big on grip and a non-slip foot that fi ts most car holders. features, says Mike Philip. It off ers a powerful combination of performance, strength and re- Eating accessories liability and is one of Daiwa’s most renowned Medalist’s four person picnic set and the De names in heavy duty spin reels, he says. View our full range at: 2017 Q2 :: Sports Trader rammountain.co.za p36 :: Outdoor Hunting and shooting biggest market? The numerous and diverse sport shooting and hunting organisations in South Africa could make SASSCo the sporting code that generates the highest income for the outdoor retail industry. Words: Trudi du Toit. Photos: HuntEx, Nicol du Toit, Carin Hardisty. Photo: courtesy HuntEx of Photo:

rganised hunting and sport shoot- SASSCo members Association, the SA Hunting Rifle Shooting As- ing is arguably the SASCOC-affil- sociation among several other hunting and These associations and federations are iated sporting code that gener- game conservation associations. Collectively, members of the SA Shooting Sport Confed- ates the biggest income for the eration, which is recognised by SASCOC as they have about 15 000 members. industry. Each of the estimated the representative body for sport shooting And then there are also the thousands of cit- 100O 000 competitors buys his equipment indi- izens who occasionally visit shooting ranges, CHASA Confederation Hunting Associations vidually, which has to be of the highest quality which also buy equipment for the occasional Compak Compak so that he is not embarrassed by a pistol or rifle visitors to use. CTSASA Clay Target Shooting Association SA jamming or misfiring in a competition. Many of these organisations have been ac- SAARA SA Air Rifle Association It is not only firearms dealers who benefit tive for decades: for example, the Bisley Un- SABSF SA Benchrest Shooting Federation from the still growing interest in these sports. ion started 89 years ago, the SA Hunters and SABU SA Bisley Union With the exception of a few indoor disciplines, Game Conservation Association (SAHGCA) is 69 SACRA SA Combat Rifle Association participants spend significant time in the out- years old, the SA Clay Target Shooting Associa- SAFTAA SA Field Target Airgun Association doors and also require equipment like knives, SAHGCA SA Hunters & Game Conservation Ass. tion turns 63 this year and the SA Pistol Asso- headlamps and torches, dust- and waterproof SAHRA SA Hunting Rifle Association ciation was founded 60 years ago. cases, optics, technical and camouflage cloth- SAMSSA SA Metallic Silhouette Shooting Ass. But, it is certainly true that the Firearms ing, hunting and hiking boots, and many other SAPA SA Pistol Association Control Act (FCA) has played a part in reju- accessories sold by outdoor stores. SAPSA SA Practical Shooting Association venating interest in joining sport shooting and The SA Shooting Sport Confederation SAPSF SA Pin Shooting Federation hunting organisations, says Adriaan Woudstra, (SASSCo) is certainly one of the most diverse SASSF SA Precision Shooting Federation owner of the annual HuntEx Show (see p38). SASCOC- affiliated sporting codes. The seven- SATRA SA Target Rifle Association The licensing benefits for members who can teen disciplines (see right) that comprise the WSSA prove that they are active in dedicated shoot- confederation are so different that it is dif- ing organizations attracted thousands of new ficult to collectively describe what they do gun owners — many who then got hooked on a — the closest will be to say that all of them can be a compound or recurve bow, a hand- particular discipline and are now regular par- involve an attempt to hit a target. modified firearm or a top quality air rifle, ticipants in league or regional shooting com- One can also add that just about all of the handgun, rifle, shotgun, black powder gun, big petitions, dreaming of national colours. represented federations are affiliated to inter- bore gun … and many variations in between. national bodies and have earned the right to There are about 60-70 sport shooting and Membership growing award Protea colours to their members who hunting associations or federations across the This resulted in the membership of shooting regularly participate in international events. country, each with numerous branches, pro- organisations continuing to grow — many by as But that is about where the similarities end. vincial organisations or affiliated clubs. much as 10-20% over the past five years, re- Not all of them are affiliated to SASSCo port several of the organisations Sports Trader Each one different though — the National Shooting Association contacted. Interestingly, only a few of them They all require very different and distinct with 18 000 members, for example, is inde- claim that their recent membership growth equipment. The targets, for example, can be pendent from the confederation. can be attributed to the FCA — they rather anything from metal silhouettes, to clay disks, On the other hand, an associate member, the credit good administration, improved facilities goose decoys, images of people, paper or met- Confederation of Hunting Associations (CHA- at clubs and marketing of their activities. Sev- al squares, bowling pins, fake parts of animals SA) represents 25 different hunting organisa- eral mention the benefits of public exposure … and many more in between. tions that include the SA Clay Target Shooting at shows and expo’s. The weapon might not even be a firearm. It Association, SA Falconry Association, Big Bore There is also the social aspect of joining a

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Outdoor :: p37 Photos: Carin Hardisty and Nicol du Toit. and Nicol Carin Hardisty Photos: Clockwise from the top: pin shooting; pistol shooting; SA women’s practical shooting champion Carmen Sales; archery; air rifle Precision shooting; target shooting.

club: getting together and enjoying the com- The aim of the competition was apparently to pany of other members who share the same There are about 60-70 dif- improve the shooting abilities of the troops. interest, especially in rural areas. ferent sport shooting and Target shooting — even as sport — remained “We firmly believe in creating long lasting hunting associations across the domain of the Defence Force, even after relationships with our members,” Lindzey van the country, each with nu- ordinary citizens began participating in shoot- Aswegen of the East Rand Shooting Club sums ing competitions organised by rifle clubs in up what several other organisations men- merous branches, requiring the early 20th century. Technical improve- tioned. “These people have become friends different equipment ments in target rifles and ammunition grew and we support all with an open door policy. the popularity of this sport amongst specta- We provide structured shoots, advice on fire- membership of all hunting and game conserva- tors and participants and in 1928 the Minister arm related queries, support the member from tion organisations. of Defence instructed that the South African the start with proficiencies, assist with SAPS Founded in Pretoria in 1949, SAHGCA is National Rifle Association be formed. applications, licensing purchases, ammunition among the oldest, but certainly not the first The association held the first national cham- … all the way to sponsorship of competitions.” sport shooting organisation in South Africa. pionships in October 1929. This year, at the It is, however, not an inexpensive sport and This honour belongs to the SA Bisley Union, 81st national championship in April, Protea several organisations site sloping economy for officially founded in 1928, but a sport enjoyed colours will again be awarded to a SA Target static, slow, or no membership growth. in the Cape since October 1686 when Governor Rifle Team to compete in the world long dis- Women and children Simon van der Stel proclaimed the first long tance target shooting championship. South distance target shooting competition in Stel- Africans have also performed well in this disci- Shooting is also no longer an adult male only lenbosch. Participants shot at a wooden or clay pline in the Olympics. sport — although membership of women and replica papegaij and received cash prizes for As long distance target shooting became the juniors is still below 10% in most organisations shooting off various body parts of the parrot. domain of ordinary citizens under the auspices and it is growing slowly. But, it depends on of the SA Bisley Union, representatives of the the discipline. Hundreds of boys and girls, for SANDF, SAPS and Prison Services broke away to example, participate in the many age group competitions organised by the SA Air Rifle As- form a Service Rifle Association, which held sociation (SAARA) in seven provinces — and its own championship in in 1975. some schools offer this as a sport. The top The following year the first Service Shooting shooters have represented South Africa in the Springbok team was selected to shoot against Junior Olympics. what was then known as Rhodesia. In 1995 a Various organisations, like SAHGCA, have ap- South African team went to Bisley and using pointed junior development officers to assist borrowed SA80 rifles burst onto the world and recruit young members and organise activi- Service Rifle stage by coming third in the In- ties where they are introduced to the sport. ternational match beating America, Canada Competitions at various levels help to improve and narrowly losing to the host country, the shooting skills in order to cause minimum suf- SA Combat Rifle Association recount on fering when hunting. Higher points are awarded their website. This name was adopted by the for hitting a specific animal target in the spot association in 2001, in line with the numerous that will cause instant death, while shots in international Combat Rifle associations. non-kill areas are penalised. Metallic Silhouette Shooting is another dis- With 40 000 members active in 76 branches Practical Shooting World Champion Eric Grauffel cipline with an interesting — although some- countrywide, SAHGCA currently has the highest competed in the African Level 4 competition. what gory — origin. The story To p38 2017 Q2 :: Sports Trader p38 :: Outdoor

40 000 Reasons to be at HuntEx nyone who has any doubts about cials at HuntEx has become a tide that traders was the significant increase in interest showed the popularity of sport shooting or cannot turn back, so they might as well swim by women. More than a third (35%) of the visi- hunting in South Africa, should pay with the flow. tors last year were women, compared to less a visit to HuntEx in Gauteng where Following NAMPO and Decorex, HuntEx has than a fifth (18%) in previous years. close to 40 000 visitors annually grown into the third biggest expo in South Af- “They are serious buyers with a growing in- Acrowd the Gallagher Convention Centre aisles rica, says organiser Adriaan Woudstra. terest in hunting and shooting,” says Woud- to buy the latest hunting-related products. This year even more local and international stra. “Women that are new to the industry After six years the show has become a firm firearms dealers — namely 40 compared to are frustrated that certain dealers do not take fixture on the calendar of gunshop owners and 34 last year — will have stands on the full 26 them seriously.” importers and many outdoor retailers and their 000m2 of the Gallagher Convention Centre To make it easier for women to enter the suppliers. Since customers nowadays seem to booked for the show. hunting and sportshooting sector, the HuntEx save their firearm and hunting spending money organisers introduced and sponsor a stand in for the show, retailers can almost NOT afford to Catering for women Hall 2, Mia Caccia (My hunt) where experi- be NOT there. Customers waiting to buy spe- One of the features of last year’s HuntEx show enced female hunters and sportshooters will

