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SportsSERVING THE SPORTS TRADE IN THE UK AND ROI www.sports-insight.co.uk £3.50 JULY/AUG 2011 Insight THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF SPORTS AND PLAY ASSOCIATIONS FOR FULLY FUNCTIONAL “INFANT FEET The long awaited” VFF KIDS RANGE 01306 883 240 www.primallifestyle.com [email protected] INSIDE THIS ISSUE SEE PAGE 17 FSPA SPORTS STUDY MARKETING ECOMMERCE IN SEASON 100-PAGE UK MARKET THE 'MAGIC WORDS' 9 TRIED AND TESTED WAYS FOCUS ON TENNIS, RUGBY, REPORT PUBLISHED THAT BOOST SALES TO DRIVE ONLINE PROFITS SWIMMING AND TRIATHLON NEW FOR SS12 GEL-FUJI Series Meeting the performance benefits demanded by the trail runner Men’s GEL-FUJI RACER GEL-FUJI ATTACK GEL-FUJI TRAINER Women’s GEL-FUJI ATTACK GEL-FUJI TRAINER Talk to your Sales Manager or call the Sales Office: UK: 01925 243360 Republic of Ireland: 1 800 927 324 www.asicsonline.co.uk PROUD KIT SUPPLIER OF NATIONAL CORPORATE SEVENS High Performance Bespoke Sportswear With a passion for sport, GFORCE prides itself in knowing how important it is to deliver high quality, affordable, multi-sport apparel with low order quantities and quick turn–around times. Up to 10,000 Low Short Free Colour Minimum Lead Design Combinations Order Time Service A BRAND YOU CAN TRUST T: 01507 523243 [email protected] www.gforcesportswear.co.uk IN THIS ISSUE Contents 07.11 E-CATALOGUES & BROCHURES To view the latest trade e-catalogues ABC Certification SportsInsight and brochures, working with visit www.sports- Sports Insight has a current ABC insight.co.uk. certified circulation of 5,496 (audit period July 1, 2010 - June 30, 2011). The Audit Bureau of Circulations ONLINE COMPETITIONS (ABC) is an independent audit watchdog that verifies For more details on the latest Sports Insight magazines’ circulation figures, providing accurate online competition visit www.sports- and comparable data for advertisers. insight.co.uk and click on the competition tab ABC Certification demonstrates a media owner’s for your chance to win. integrity, in their willingness to be audited and to conform to industry standards. WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER Are you missing out on the latest industry news? Then subscribe to the FREE Sports Insight newsletter. Simply go to COVER STORIES www.sports- insight.co.uk and 30 FSPA SPORTS STUDY 66 UNDER THE COUNTER click on the 100-page UK market report published A sideways look at the world newsletter tab. of independent retailing 40 MARKETING WWW.SPORTS-INSIGHT.CO.UK The ‘magic words’ that boost sales IN SEASON 58 ECOMMERCE 44 TENNIS 9 tried and tested ways to drive online profits 46 TRIATHLON 50 RUGBY REGULARS 52 SWIMMING 10 NEWS Latest headlines, key dates and events FEATURES 18 KIT STOP 8 PRICE PRESSURE Essential stock for your shop Is the VAT increase to 20 per cent hiding the true value of the sports retail sector? The NPD 26 FOCUS ON Group investigates footdisc insoles 34 KIT PARADE What are the issues facing a selection 29 MOVERS & SHAKERS of the smaller kit manufacturers and Mark Upshall, product manager suppliers in this market? at Mitre Sports International 38 MY SPORTING LIFE 33 TALKING SHOP Daryl Selby, the national squash champion and Katrina Ellerton is director of online sports director of sports retailer Off The Wall retail outlet Sportfreakz.com 63 E-TAILING The pros and cons of marketplaces versus your own ecommerce store Editor: Jeff James. Tel: 01273 748675 Group Editor: Ted Rowe All contents © Maze Media (2000) Limited. The views expressed in this Email: [email protected] Publisher: Matthew Tudor magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher. Every effort is made to Assistant Editors: Catherine Eade and Louise Ramsay Art Director: Jim Philp ensure the veracity and integrity of the companies, persons, products and services mentioned in this publication and details given are believed to be Advertising Manager: Keith Marshall Tel: 01206 508601 accurate at the time of going to press. However, no responsibility or liability Tel: 01206 505947 Email: [email protected] whatsoever can be accepted for any consequence or repercussion of Email: [email protected] Designers: Chris Ashworth responding to any information or advice given or inferred. No part of this Fax: 01206 500243. Advertisement Art Director: Clare Brasier publication may be copied, broadcast, interpreted, or stored, in any form, for Advertising Sales Reproduction: Ace Pre-Press. Tel: 01206 797541 any purpose, without the written permission of the publisher. 