Diverse sport shooting bodies cont. from p37 goes that Mexican rebel leader Pancho Villa sport was born. ing Discipline that was only introduced in and some of his bored Mexican outlaws in a The South African Pin Shooting Federa- South Africa in 2005. Internationally, the sport drunken stupor tied two live bulls to trees as tion dates from 1996 and since then this rela- dates from 1992 and operates under the aus- targets to prove who was the best shot. They tively inexpensive, but exciting and visually pices of Federation Internationale De Tir Aux enjoyed this contest so much, that it became stimulating, shooting sport has gained many Armes Sportives De Chasse (FITASC). Compak a regular sport. Sheep, chickens and goats followers, including amongst juniors who en- Sporting involves the shooting of Clay Targets paid the price of being shot to smithereens joy the spectacle of bowling pins flying off in flight, of which the trajectories resemble as other communities copied them. But, after tables. the flight of natural feather and fur hunting the Second World War food became scarce and Practical shooting is one of the younger prey under natural hunting conditions, the or- they began substituting metallic cutout silhou- shooting disciplines, but claims to have been ganisation explains on their website. ettes for live animals. one of the fastest growing since the 1970’s. All levels of shooters can participate, from These silhouttes fall over when hit and this Locally, membership has doubled over the top shooters aiming for titles at various re- contributed to the growing popularity of the past few years. It involves speed, accuracy, gional and world championships, to those who sport, which staged its first national com- balance and super-fast reactions to complete enjoy it as a recreational sport. petition in Mexico City in 1952. By the early a course with various challenges in the short- The South African Compak association also 1960’s it was a well organised sport, which also est possible time. The biggest club, with 200 has the right to administer the discipline of crossed Mexican borders — as far as South Af- members, is in Gauteng, but there are more Combined Game Shooting, which resembles rica, which became a founding member of the than 70 clubs countrywide. the hunting of fur and feather pray, shooting international body. The level of competition in South Africa was with both shotguns and rifles. Locally, it is strictly controlled by a national high enough to attract six-times World Cham- Clay target shooting is, however, a much body and four provincial bodies (Western Prov- pion Eric Grauffel to participate in a local older discipline and has been organised by the ince, Gauteng, Free State and Eastern Prov- Level 4 event that counted towards his world Clay Target Shooting Association of South ince) that ensure that proper rules and eti- ranking in 2015. Africa since 1954. The association currently quettes are followed. The South African Defensive Pistol Asso- has about 1 000 members, who belong to 42 Pin shooting is another discipline that origi- ciation was only formed in 2001, but already clubs countrywide and is affiliated to CHASA. nated in America, home of ten pin bowling. It has more than 2 200 members in 38 clubs par- “Improved management and communica- started as a demonstration of the effective- ticipating in more than 300 matches a year. tions, improvement of facilities and competi- ness of a bullet proof vest: Richard Davis shot To encourage novices, they provide NSO (New tions have resulted in about 10% membership himself while wearing his company’s body ar- Shooter Orientations) that introduces new growth over the past five years,” says Sarah mour and then shot five bowling pins off a ta- shooters to safe participation at all levels — Kalell. It is, however, still a sport mainly en- ble. This seemed so much fun that other peo- whether using a handgun, shotgun or semi-au- joyed by adult males with only about 3% wom- ple wanted to try it ... and a new pin shooting tomatic rifle.Compak is a Clay Target Shoot- en and 6% youth members.

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Outdoor :: p39

be available during the expo to answer wom- • A discussion on firearm maintenance and en’s questions and give advice. ‘The stand will care; provide an informal setting to encourage fe- • Choosing the best calibre, bullet and optics male visitors to interact freely, ask questions for your hunting application and personal and obtain advice on how and where to start,” preference; he says. • Barrel twist, bullet behaviour and bullet choices; Extras offered • Theory and practical application for long HuntEx has this year also introduced a brand distance shooting; merchandise clothing range, comprising of T- • Self-defence bullets. shirts and hats, from children to adult sizes for A second HuntEx show will be held in the both men and women. Eastern Cape at the Mentors Country Estate in Apart from food demonstrations on the pro- Jeffreys Bay from 26 to 28 May this year. cessing and preparation of game meat and the For more information or to buy online tick- Women are becoming such an important part of the HuntEx visitor profile that there will be a dedicated regular reloading presentations, there will be ets visit www.huntex.net. Online tickets cost stand for women at this year’s show. various talks in Hall 3. Topics include: R110 compared to R120 at the door. All images on these pages courtesy of HuntEx. p40 :: Sport Cricket transformation: Counting the right numbers Can the current transformation initiatives grow cricket participation among disadvantaged and black communities and women? And will this cultivate a whole new market for cricket products? ANTOINETTE MULLER* looks for answers about the impact of transformation on cricket player numbers

hen transformation in crick- the past, but in its essence, transformation tures — the better the chances of unearthing et — or any sport for that is about ensuring that every single person in some of the best players in the world. matter — is discussed, the South Africa has the same shot at being suc- focus almost always centres cessful. Transformation is about access to Solid youth structures on numbers. These num- resources and access to opportunities. (CSA) has realised this bersW focus on transformation targets — how Wider access to sporting opportunities and and has spent the last few years building many players of race group X, Y and Z make thereby growing the number of players, is solid youth structures to help facilitate this up the demographics of the national, fran- obviously also in the interest of cricket re- talent growth. chise and domestic teams. tailers and their suppliers. In 2014, they implemented several Hubs This is, of course, the most simplistic view Transformation is also about broadening and Regional Performance Centres (RPCs) of the matter. Transformation is about far the talent pool. The more players that come around the country. These cater for all age more than simply ticking boxes. through at grassroots level — and the more groups — both boys and girls — who might It is, in part, about rectifying the wrongs of that are retained through the senior struc- not have access to cricket at their schools. Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Sport :: p41

These programmes ensure that players not only receive coaching, but get to play com- The rise and fall of cricket participation petitive fixtures on a regular basis. In March, CSA took these initiatives one step Primary schools further by launching the Friendship Matches % Growth % Growth 2014 2015 2016 where a CSA Hub or RPC play a traditional 2014-15 2015-16 cricket school with the first of these three Schools in organised competitions 4,900 5,186 6% 5,362 3% fixtures having already taken place in Bloem- fontein, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. Number participating teams 12,000 11,761 -2% 12,349 5% Friendship matches Number of facilities 997 1,293 30% 1,293 0 “We are looking to build on this exciting Senior schools concept and will pilot these matches this % Growth % Growth month before expanding to the rest of the 2014 2015 2016 2014-15 2015-16 country during next season,” says CSA Gen- eral Manager: Cricket, Corrie van Zyl. Schools in organised competitions 863 1,077 25% 1,043 -3% “The aim is to improve the quality and increase the number of cricket matches Participating teams 2,176 2,290 5% 2,290 0 played within previously disadvantaged ar- Number of facilities 498 629 26% 629 0 eas,” adds Van Zyl. “This will also create and nurture the love Cricket clubs of the sport amongst the black communities, % Growth % Growth 2014 2015 2016 develop quality black African cricketers who 2014-15 2015-16 will contribute positively towards the CSA pipeline and establish long lasting friend- Total number clubs 823 998 21% 843 -16% ships between parents from both sides — Registered club members 39,761 24,015 -40% 25,216 5% and in so doing, contribute to nation build- Club leagues 2,435 2,180 -10% 2,289 5% ing and social change.” Ensuring the structures are in place to re- Number of facilities 640 700 9% 705 1% tain players beyond primary school level is a The statistics Cricket SA submitted to Sport and Rec- critical part of CSA’s development plan, es- reation SA tell a sad tale of low growth, no growth or pecially when considering the vast interest a decline in cricket participation — even though there in the sport at grassroots level. was a substantial increase in the number of facilities While soccer and netball enjoys the high- available for cricket between 2014 and 2015 (30% at est participation rate at primary school level, primary schools, 26% at senior schools and 9% at club cricket beats rugby in participation level in level). There was also a big increase in the number of senior schools (25%) and clubs (21%) participating in every province except for the Western Cape. organised competitions in the same period. Yet, the This is largely thanks to a joint effort in number of players declined. Between 2015 and 2016 terms of mini-cricket participation — a soft cricket participation and facilities really took a knock. ball version of the game which saw more This would support anecdotal reports that cricket sales than 114 000 kids from 5 584 schools — par- were down over the past few seasons. ticipate in 2015/16. The numbers have in- Transformation The table left shows how far township schools creased 37% since 2010. Secondary 2014 Primary lag behind when it comes to cricket participation. The number of cricket players in the West- school While 30% of all primary schools participate in ern Cape are likely to overtake rugby play- % Schools participate 30% 16% cricket, only 8% of township schools participate in ers through initiatives like the JP Duminy leagues. In secondary schools the total percent- project, though. % Township schools participate 8% 6% age of schools offering cricket are much lower, al- though the ratio of facilities and average number Ave no facilities per school 0.2 1 of coaches improve at secondary level. Enter JP Duminy There is not even an average of one cricket Ave no coaches per school 0.3 0.5 The South African international started a coach or pitch per school. foundation in 2014 that is aimed at getting cricket back into schools in disadvantaged professional franchises in such a vast coun- areas, and set up a league systems to ensure Beyond the Boundary try — various factors have started to lay the regular game time for young players. In 2016, The Daily Maverick ran a long-form foundations for what could go on to become The project currently has 30 out of 54 investigative piece into the state of trans- a great transformation success story. Among schools in the area par- formation of cricket in the country. Titled them are the semi-professional structures, ticipating, with over 1 500 kids playing the Beyond the Boundary, the piece explored the growth of Varsity Cricket and the rebrand- game. He hopes to expand the programme the pathway young cricketers follow — from ing of the domestic T20 competition as the to different areas of Cape Town. primary school to the cricket bursaries at — a competition which is now At high school level, rugby still out-per- Fort Hare, and eventually attending the na- broadcast globally. forms cricket in terms of participation, but tional academy for three months. Equally important is the country’s grow- CSA hopes that this will change as they con- The authors discovered that not only is a ing black class. With increasingly prominent tinue to roll out development plans and fa- discernible effort being made to retain players black role models to look up to, and more cilities across the country. into their high school years, but attempts are lucrative career opportunities available in Central to their efforts is the Eastern Cape. made to ensure that aspiring cricket players professional sports, cricket’s popularity con- The province has long been considered the have access to the structures once they leave tinues to grow, especially places To p42 heartland of black cricket in the country school. and you are far more likely to find cricket While the biggest challenge remains post- * Antoinette Muller is co-author of the ‘Beyond pitches or rugby poles rather than soccer school opportunities — especially with just six Boundaries’ series on Daily Maverick. She is a nets dotted around the rural hills. freelance sports writer, specialising in cricket.

2017 Q2 :: Sports Trader p42 :: Sport

Kagiso Rabada collides with JP Duminy in the T20 against England at Newlands in 2016. Photo: Nicol du Toit

Hanging on to the transformation ball cont. from p41 where cricket might not have been the first profile position can be. there are many reasons why young players choice sport previously. Almost every single one of the young men will be hopeful that they can play the game This popularity is most evident in the televi- aged between 14 and 16 interviewed for they love for a living. sion viewership of the 2016 season. the Beyond the Boundary feature, said that When Temba Bavuma made history by be- Makhaya Ntini was the person who inspired Growing among women coming the first black test centurion for them to start playing cricket. Encouraging, too, is that this expansion is not South Africa, viewership on the SABC was Ntini, who became one of the country’s just reserved for men. The sport is increas- higher than any other match ever before. most successful players ever, hails from Mdin- ingly popular amongst women, too. With both Across the board, more black people watched gi — a small village in the rural Eastern Cape the Women’s Big Bash as well as the English cricket than anyone else on SABC with the that does not even have a road sign pointing Super League offering lucrative T20 contracts audience peaking on day four — the day of towards it. and drawing a large TV audience. The Aus- Bavuma's historic feat — when 61% of the au- To this day, his story remains one of the most tralian media reported that the second edi- dience was black. inspiring and incredible sporting achievements tion of the Women’s Big Bash saw a 14% in- to ever come out of South Africa, but it also crease from the previous season. Growing black interest points to the broader point of transformation: More eyeballs on TV will, eventually, mean Cricket also sees a consistently higher time imagine all the talent lying in wait. more money in everyone’s pockets, including spent watching on SABC — higher even than Uncovering that talent will happen organi- those at the coalface of development. soccer. The case is the same when compared cally through a symbiotic relationship be- CSA currently contracts 14 women and the to rugby on SuperSport with audiences spend- tween grassroots participation, striving for International Cricket Council (ICC) has ex- ing around 38% more time watching cricket excellence at high performance level and, of pressed its interest in getting the women’s than rugby. course, relatable rolemodels. game approved for the 2022 Commonwealth These figures matter because not only do There has never been a better time to be a Games. they point to a loyal and growing fanbase, young cricketer. The game continues to ex- All of these numbers boil down to one rather but it serves as a reminder of just how influ- pand and while the career opportunities are simple thing: the love for the game is there ential having somebody relatable in a high- not quite on the level of rugby or soccer yet, and it will bloom as long as it is nurtured.

quota numbers were introduced. Reverse Sweep: a second opinion It is clear that Desai is no fan of Bacher, Colin In the recently published book, Reverse dian and coloured communities is ignored. Once Bryden or anybody who supported rebel tours or Sweep. A Story of South African Cricket Since again, cricket lovers in these communities are complained about South Africa’s exclusion from Apartheid,* sociologist Ashwin Desai argues discriminated against for po- international cricket. that the government’s fixation on the number litical reasons, he argues. One can sympathise with of black players in the national and franchise Ironically, it was Ali Bach- the slights and humiliations cricket teams, is almost as bad for the growth er’s promises to Steve Tsh- his cricket-loving father and and development of grassroots cricket as the wete and other ANC leaders thousands of cricket players exclusionary policies during Apartheid. in exile that the rebel tours had to endure. But, twenty Because the black players who fill the quota and lifting of the internation- years into a new era and numbers predominantly come from privileged al sporting ban was needed after the revelations before private or traditional cricket playing schools, to get the necessary funds the Truth and Reconciliation the need for transformation at ground level is to grow grassroots cricket in Commission, this discrimi- ignored. In order to achieve true transformation the townships, that created nation is old history that social problems like poverty, malnutrition, lack the expectation that twenty sadly fails to grip the imagi- of transport, lack of facilities, coaching, etc. years later we would have nation any more. need to be addressed. sufficient black (and generic * Reverse Sweep. A Story In addition, by focusing on the inclusion of black) players to select sev- of South African Cricket by only black players in the top teams, the long eral representative teams. Ashwin Desai. Published by and colourful history of playing cricket in In- When that did not happen, Fanele. 2016.

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 • SHORTENED L540 BLADE DESIGN FOR DYNAMIC SWEETSPOT • HANDLE LENGTH 310mm • F4.5 FACE PROFILE • MASSIVE EDGES AT DRIVE ZONE • SLIGHT OFFSET EDGE FOR INCREASED POWER TO BALANCE RATIO • REDUCED SWEEPING SPINE PROFILE FOR SUPERIOR PICK UP • MID TO HIGH SWELL POSITION FOR OVERALL STROKEPLAY • CONCAVED BACK PROFILE • MADE IN ENGLAND FROM PRIME ENGLISH WILLOW

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Opal Sports ORIGINAL Exclusive Gunn & Moore distributor in South Africa WHEELIE DUFFEL Tel: 011 695 9640 Email: [email protected] p44 :: Sport

Bat sizes must be toned down To HiT further and harder has been the codes to limit the depth and edges of cricket how long the moratorium period will be. dream of many a young cricketer who as- bats should be adopted. The decision came after lengthy debates pired to hit sixes with as much regularity After the new Code is issued on 1 October about the unfair advantage the powerful as his T20 heroes. Some bat manufactur- 2017, the maximum dimensions of a cricket high spine and thick-edged bats give bats- ers responded by creating bats with thicker bat will be 108mm in width, 67mm in depth men who seemingly manage to hit sixes ef- and thicker edges and broader faces — even with 40mm edges, the cricket law-making fortlessly, especially in T20 games. though its highly unlikely that the six-hitting body announced. Several bat manufacturers — especially hero’s custom made bat would be available From October, a bat gauge will be used to those represented on the MCC commit- in the brand’s consumer ranges. measure the bats of professional players, but tee like Gunn & Moore — have already an- But, now the MCC’s World Cricket Com- manufacturers will have a moratorium peri- nounced that their new season bats comply mittee has said Enough! After lengthy dis- od to introduce the new bat sizes into their with these regulations. But, Australia’s David cussions and consultations, they decided at ranges for the amateur game. Warner, who was criticised for his mega-size their meeting in March this year that new The local governing bodies will decide on Kaboom Gray-Nicolls bat, is not amused. Stock ideas for the next season

GM covers cricketers’ needs A Kookaburra bat for every situation They don’t only look good … GM’s new pro- tective gear and bat are made to benefit the KOOKABURRA’S NEW range of bats has been designed with specific purposes in mind. cricket player and cover all his needs. “Reworked for 2017/18, the Kookaburra Ghost returns with a genuine monster of a profile,” The new Neon bat’s blade is shorter, which says Kookaburra, locally distributed by JRT Crampton. “Designed with the traditionalist in creates a more dynamic sweetspot, explains mind, the Ghost features minimal scalloping through the back of the blade to provide an un- GM, locally distributed by Opal Sports. Other believable power profile with exceptional pick-up.” features that a batsman would enjoy are its Kahuna is a much loved name among Kookaburra batting fans massive edges at the drive zone, a slightly and it returns again to the stable this season. “Its powerful pro- offset edge for an increased power-to-balance file, big edges and world renowned colourway make it ideal for ratio, reduced sweeping spine profile for a su- the stroke maker who likes to take control and lead by example.” perior pick up, and the mid-to-high swell posi- “Conceived from the ground up to be the game changing ele- ment, Obsidian has been specially developed for the modern tion will help improve his overall strokeplay. day format,” says the brand. “Characterised by a full-bodied GM’s new Original limited edition (LE) bat- profile and huge spine, the Obsidian is remarkably lightweight ting gloves have XRD technology incorporated with outstanding pickup.” into the finger roll design. XRD is marketed as Surge is a brand new addition to Kookaburra’s batting lineup. the best repeated impact absorption material “Unique shaping to the back of the blade allows the ‘middle’ and is lightweight, thin and breathable. While to be stretched across the bottom of the bat, creating a huge resting the material is soft and flexible to the sweet spot and a bat that performs in every situation.” touch, but upon impact it hardens and can ab- “Blaze (left) is the most exciting range Kookaburra has ever sorb up to 90% of the energy — it can also handle introduced. The ‘pro preferred’ full profile and striking graphics consistent, repeated impact. compliment each other to create a bat ideal for shots all around The palms are made from top quality Pittards the wicket in every format of the game.” leather, and the gloves also have Microban an- Another one that has been designed with the modern formats in timicrobial protection, which stops stain- and mind is XLR8. It “has been designed with lightweight specifications odour-causing bacteria from growing. Each also to ensure the ultimate playability and reaction under pressure.” features a palmwear patch, pro PU on the back of the hand that is made from multiple sections and is filled with HD foam, as well as soft-fill In addition to its lightweight upper, loPro sole and stability, and the injection moulded mid- comfort, comfort lining, two-piece thumbs, side unit and triple layer of cushioning, GM’s new foot shank provides stability through the arch, bar protection, and double sided sweatbands. Maestro multi-function shoe can also be fitted reducing foot fatigue. The shoe’s tri-layer cush- Similarly, the Original LE batting pads also with steel spikes. The upper alone has several ioning is made up of an ergonomic cold press make use of the XRD technology — this time features to sell the shoe with: the XLO airmesh moulded EVA foot bed with a natural latex heel in the knee locator. “As a batsman this allows is ventilating, the 3D comfort lining provides insert, a cushioned EVA strobel stitched insole you to focus on the intensity and challenge of long lasting fit and feel, an ergonomic slip board, and a compression moulded phylon the game situation, not the impact,” says GM. lasted construction keeps a consistent sock-like midsole that provides “the perfect balance be- The pads also feature comfort straps. fit time after time, and the moulded TPR heel tween cushioning and weight”. The Original LE wicket keepers gloves were cradle locks the foot in place to protect the For a versatile and manoeuvrable duffel to developed closely with England’s wicketkeep- heel. The loPro sole gives the look of a sleek, move his kit and gear around, your cricket cus- er, Chris Read, who had a contributing say in athletic, functional shoe minus the bulk, says tomer needs look no further than GM’s new the shape and specifications. Each features GM. Its compression moulded, lightweight EVA Original wheelie duffle. It measures 96x41x- Aniline leather on the back of the hand, full midsole provides cushioning and comfort, the 32cm, has two pad pockets and offers two leather lining, an octopus palm facing, palm durable and lightweight two tone TPU outsole convenient ways of moving it: pulled on its made of sheepskin and GM cotton filling, and has strategically placed spikes with supplemen- wheels, or carried with the use of its conceal- padded cuffs. tary moulded pimple studs for additional grip able, comfortable shoulder straps.

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2

p46 :: Sport Tap into skateboarding’s cool image

Skateboarding is an icon of popular culture, distinctly recognis- able and heavily referenced across media and marketing. Tra- ditionally practiced in large by adolescent males and predomi- nantly associated with a certain cool factor, its once tainted counter-culture image of delinquency has been transformed into more of a mainstream sport, more accepted by society at large. Internationally there has been a huge recent surge in investment from sportswear brands and participation is at an all-time high, writes Luke Jackson*

kateboarders are still predominantly tests and competitiveness. Certainly the large male youths in urban areas, but the Keep skaters interested or spending within the skateboarding industry appeal of skateboarding and wider lose them. Brand loyalty is that the big sportswear giants are investing interest in it has become far more based on which brand the at present has meant larger prize money, big- diverse. A recent market research skateboarders feel is do- ger endorsements and more careers for skate- studyS conducted by Transworld Business refers boarders, who are now perceived more as ath- to skateboarders in two distinct groups: the ing the most to support letes. These big brands are looking for growth core skater (someone who skates 26 times or them and their scene into Africa and skateboarding as an influencer more per year) and the casual skater (some- is a tried and tested method used around the one who skates 1-25 times per year). and even gimmicky skateboard accessories. world, but high pricing is proving to be a chal- The study indicates that over the last five For example the longboard has become quite lenge for the local market. years between 2011 and 2016 the number of popular — a longboard is not as functional as Skateboarding has been included as an Olym- casual skaters in the US has increased. Similarly a regular skateboard in terms of the ability to pic sport in Tokyo 2020. This will certainly in South Africa we’ve seen a massive growth in do tricks as it is quite large and clunky, but mean more investment and focus on growing the number of people who own a skateboard because it is stable and easy to ride it appeals the performance side of skateboarding over of some sort and/or who own skate affiliated to those who are not necessarily committed the next few years. But this has also led to a products such as footwear or branded clothing. enough to spend the time learning complex negative backlash from many at the counter- The majority of trade conducted around manoeuvres, but who do connect to the ap- culture core, who shy away from conventional skateboarding is focused on footwear and ap- peal of casually riding a skateboard on flat organised sporting practices. parel, as the influence skateboarding gener- ground. Skateboarding has become so big now that it ates leads to sales of these goods in the mass However, at the core of skate culture is the plays both the role of a competitive sport and a market. shorter, more standard skateboard that has a more artistic pastime of sorts. One could argue The sale of actual board parts such as decks, double-kick nose and tail. This classic shape that both facets are equally important, but they wheels and trucks are significantly smaller be- allows the user to do tricks and ultimately this are currently at odds somewhat. The sporting cause these items are only really purchased on type of skateboard is the common depiction side has the potential to grow huge financial mass by individuals who are physically engag- of coolness. investment outside of the industry, but at the ing in skateboarding as a pastime or sport. The Trying to market to the person who buys a same time the core culture provides the highly casual skateboarder replaces the board parts longboard or the gimmicks will most often sought after cool factor and influence that so more seldom than the core skater who needs alienate a brand from the core skateboarder many brands try to emulate and possess. to constantly replace parts, due to the abra- and thus you will find it difficult to gain the In particular SA has seen a massive growth in sive movements and impact. cool factor in the wider market. the number of previously disadvantaged kids The niche culture of skateboarding is at an from lower LSM groups taking up skateboard- all-time high in terms of influence in the fash- Organised events ing. There is also a growing number of organi- ion world for example. This popularity has led There is an ever-increasing aspect of perfor- sations using skateboarding to reach youths to an increase in various types of skateboards mance in skateboarding, leading to more con- in underprivileged areas ranging from Soweto

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Sport :: p47

Photo: Nicol du Toit

and the Johannesburg CBD, to rural KwaZulu revival for several seasons and the trend is Natal, across the Northern Cape and down to The challenge is ‘how to continuing with Dad caps (adjustable 6 panel the . This has meant a changing de- get the niche subculture with a bent peak), baggy pants and toe cap mographic in terms of the numbers participat- of skateboarders to think shoes with a slimmed down silhouette. In the ing in organised skateboarding events and a something is cool?’ To do practice of skateboarding functionality is key, change in terms of buying power. Many of the but curiously fashion often trumps functional- participants don’t necessarily have access to this you have to be au- ity for skateboarders. disposable income, which means many rely on thentic and committed, sponsorship or donated product to take part, because it won’t just hap- Support them and they’ll do same due to the high cost of goods. pen overnight with one Skateboarders form a connected community, A big challenge for the local skateboarding campaign always looking for something new — a new industry is the weak rand and the resulting place to skate, the next trick to learn, the lat- cost of expensive imports, not to mention high est video and so on. This makes skateboard- government duties on goods. The backbone of it first, then they will in turn make something ing prime for fast-moving channels like social the skate industry is the skate shop, but un- become cool in the eyes of the mass market networks. fortunately since the recent recession skate and popular in wider popular culture. This Stock unique and dynamic specialised skate retail chains have been in slow decline. is a proven formula that’s been successfully product that makes your door a destination Only a few years ago there were several carried out by countless brands over the past and create skate-focused stories around the successful skate–focused retail doors in malls decade. product to build a relationship with the skate across the country, with a growing number of The challenge is how to get the niche sub- community. private park facilities. But since the recession culture of skateboarders to think something Keep skaters interested or lose them. Brand very few have seemingly been able to appeal is cool? To do this you have to be authentic loyalty is based on which brand the skate- to the market in the right way. With continual- and committed, because it won’t just happen boarders feel is doing the most to support ly growing investment from major sportswear overnight with one campaign. You build trust them and their scene — that’s the one they brands in the local scene and their willingness by providing support for the skate scene in a are going to support in return. to bring skate-specific product into the local credible way. Trust is earned over time, but can be lost market, perhaps this is a possible opportunity Don’t try and dictate to skateboarders; the very quickly if you change your focus from to stock the product and take advantage of it. best way to figure out skateboarding is to month to month. A designated sustainable consult with actual skateboarders when cre- skate program and ambassador support struc- Be authentic to be cool ating and implementing a strategy. The way ture should be a key focus. If you provide sup- A big challenge for brands is how to reach in which the fashion world is looking to skate- port and opportunities for your ambassadors, skateboarders in the right away — effective boarding for inspiration of late indicates that they will champion you in the wider skate communication is the key. The skateboarding skateboarders are probably a good focus area community. influencer model works on the premise that if to determine what trends are coming next. * When Luke Jackson isn’t on his board, he is editor you market to skateboarders and they adopt Skate fashion has been heavily rooted in 90s of skateboarding magazine, Session.

2017 Q2 :: Sports Trader p48 :: Sport

Bouncing back?

Softball and baseball are bouncing back after facing challenges. The story of the two sports can be read in their trials and tribulations, but most of all in the way they’ve bounced back, writes Linza de Jager. Will retailers and suppliers finally be able to benefit from these growing markets?

oftball SA can again hold its head 4 200 registered members. In addition, 502 istrators have made in rural areas. high. The federation has a function- schools offer softball as sport, of which 418 For example, in Limpopo 72 schools in pre- ing, elected board, is again partici- (180 primary and 239 senior) participate in dominantly rural districts offer softball as a pating in international events and is softball school leagues. sport and there are 42 junior and 42 senior recovering from the financial sham- The primary school competitions start at U13 softball clubs in the province. Despite being Sbles that resulted in being placed under ad- level, with 181 teams competing in this age one of the poorest provinces, Limpopo obvi- ministration by SASCOC for several years. group. At high school, most softball is played ously has strong softball structures in place — “We’re growing,” a source within Softball at U17 level, with 209 schools participating in which is attested to by the fact that the new SA tells Sports Trader confidently. “The new these competitions, compared to 22 schools president of Softball SA, Mashido Matsetela, as Softball SA executive is making strides in mov- participating in the U18 competitions. This well as the treasurer who is credited with get- ing the sport forward. They are working day represents at least a further 4 120 players. ting the federation’s finances back on track, and night to ensure that softball is successfully Softball is played by rich and poor — in 24 Moloko Legodi, hail from Limpopo. transformed into a priority sport by 2020.” private and 143 township based schools. Ac- Yet, players from the 82 clubs in the prov- The federation is sending senior men and cording to Softball SA figures only 13 primary ince do not buy their equipment from retail- junior (U19) women to compete in their re- and 18 senior schools, however, have proper ers. Softball and baseball equipment “only spective world series this year, and last year softball facilities. sell to schools,” says Mohamed Baksa of Arons sent a team to the junior men’s world champi- At club level it is predominantly played in Sport in Mokopane. “They buy when they are onship in the US. poorer communities as 187 clubs, or 89% of allocated funds, but even when allocated That the sport is growing at all levels was the total, are based in townships where only 2 funds, the schools would rather buy other demonstrated by the softball participation at clubs have proper facilities. Nearly 40% (74) of sports products.” the school summer games in December 2016, these township clubs are dependent on finan- Softball and baseball is therefore a small in which all the provinces were represented. cial assistance. category for him, not even contributing 3-5% The sport is one of the 16 designated prior- Softball features strongly in the Western to his sales. “The sports are not as big as they ity code sports for schools, which makes it Cape, and it is also played enthusiastically in are overseas.” He also attributes this to the eligible for funding from SRSA. During the last Limpopo, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape. But fact that equipment is “a bit pricey”. season, seven new softball clubs were started it does not feature at all in the Northern Cape, In Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal softball is — six of them in townships. and only marginally in Mpumalanga. an urban sport, played only in Johannesburg According to the latest figures supplied by Softball SA’s statistics provide a fascinating (at seven clubs and no schools), Pretoria (124 Softball SA, there are 314 softball clubs across peep inside the sport and country (table be- clubs and schools), the East Rand and Durban. South Africa, of which 210 currently partici- low). It shows the forces of urbanisation, but While Cape Town features strongly with 37 pate in organised competitions. They have also the steady advance that the sports admin- senior and 48 junior clubs as well as 22 pri-

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Sport :: p49

Geographical breakdown of where the softball teams are situated Region Clubs Junior clubs Primary schools Senior schools Private schools Total Western Cape 64 48 53 34 4 203 Limpopo 42 42 22 50 156 Gauteng 25 38 77 15 155 Eastern Cape 51 48 34 133 KwaZulu Natal 9 35 22 5 71 Free State 15 18 17 50 North West 17 6 22 45 Mpumalanga 1 1 1 3 Northern Cape 0 224 90 221 257 24 816

This breakdown of clubs and schools offering softball gives an insight into the are- With each team representing at least 11 players, there are at least about 9 000 as where retailers can expect to look for sales opportunities for softball equipment. players if each school or club only has one team. Statistics: Softball SA. mary, 17 senior and 4 private schools offering allows for the cheaper and nastier stuff. It is softball, Western Cape country districts are ‘The new Softball SA ex- odd though, I still have my Catchers glove that well represented with 75 clubs and schools ecutive is making strides I used in the 1990s. It was very, very expensive offering the sport. For example, in the Eden in moving the sport for- but I have got 25 years’ use out of it.” district (around Oudtshoorn), 20 clubs and ward. They are working Apart from a soft- and baseball specialist like schools play softball, while along the West South African Sports Imports, which offers a Coast and in the Overberg softball is played day and night to ensure wide selection of well-known brands and differ- by respectively 19 and 14 clubs and schools. that softball is successfully ent price points, most other sport stores would But, whether in urban or rural areas, retail- transformed into a priority only offer one brand — if any. This lack of selec- ers across the country report that softball sport by 2020.’ tion is a problem, says a source in Softball SA. sales are lukewarm. Those who choose to approach the local im- “We sell very little, if any, in the softball and porters of international brands directly face Import directly baseball markets,” says Kevin Woodings, of the same problem. “So, if you want a specific Trevor Smith Sports in Newcastle. “Our area This cause-and-effect — low demand resulting brand, there will be, for example, one sup- of coverage is Northern and Central KwaZulu in the equipment becoming a low priority for plier in Gauteng, which makes it difficult for Natal, Free State and lower Mpumalanga.” retailers, resulting in even less demand — is clients in other provinces to get products,” Poobie Naidoo's in Pietermaritzburg stock confirmed by people involved in the sport. says the source. “They can order equipment both base- and softball products. Mervyn and “There is no equipment available! Local online from the suppliers, but they can’t han- Poobie Naidoo describe the sale of these goods sports shops don’t stock it,” says Jenni Muir, dle the items to get a feel before doing so.” founding member of the Mavericks This could result in them receiving equipment as “average”. The sales figures have remained Baseball Club, where members have “enor- that is not quite what they expected. stable over the past few years, not going up or mous fun” playing socially. The club provides In some ways it’s cheaper to import than to down, despite changes in the sports. With more the equipment for the players. buy locally, she adds. “I’ve imported balls for than 60 softball teams at KwaZulu Natal schools Like other softball administrators, she is un- R52 that would cost R76 in South Africa. Online — five at private schools — it is no surprise that happy with the quality of the equipment im- retailers (based overseas) give discount when most of the sales are made to schools. ported directly by a leading sports retail chain. you spend more than a certain amount, or they Both softball and baseball sales are “very But, she could not find any equipment they give free shipping. If they have stock it reaches slow” in the city of roses, says Christmis needed in other Cape Town independent sport your post office within 10 days.” Dumezweni of Kloppers in Bloemfontein. Not retailers. Instead, they opted to import directly. It is, however, not only clubs or schools who surprising, because in the Manguang district “We go to the websites of suppliers in the import directly. “Some players import their (which includes Bloemfontein) there are only US and try to find one that has free shipping. own equipment, in other instances others will 8 clubs and no schools that offer softball, al- We generally order every second or third year club together and order en masse.” though there are 42 schools and clubs in rural for the club (from overseas). If we do a bigger Players also buy from local online stores. Free State districts playing softball. “It will order, our shipping cost comes down. It works Ryan o’ Donohue of the online sports and out- grow in the future,” he believes. “Softball on volume.” door store SportsDynamix.com reports that and baseball is bigger in and they buy Mark Moore, founder of the Pole 2 Pole Base- soft- and baseball sales are not great, but he from Kloppers in Bloemfontein.” ball Academy, shares Muir’s dissatisfaction says they are picking up. “We have only re- The reason why softball does not sell well in with the equipment on offer and the fact that cently added these products to our offering,” retail is because the clubs import equipment there are only a few importers spread across he says. “Although not a huge seller, we have directly and supply it to their players, explains the country who’ll deliver to clubs. seen a steady increase in the number of in- LJ Albertyn of Kloppers in Brackenfell. Even “You get what you pay for,” he says. “You quiries for these products with a few orders though softball is so popular in Cape Town, can get anything you want directly shipped to coming in over the last few months.” there is little demand for soft- or baseball South Africa now, so quality is not the issue, it equipment from this Cape-based sport spe- is the budget.” Baseball getting its bounce back cialist store. The imported equipment is very expensive Baseball South Africa might not currently be On the other hand, they do not really stock compared to the rest of the world due to the a priority designated sporting code at school, much equipment. “We periodically get an shipping and tax and exchange rate. “A $2 ball but it intends to bounce back. “There is a lot enquiry for specialised equipment, which we does not cost R26 here, it is more like R60,” of excitement and when the players see the would then get from the local suppliers.” he adds. “Sadly, the South African budget only new eight-year plan there will be To p51

2017 Q2 :: Sports Trader p50 :: Sport

Massmart sales ALTHOUGH LOCAL company Massmart’s sales increased 7.7% to R91.3-bn for the full year ended December 2016, international holding company Walmart got a shock when investment guru Warren Buffett, chairman of Company Berkshire Hathaway, recently sold his shares in the company and instead invested in airline and Apple stock. Despite very low consumer spending, Massmart’s comparable sales Skechers grows 13.2% improved 5.4%, with sales in the company’s major product categories SKECHERS HAS again reported strong annual sales growth of reflecting the economic pressure within the local consumer environ- 13.2% and solid 5.8% growth in the 4th quarter (Q4) to retain its ment. It especially impacted the general merchandise division, which position as the #2 sports footwear brand in the US. reported only a small sales increase (1.5%) for the year. The brand’s fourth quarter net sales exceeded the expected The Massdiscounters division (Game and DionWired) reported a 5.3% range of $710-m-$735-m, instead reaching $764.3-m. Annual net increase in sales to R20 544.5-m and 54.8% increase in trading profit sales recorded for the year ended December 2016 is $3.56-bn. to R364.3-m. Within this division there are 165 stores (Game: 141; Di- In 2016 Skechers remained the #2 sport footwear brand in the onWired: 24). In South Africa, sales growth was higher in the second US (behind NIKE), and the #1 walking shoe, work, and dress/com- half of the year, while sales in Rand slowed down outside the country fort casual brand, and received the 2016 Plus Award for Children’s during this time. In 2016, Game opened four new stores, including one Design from Footwear Plus, says Robert Greenberg, Skechers CEO. in Kenya and one in Zambia, while two DionWired stores opened and They are also growing global market share, he said. 2 two closed. Overall, trading space increased by 2.3% (now 545 094m ). The strong fourth quarterly result has been attributed to the makro. 17.1% increase in the brand’s international wholesale business Masswarehouse, which consists of Makro and Massfresh (fresh pro- (increase of 48.5% in China) and its global company-owned retail duce, meat, and bakery products), reports a 11% increase in sales to business growing 13.9%. Comparable same store sales increased R26 270.3-m and a 4.4% trading profit (2016: R1 251.3-m). by 3.6%. At the end of the year, there were 2 012 Skechers stores Successful promotions like those held on Black Friday led to Game across the world, of which the brand owns 571 and the rest are experiencing its highest ever one day sales and Makro breaking all its operated by third-parties. The Skechers stores in South Africa are, previous online sales records for one day, which contributed 6% to over- for example, operated by the Apparel LLC retail group. all sales. During 2016, Makro’s online sales more than doubled. Net sales growth was negatively impacted by an 11.8% decrease “We have had a particular focus on operating profit in recent years, in the US wholesale business, including a 4.6% decline following and I am pleased that operating profit continues to improve – this year the high sales growth due to the launch of the Star Wars footwear saw an increase of 15.5%,” says Guy Hayward, CEO for Massmart. “This collection in 2015 Q4. is noteworthy given the group’s exposure to General Merchandise, “We are in our 25th year of business, have a well-established which has been significantly impacted by low levels of discretionary brand and prominent position in the US, and have grown our in- consumer spending. We’re excited by the growth of our online offering, ternational business to 46.1% of our 2016 sales,” says David Wein- which doubled its sales in 2016, and which will continue to grow in 2017 berg, chief operating officer and chief financial officer for Skech- with the launch of Builders online.” ers. “As we plan for our international business to grow to 50% of Sales outside of South Africa, which represents 8.7% of total sales, our total sales in the near future, we transitioned several of our grew 11.2% in Rands (13.4% in constant currencies). The sales were international distributors to joint ventures or subsidiaries in key impacted by severe drought in southern Africa, and weak and volatile regions in 2016 and the few years prior, and have been investing African currencies. Massmart will be opening 11 more stores outside in the infrastructure and marketing to support the current and South Africa through 2017 and 2018, which represents 26.2% of African planned growth.” space growth. For the first quarter 2017, Skechers expects net sales to range They are beginning to see pleasing results from their continued focus between $1.050-bn and $1.075-bn. It also believes that it will on new retail formats, including the growth of their online offering and have slightly positive sales in its domestic wholesale business and African footprint, says Hayward. And although they are hopeful that increases in international business as well as company-owned re- key economic drivers in South Africa will improve in 2017, their strate- tail stores. Capital expenditures for the year are expected to be gic priorities remain unchanged. between $50-m and $55-m. “We believe we are continuing to increase market share around the globe as we experience the strongest growth coming from our Pure Fishing recovers in Q4 international businesses,” says Greenberg. “Our continued growth and strong market position is due to aggressively revamping our SILENCING THEIR critics who predicted they are in trouble, Pure Fish- product lines to include more youthful, relevant and innovative ing was one of the better performing divisions in Inc’s styles, while still creating comfort footwear that our broad con- Outdoor Solutions segment, which helped company sales recover in the sumer base finds appealing.” fourth quarter of 2016. Skechers is looking forward to delivering new collections across Newell Brands Inc. was formed early in 2016 by merging Corp. all their divisions for men, women and kids – including lighted foot- and Newell Inc. Jarden Corp included its Outdoor Solutions wear, a new line from their Skechers Performance Division, and a segment, which owns more than 50 sporting goods brands and is worth new product line for the Millennials and Post-Millennials, he adds. $2.74-bn a year. In South Africa, Skechers is distributed by Brand Folio LLC. We know them locally as Jarden SA/Pure Fishing, distributor of fishing brands like Penn, Abu Garcia, Shakespeare, Berkley, Hardy, Sebile, etc. and outdoor brands and Campingaz. In the fourth quarter, net sales in the Outdoor Solutions segment grew single-digits) and Pure Fishing (also high-single-digit growth). 3.8% to $730.6-m compared to the previous year. This was a big im- After a strategic review of its portfolio in October, Newell Brands has provement on the third quarter when sales declined 3.2% and growth at decided to sell 10% of it, including Winter Sports brands , Pure Fishing was weighed down by declines at Coleman. The company and Volkl. Other brands that are also for sale include Dalbello, predicts that Coleman will resume growth in 2017. Line, Full Tilt, , Zoot and Squadra. Core sales, excluding Winter Sports that is up for sale, grew 2.9% in the Overall Newell Brands Inc. reported a $165.6-m profit (up from fourth quarter mostly due to the performance of outdoor brand $132.2-m) and its revenue increased $4.14-bn due to the inclusion of (which posted double-digit growth), team sport brand , (high- sales from the $15-bn merger with Jarden Corp.

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Sport :: p51

Double-digit growth for PUMA PUMA ended 2016 on a high with more than 10% sales growth in the fourth quarter (Q4), as well as for the full year. news The full-year growth of 10.2% to Є3.63-bn surpassed earlier pre- dictions of high single digit growth. Sales grew in all regions and ASICS EMEA growth product segments, with footwear especially strong. Sales in the EMEA region had the highest increase, namely 13.2% currency ad- ASICS REPORTED single-digit sales growth for 2016, with the EMEA region justed growth to Є1.39-bn. showing good growth. Its running category remains its star performer, and In Q4 sales grew to Є958-m (currency adjusted) with growth in its lifestyle category ASICS Tiger grew a whopping 42%. across all product segments. While all regions reported growth, Overall, ASICS sales increased by 3% to €886-m. In addition to ASICS Tiger’s the EMEA region performed extraordinarily well, reporting 13.4% performance, the overall sales increase was largely driven by running footwear currency adjusted growth to Є298.4-m. This growth followed (up by 2%) and apparel (up 3%), as well as growth in its own retail sales (15%). strong comparable sales growth the previous year. The impressive results in ASICS Tiger is attributed to consistent messaging Footwear contributed the highest growth in Q4 as well as in the around the brand’s iconic GEL collection and its continuous updates, reim- full year. In Q4 footwear sales grew 17.6% to mark the tenth quar- agining of classic styles and creative collaborations. ter of sales growth, with the Sportstyle and Fundamentals catego- Last year ASICS unveiled its DynaFlyte running shoe, which featured the ries the most successful. For the full year the Running, Sportstyle midsole FlyteFoam material that has been well received. FlyteFoam will and Fundamentals categories made the biggest contributions to feature again in a series of fast running shoe models that will be launched the 12.6% footwear sales growth to Є1.63-bn in 2017, but the brand also has plans to incorporate FlyteFoam into some of its other ranges, for example in its top-of-the-range Court FF tennis shoe. “The global roll out of the ASICS FrontRunner community, alongside in- ASICS plans to continue increasing its strategic focus on young, urban city tegration of FlyteFoam across a number of ranges, shows our continued runners who want more varied products that merge lifestyle and perfor- growth in running and why we remain the market leaders in technical foot- mance like the recently launched fuzeX Rush and GEL Quantum 360 knit. wear,” says Alistair Cameron, CEO of ASICS Europe B.V. In its latest running apparel collection, JYUNI, ASICS uses functional mate- “Looking ahead to the rest of the year, I’m really excited to see the devel- rials, but adds a lifestyle look to connect with fashion-forward consumers. opment of the SMSB-crew — a global community of sport and creative en- This new silhouette will also be continued in upcoming ranges that the thusiasts promoting ASICS’ founding philosophy of A Sound Mind in A Sound brand will launch in 2017. Body — inspiring a generation of young people to get out and be active, In 2016, ASICS unveiled its latest global retail concept, through which the setting ASICS up for a strong 2017.” brand is rolling out two global social initiatives: the ASICS FrontRunner and “In 2016 our focus was on a consumer centric approach across the busi- the urban SMSB-crew communities, introduced in their new Brussels store ness. We streamlined the distribution of iconic running models to avoid over- in December. distribution and ensure a more diverse product offer with our accounts.”

Reaching soft- and baseball market cont. from p49 excitement and relief,” says its president Marc sive difference.” Moreau. The plan addresses transformation, With more than 60 softball Moreau is upbeat about the future of baseball mass participation and cultivating elite players. teams at KwaZulu Natal “We are very active in five provinces. We have an On the upside there is the carrot of the 2020 schools — five at private eight-year strategy to become a priority sport.” Olympics, and the fact that baseball has been schools — it is no surprise admitted as an Olympic sport. There are other world class events that that most of the sales are Tips for retailers wanting to baseball teams will also be competing in. In made to schools. break into the market July this year the U12s will participate in the The soft- and baseball markets aren’t world cup in Taiwan and the U18s will go travel to fetch everybody and they live 10-12km the easiest to break into, but it is a big, to the world cup in Canada in September. Next away; it is unlikely that an entire team will and growing, market where not many re- year the U15s and U23s will get to attend the walk 10-12km to practice. Unless an inordi- tailers are active. The clubs and organi- world cup in Canada. nate amount of money, which includes a shut- sations gave reasons why they rather buy “I’ll make an understatement and say there tle service, is put into baseball, I can’t see it online from oversees than support local are around 7 500 baseball players in the coun- flourishing in the rural areas. retailers – that should give you some try,” Moreau says. The majority are social The high cost of equipment is another prob- pointers on how to reverse the pattern in players as there are only about 2 000 competi- lem. “You can’t kit out a team of U10s — even your favour. Some ideas are: tive players. “The bulk of the players are in with the cheapest nastiest kit — for R7 000,” • Stock a number of brands that offer rural areas, and at school.” the full spectrum of products from en- says Moore. “The cheapest gloves cost R800, Most of the competitive players are, how- try level to top end; a bat costs R1 500, a helmet R500. It is so ex- ever, in the urban areas of Gauteng, KwaZulu • Stock a bigger variety of products: pensive because we don’t manufacture any Natal and predominantly Cape Town, where bats, balls, protective, as well as ac- equipment here.” 50% of the competitive players are based. cessories (if you want to sell it, it has Enthusiasm for baseball needs to be fuelled, Every weekend 100 junior and senior match- to be in your store); too. According to Moore the enthusiasm “is es are played, Moreau says. A baseball champi- • Be involved with the clubs and schools onship is held in April in Johannesburg, which definitely not at school. It is at junior and sen- in your communities and build a rela- is attended by 1 500 players. ior club level.” tionship so that you are always at the It is a problem to grow rural participation, His outreach programme entails going into top of their mind when they want to says Mark Moore, founder of the Pole 2 Pole places like and , buy new products; Baseball Academy (which is not associated “When you go into any township,” he explains, • Ask the schools and clubs advice about with South African baseball). “Your biggest “the enthusiasm is enormous. When you go what they need in terms of equipment. problem in rural areas is the culture. You have into a place that has nothing, it makes a mas-

2017 Q2 :: Sports Trader p52 :: Industry Some positive responses to Q1 challenges

Compared to the fi rst months of 2016, retailers have reason to feel much more positive about 2017. But, not all customers share the optimism — especially outdoor shoppers and some athleisure customers

his year started with the Rand on ents say they now feel much more negative ruary that produced “the worst year on year average 17% stronger compared to and a fi fth is slightly more negative than at stats in 4 ½ years of trading.” the same period last year. Econo- the start of 2016. mists are cautiously forecasting Most sport retailers (70%) are starting 2017 Biggest challenges GDP growth of 1% in 2017, follow- more positively than last year - 40% feel much For most (84%) of retailers it’s (still) the ingT the almost nothing 0.5% growth in 2016. more and 30% slightly more positive. But, economy stupid! that looms as their biggest South Africa has not only avoided going into more than two-thirds (67%) of outdoor retail- challenge, with the closely linked high price recession, but also managed to escape from a ers feel more negative than last year, while of imported goods identifi ed as a challenge by junk status ratings downgrade. lifestyle/athleisure retailers feel more neu- 60% of respondents. The economy is especially Now, think back a year ago: 2016 started tral: half of them feel about the same as last a major challenge for outdoor (89%) and ath- with the shock of the free-falling Nenegate year (which could be interpreted as a nega- leisure (88%) traders, with 80% of sport retail- Rand, followed by the economic woes of our tive), but a low 12.5% either feel much more ers agreeing. BRICS partners, the price increases from Chi- positive or negative. The high price of goods imported while the na, and the constant threat of a downgrade by “People came in with an attitude of We Rand value was low is of most concern to out- investment agencies. WILL be more positive than last year,” reports door retailers (67%), while just half of the It was not a year the retail industry will re- a respondent who wishes to stay anonymous. sport and athleisure retailers consider this as member fondly. Comparable store sales growth Another retailer says he can’t keep up with a big challenge. in most of the big retailers was pretty modest, demand and that while “2016 was a superb Interestingly, distributors selling directly and with growth mainly coming from new stores year, much better than forecasted, 2017 will fewer unique products, resulting in the same opening. Edgars almost drowned in debt and again build on the previous year.” stock in all stores, are identifi ed as the next Stuttafords, called for outside help to survive But, unfortunately a positive attitude does biggest challenges faced by 36% of respondents. (see p8). not always translate into positive sales. While For more than two-thirds of outdoor retail- Good reasons, therefore, for retailers to some respondents were happy to report 23% ers the shrinking number of unique products start 2017 feeling more positive than last year and more growth in sales, for others the fi rst on off er is a major problem. Which is ironic, … and nearly half of the sport, outdoor and months of 2017 were “the worst ever. Crime because we’ve often heard complaints from athleisure retailers who responded to Sports and the unstable economy resulted in less suppliers that outdoor retailers have cut Trader’s fi rst quarter sales survey* agree. people going on holiday, and people holding down on the number of brands they stock — Even better, about a quarter of the respond- on to their money,” says a tackle trader. some mainly stocking house brands plus one ents started 2017 feeling much more positive In January customers spent much lower per or two — and that this lack of support forced compared to 2016, and the same number is head than before, reports Jeremy Hare of the some distributors to close down, or reduce the slightly more positive. Only 8% of the respond- Great White Sport & Surf, followed by a Feb- number of brands or product categories they import. Sport retailers are more concerned about distributors selling directly, with 40% identify- 90 Main challenges 80 ing this as a major challenge. (Also see Sports 70 for retailers Trader Q1 2017 Should brands open stores. 60 Respondents identifi ed Should retailers import brands?). the economy, the high 50 “The distributors who think they can make 40 price of imported goods, 30 distributors selling di- more money by dealing directly with the cus- 20 rect and fewer unique tomers will only fi nd out what we retailers 10 products as their main know already,” says a retailer. “They should 0 challenges. Interestingly, rather place their trust in the retailers who competition from other know better how to deal with our local cus- retailers, brands not supplying them, forward tomers. They should also be looking at off er- orders and online trading ing better deals, longer pay back periods and are less of a concern. trade shows closer to the end of the year.” In addition, some believe that Black Friday,

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Industry :: p53

which seemed such a good idea last year, will And February was even worse for athleisure require a rethink, especially as the discount Most sport retailers are retailers: nearly two-thirds sold a lot of entry- deals could have impacted on January back- more positive, outdoor re- level goods, while half reported that their to-school sales. tailers are more negative, sales were mainly at mid-price point. and athleisure retailers are Customers also aimed for the mid-priced January sales goods in most (89%) of the outdoor stores, While nearly a third (32%) of the respondents more neutral while a third sold a lot of entry level prod- said that their January sales were better than ucts. Hardly any outdoor retailers sold luxury expected, or about what they expected, 36% or high-priced functional goods. reported that their January sales were worse Responses from athleisure retailers were Sport retailers again fared best during Febru- than what they expected. The same percent- lukewarm: half said January sales were the ary: half of them reporting sales of luxury and age (32%) also reported that they had more same as last year and about what they expect- high-priced functional items, even though the and the same number, or fewer (36%) custom- ed — although 38% got a nasty surprise when bulk (70%) reported sales at mid-price points. ers in January 2017 than the year before. fewer customers than before, or what they ex- Across the board February was not a month Yet, 36% reported that their January sales pected, visited their stores. The same number for high flyers: 76% of all respondents report figures were higher than in 2016, and 32% said reported that January sales were static, with that customers mainly bought mid-priced it was the same. For 12% of the respondents a quarter either reporting slight growth, or a goods and 44% sold a lot of entry-level prod- January sales were either more than 20% high- slight drop in sales. ucts. Only 12% reported that customers er or lower, while nearly a quarter (24%) and bought luxury items. And while 28% reported a fifth respectively reported a more modest Lower price points sales growth of less than 20%, an equal num- increase or drop in sales. Like last year, customers in general mainly ber said their sales dropped more than 20%. A Problem is, January 2016 was not exactly bought mid-priced (say 68%) or entry level fifth said their February sales were about the good for the trade as 41% of the respondents (report 36%) goods, although 28% more re- same as last year. to our annual survey reported lower sales than spondents reported that customers this year Retailers were divided about whether Febru- the year before. bought high-priced, yet functional, items like ary sales were up or down on the same month Not surprisingly, sport retailers reported footwear, clothing and than in 2016: 38% athleisure retailers reported a higher sales growth than the other categories last year. drop of more than 20%, while a quarter said of retailers: half reported sales growth (a fifth Sporting goods buyers also tended to spend sales were slightly lower. Only 12.5% reported grew 20% or more), while 40% said their sales more per item than their outdoor and ath- slight sales gains. were about the same as January last year. Half leisure counterparts: 70% bought mid-priced Outdoor retailers fared even worse, with of the sport retailers also reported more cus- goods, but 40% were prepared to buy high- 66% reporting a drop in sales (44% said sales tomers, but a fifth had fewer feet through the priced, but functional, goods. Outdoor cus- dropped 20% and more). Only 22% outdoor re- door. For half of the sport retailers their Janu- tomers, on the other hand tended to aim for tailers reported sales growth when compared ary sales exceeded expectations, while only a mid-priced and entry level products, report to February 2016 — of them, half reported fifth was disappointed. 56% and 44% of outdoor retailers. sales growth of more than 20%. Outdoor retailers didn’t start the year well: The fact that no athleisure retailers report- But, sport retailers had it better: half of the more than half (55%) reported lower sales than ed that their customers wanted to buy luxury respondents report year on year sales growth in the year before and only 22% experienced goods, but that most (75%) sold mid-priced February — a fifth, had more than 20% growth sales growth in January. No wonder more than and 38% entry level products, lends credence — with most of the rest reporting static sales. two-thirds say that January sales were much to verbal reports from several suppliers. They One can but hope that the outdoor sales will worse than they expected. The lower sales report that the bottom had dropped out of pick up in the second quarter before the hunt- were, however, not necessarily due to fewer the branded canvas/galvanized rubber sneak- ing season and July holidays, and athleisure customers (only 44% reported a drop), but er market because of a huge influx of entry will improve before Christmas, for these re- lower spend per customer. level and mid-priced products. tailers to end 2017 on a more positive note. * The Sports Trader Q1 sales survey was done in February and early March 2017. Retailers active in the South African sport, outdoor and lifestyle/athleisure trade were invited to complete a survey on Survey Monkey. 2017 Q2 :: Sports Trader - 54 -

Shop Talk

Inside the Cycles4U store in . Greg Minnaar Cycles has a comfortable coffee area where customers can chill out. Photo: Andrew Mc Fadden. Specialized Bicycles expands The company has introduced their unique African footprint retail concept to 31 African stores

pecialized Bicycles Africa has intro- stores around the country, whether it be in duced a very unique retail model to sales, the workshop or our Body Geometry Fit Special offerings of Specialized Southern Africa: it offers cycling re- course,” says Kristy Yeld of Specialized Bicy- stores tail outlets the opportunity to form cles Africa. • Interesting layouts and designated ar- partnerships under its Concept and The other privately owned stores collabo- eas for women, kids, etc. Elite umbrellas, in exchange for assistance rated with Specialized Bicycles under the S • Equipped with a Body Geometry Fit Studio with existing store upgrades and store fittings. Concept and Elite umbrellas. “Only three are where they help get customers properly Whatever the level of partnership, the re- completely new, but they are run by other set up on their bicycles. vamped stores all have a distinct, modern, store owners who were looking to open a sec- • Fitted out with its own workshop. customer-friendly layout with areas for relax- ond outlet.” ation and each cycling category like women, ’s Complete Cyclist, Pietermaritz- kids, MTB and road cycling grouped in a desig- burg’s Greg Minnaar Cycles and Swakopmund’s beautiful store,” says Yeld. The store has al- nated area. Apart from a workshop, they also Cycles4U stores are the latest additions to the most doubled its workshop size and features offer the services of a Body Geometry Fit stu- Specialized Bicycles family. a comfortable coffee area and bar counter dio to help customers choose the right bike. Complete Cyclist joins its two older sisters in where customers can chill out and catch up, a It has so far partnered with 31 stores: 28 in Johannesburg, which became part of the Spe- pool in the front for if ever customers need a South Africa, 2 in Namibia and 1 in Botswana. cialized family almost three years ago. “The quick dip after a ride and a pump track for the Of these, less than half (12) are concept stores support we get from the Specialized team is whole family to enjoy. where close to 100% of their stock is Special- like no other and their business model is one Cycles4U is the second Namibian store affili- ized branded product; 12 are elite stores that that works seamlessly with ours,” says Scott ated with the brand. The 160m2 store with an sell mostly Specialized branded products, but McKenzie who owns Complete Cyclist Hout Bay. additional 40m2 workshop area has an open may also stock another two cycling brands, The store has not only gained a Specialized layout that makes the small size look and feel and 6 retail independently and stock Special- Elite Store logo on its storefront, but also an bigger. It features designated men’s, wom- ized alongside any other cycling products of upgraded workshop, new staff members, re- en’s and kids areas and caters for the riding their choosing. vamped layout and a Body Geometry Fit Studio. needs of the whole family. It also has a fully The brand has one company-owned store in Greg Minnaar Cycles in Pietermaritzburg is equipped bike studio to help improve fitness Stellenbosch, which also hosts its head office. situated within cycling distance of the Cas- levels, as well as a Body Geometry Fit studio, “This store is more of a test bed for us and cades MTB Park where the MTB World Cham- where the owner Alfons Kiesewetter himself gives us a chance to understand retail better, pionships has been hosted on numerous occa- has been trained to get customers properly test new systems and teach staff from all the sions. “What was once an old house is now a set up on their bicycles.

Left: inside Complete Cyclist Hout Bay. Right: the elite store’s team with members from Specialized Bicycles Africa. Images: Cherie Vale. Trade shows :: p55

2017 Cycle Tour Expo

ALTHOUGH CYCLISTS were disap- to register for the race. They pointed by the Cape Town Cycle were also happier with the new Tour being cancelled, industry stand layout at the Cape Town members who exhibited at the Stadium, which they believed was pre-race expo were happy with better than the circular set up of the support they received from last year. This year more than 140 the crowds of cyclists who came exhibitors had stands at the expo.

Visitors were attracted to the specials on offer at the Chris Willemse Cycles stand.

Visitors queuing to get the best priced gadgets at Sportsmans Warehouse.

Dragons Sports used the stand to create brand awareness for its road racing bikes.

Customers on the Cape Union Mart stand.

Solomons Cycles offered discounts on A customer trying on apparel from the brands like Camelbak, Ocean Eyewear, Ciovita range. Garmin, Raleigh, etc.

Jamie Owen from SA Sport and Cargo chatting to a customer on the Thule BondiBlu sales rep Johna Muller help- stand. ing a customer.

Visitors were interested in the offers A customer checking out the water bot- on the Coimbra Cycle House stand. tle offerings from Cape Cycle Systems.

The GU energy lab stand offered a The ASG Sport Solutions stand featured number of specials on energy bars a display that showed how durable their A customer striking a pose with a man- Polar offered visitors product support and supplements. photochromatic sunglasses are. nequin on the Globalex stand. and a service centre.

2017 Q2 :: Sports Trader p56 :: Trade shows Trade show news NB right SAFTAD dates and venue Please note that the local fishing tackle trade show will take place 12-13 August at the UNISA Conference Centre in Johannesburg and 22-23 July at the DLI Hall in Durban. We apologise for confusion caused by the incor- rect information published in the 2017 Sports Trader Retail Directory. The information in the advert on p94 of the directory is correct.

Pre-register for EFTTEX IF YoU pre-register for EFTTEX before 12 June you will receive a discount to attend OutDoor’s fashion shows always attract a lot of attention. Photo: Messe Friedrichshafen. Europe’s biggest fishing trade show, which will be held in Hungary this year. Last year’s Earlier OutDoor show offers visitors more than before show in Amsterdam attracted 1 607 visitors, including press and exhibitor guests, and fea- REMEMBER TO update your calendars: this year’s OutDoor trade show is being held in June, a month earlier than usual. tured 208 exhibitors. This year’s show takes Traditionally OutDoor was held in July, but this year it has been moved earlier to take place place 29 June to 1 July. 18-21 June, a Sunday to a Wednesday, in Friedrichshafen, Germany. There are 900 exhibitors Expectations for Eurobike 2017 confirmed for the 2017 show. The OutDoor Industry Awards are also open for applications. Deadline is 8 May, after which eURoBIKe 2017 is expected to attract the two-stage evaluation will start to narrow submissions down to a short list. These entries more than 40 000 global visitors who will will then be put through real world tests. The awards will be presented in 13 categories and be able to view the latest products shown the winners will be displayed in the east foyer for the duration of the OutDoor show, and by 1 350 exhibitors. The cycling trade show will gain additional publicity through show organiser Messe Friedrichshafen’s multi-channel takes place 30 August to 1 September, in communication to retailers, other areas of the trade, press, etc. All manufacturers, designers, Friedrichshafen, Germany. Its Festival Day developers, importers, start-ups, sales organisations and dealers may enter, even if they will on 2 September is open to the public. not have a stand at OutDoor 2017. This year the outdoor world meets those of fashion, urban lifestyle, accessories, wearables and SASC Research Conference to gamification (integration of elements of game playing to encourage engagement with a product cover retailer interests or service). The Lifestyle Collection is a show where “cool urban fashion meets functional outdoor tHe sasC (South African Council of Shop- trends,” say organisers, which falls within the Outdoor Plus concept. “You just can’t imagine urban ping Centres) is encouraging retailers that life or the outdoor market any more without athleisure wear or urban fashion.” Other new areas include the new Running Centre (dedicated to running clothing, footwear are tenants in shopping centres to attend and accessories) and Water Sports goes OutDoor. With the latter, Messe Friedrichshafen is its Research Conference in May, which will ramping up its commitment to water-based activities, with the west foyer dedicated to water focus on how shopping centres can evolve sports covering everything from swim/run events to triathlons, diving, canoeing, kayaking, with the times in order to satisfy consum- stand up paddling and ice . ers and grow the retail and shopping centre The show will also feature a new theme world: OutDoor HANGOUT, which is all about prod- industry. Alan Knott-Craig, who was behind ucts and ideas that make time in the outdoors more enjoyable. “Whether it’s seating furni- the free WiFi initiative in Tshwane, will talk ture, hammocks, outdoor barbeques, survival tips or slacklines — here we’re not looking at about how internet is a basic need and how the big outdoor adventures and expeditions, but focusing on how we can take a little break it affects consumers. Greg Potterton (CEO from the day-to-day routine,” say organisers. for Instant Grass International) will focus The OutDoor show is both business and pleasure, attracting visitors from all over the world on what millennials are spending money to do business and to network, and to mingle with other outdoor enthusiasts. on and what they look for in a shopping centre. They will be two of several guest speakers at the conference. The SACSC con- My Business Expo in Durban ference takes place 17 May at the Maslow WGSN focus on future consumer Hotel in Sandton. YoU Can now preregister for free attend- MoRe tHan 200 senior executives will meet at this year’s WGSN Futures event in Fashion World Tokyo ance to My Business Expo Durban, which is hosted by the National Small Business London, which will this year concentrate JaPanese FasHIon tRaDe sHoW, Fashion on the Future Consumer. “You spend a lot Chamber (NSBC) and is aimed at people World Tokyo, attracts about 30 000 visitors of time thinking about your consumers — interested in starting or growing a busi- to view products from around 890 exhibitors what they love (or loathe); where they ness. It takes place 22 June at the Durban from all walks of fashion: textiles, men’s shop; where they socialise; what they Exhibition Centre and a ticket to the show and women’s apparel, bags, shoes, jewel- dream,” explains WGSN. Keynote speak- lery, and other accessories. It also offers also gives visitors access to the Business ers will provide information dealing with visitors conferences and seminars led by Start-Up Expo, Finance Indaba, The Fran- shoppers’ behaviour changes, new tech- opinion leaders from the Japanese fashion chise Show and Trading Across Borders. nologies, concepts and experiences, how industry, as well as networking and sourcing Annually, My Business Expo takes place to connect better through new platforms, opportunities. The show is held twice a year in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town and how learning and the workplace im- in April and October, with the next date 11- and attracts more than 40 000 visitors and pacts on consumers. The event takes 13 October. features 400 exhibitors. place 25 May.

Sports Trader :: 2017 Q2 Trade shows :: p57 ISPO news THIS YEAR’S ISPO Beijing and Munich trade shows NightCat Long Tight in the Performance cat- attracted more visitors than in the previous year. egory and the Fierce shoe in Health & Fitness. ISPO Munich featured more than 2 700 ex- The iridescent reflective print on the tights hibitors for the first time in its history, which provides compression and 360° reflectivity included South African manufacturer and dis- keeps wearers visible in low light conditions. tributor Orbit Sports Manufacturers. Several The Fierce is inspired by dance movements, locally distributed brands were also among but rigorous enough for any training needs. those honoured at the 2017 ISPO Product Garmin’s Fenix 5 Series, which features, among Awards, held during the ISPO trade show. other things, a sunlight-readable chroma display, The show has grown in nearly every sector, said improved wrist heart rate technology, extended ISPO Exhibition Group Director Marcus Hefter. activity tracking and multisport functions, also Visitors could look forward to 16 packed halls won Gold in the Performance category. and a comprehensive accompanying program Salomon’s 3 in 1 Rain Combi an all-in-one light- with events and exciting presentations, he said. weight wind vest and water-repellent, cropped For the first time Textrends — which received hoodie that offers wind and rain protection won more than 500 product entries for its competi- Gold in the Performance category. The brand also tion on the most innovative textiles — occu- won an award for its Sense Ride trail running shoe pied an entire hall at ISPO. that reduces muscle fatigue by absorbing vibrations. Orbit Sports Manufacturers was among the Other Gold winners in the Outdoor division record 2 732 exhibitors (3% more than in 2016) were the Summit L3 Ventrix Hoodie from The showing their products and innovations at this North Face and the Revo climbing safety de- Top: Orbit Sports Manufacturers’ stand at ISPO Mu- year’s ISPO Munich. vice from Wild Country. nich 2017. Above: ISPO Beijing attracted more than Visitors were especially interested in their EN Cer- The Summit L3 Ventrix features laser-cut 40 000 visitors. Image courtesy of ISPO.. tificate approved protective products, said Lauren and body-mapped ventilation holes in high- Malan from Orbit Sports Manufacturers, manufac- perspiration areas that close when static and show organiser Messe München. turer of the StormForce Xpro brand of protective open during movement. The North Face is lo- The 2017 show featured 502 exhibitors with gear. This year was the fourth year that they exhib- cally distributed by the Sector Group. 728 brands and more than 40 000 visitors. The ited at this international sport trade show. The Revo is a bi-directional assisted locking belay 40 000m2 exhibition area was booked to ca- The knee and elbow protectors in the Storm- device with a panic-proof release mechanism to pacity, and even featured international pavil- Force Xpro Extreme Sports Protection range eliminate risk of accidents. It functions indepen- ions from Austria, Korea, Switzerland and the provide effective repeated impact resistance as dently and will therefore grip the rope and stop a Czech Republic. Because of this interest, the it disperses the impact over a large area to re- fall during any uncontrolled decline. Wild Country 2018 show will feature an even bigger exhibi- duce discomfort, explained owner Jaco Kirsten. is locally distributed by Outward Ventures. tion area. It will again be held at the same There had been a noticeable shift in guests Black Diamond’s Helio Gloves won Gold in the venue, the China National Convention Centre, visiting the show, said Malan. “We noticed many category. The 3 in 1 gloves feature a durable and take place 24-27 January. of them now represent online companies.” This softshell liner ideal for climbing up and a light, Supporting events like ISPO Award, also re- year’s event attracted 85 000 trade visitors (6% durable, insulated outer that is bulk-free and flected this growth in the awareness of sport more than in 2016) from 120 countries. ideal for skiing. Black Diamond is locally distrib- in China — of the more than 500 global entries, PUMA, Garmin and Salomon were among the uted by Ram Mountaineering. more than 100 came from Asia, of which 73 locally distributed brands honoured at the POC’s high functionality base layer also won were from China alone. 2017 ISPO Product Awards. Gold in the Ski category for features like com- To support the potential of young companies, the Each year a jury of industry experts give ISPO’s fort, breathability, compression, warmth and show featured its first Startup Village where seven quality seal — a Gold award — to exceptional wicking properties. The brand is locally dis- new brands presented their latest products. new products in the Performance, Action, Out- tributed by Adventure Inc. Other programmes of interest included the door, Ski or Health & Fitness categories. The ISPO Munich 2018 will take place 28-31 January. ISPO Sport Industry Forum, which highlighted best of the best in each category is awarded ISPO Beijing received 1 400 more visitors, trends and developments in the Chinese sports the Product of the Year title, and other high which is indicative that there is growing sig- market, and the Sports Fashion Trend Forum, quality products receive an ISPO Award. nificance of sports among the Chinese popula- where trends for 2018 spring/summer sport PUMA won two Gold awards for the PWRRun tion, said Klaus Dittrich, chairman and CEO of fashion ranges was shown.

Advertisers Index adidas SA 7 Jack Parcels 17 Opal Sports 43 Agrinet 34 JFK Trading 17 Pat Wiltshire Sports 27 ASICS SA 23 JRT Crampton 45 PUMA SA 1 Awesome Tools 39 Kaufmann 34 Brand Folio LLC OBC Kookaburra 45 Ram Mountaineering 35 Fila 5 Ledlenser 39 Skechers OBC Footwear Trading 5 Lite Optec 33 The Golf Racket 26 Gidgitz 35 Medicus 19 Gunn & Moore 43 Merrell 19 Thermo Steel 33 Hi-Tec SA OFC, 21 Mikasa 27 Wilson 26

2017 Q2 :: Sports Trader