21-23 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Rd, Accounts: Philip Bale. Tel: 01206 505907 ABC certified circulation: 5,496 Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY Published by Maze Media (2000) Ltd, 21-23 Phoenix Court, (audit period July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011) Group Advertising Manager: Sam Reubin Hawkins Rd, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY UK/ROW SUBSCRIPTION: £25/£42.50 for one year (10 issues) 06 SPORTS INSIGHT new darts generation: 01/08/2011 MADE IN ENGLAND EST.1973 ...BLACK ICE Following the world- wide success of the I.C.E. range we are excited to launch the awesome “next generation”. Black Titanium Nitride has been applied to the barrels using a Vapour Deposition Process (V.D.P.), which impregnates the tungsten with a tough non slip coating. Each barrel features unique laser engraving of both “I.C.E.” and “Harrows”. This permanent branding is a constant reminder to the player of their high technology winning weapons ! 90% pure tungsten is fused 21g with iron, nickel and zinc. It is then cold extruded and reverse cut to create a uniform barrel of unrivalled 23g concentricity and balance. Featuring Supergrip shafts and a brand new 25g Marathon® I.C.E. flight. Harrows Darts, Pindar Rd, Hoddesdon, Herts, EN11 0JX. Telephone: 01992 300300, Fax: 01992 462305. Email: [email protected] www.harrowsdarts.com FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK RETAIL Price PRESSURE Is the VAT increase to 20 per cent hiding the true value of the sports retail sector? The NPD Group investigates The general conception is that we are slowly coming out of the turmoil that has brought the retail sector close to its knees over the past two years. In some parts of the country new stores are opening for business, thus going some way to revitalising their high street locations. Many retailers are reporting healthy sales and expanding into new areas, but is the market really in good health? NPD’s Consumer Panel states that the sports footwear and apparel market increased by two per cent in the 12 months to March 2011 when compared to the previous year. Both footwear and apparel sales have grown at a similar pace, so on the face of it the market is looking in decent shape. 08 SPORTS INSIGHT marginal increase on Q1 2010. bottoms sales. Shop Direct experienced a 29 Another interesting aspect is that as the per cent fall in apparel volume and a similar cost of full priced items rose, so did the price percentage decrease to Tesco when it came to of reduced goods. According to NPD, items tops and bottoms. selling at a reduced price have increased by A retail success story of the past year has seven per cent on 2010, while the average been Marks & Spencer - one of the few price of discounted offers has rise by two per retailers to reduce the price of its tops. This cent. Full priced items rose in price by six strategy appears to have paid dividends, as per cent. although overall its apparel business has fallen, M&S’ tops sector has begun to see Competitive improvement. This though is an overall market picture and Did retailers jump too soon when it came it would be folly to suggest that every to increasing their prices? Whether they were retailer has struggled. Sports Direct and JD forced into it because of rising costs or it was Sports have performed consistently well, and a strategic move, it appears that only a few it is due to their size that they have been able got the timing right. Consumers are not yet to keep prices competitive. So it’s no returning to the high street in healthy coincidence that these retailers have seen numbers, so until footfall increases retailers sales volumes rise. will have to make some clever strategic Other retailers have not been able to decisions to keep the numbers in the black. si achieve this, and it is away from the two mega sports stores that the market has struggled. Ten retailers in the top 20 saw The NPD Group monitors the sales of sports volumes on the decline as they entered the footwear and apparel in many countries around first quarter of 2011. Nine of these retailers the world. For more information contact The implemented price increases, with only NPD Group sports team on 01932 355580. Matalan able to keep prices in check. Even Tesco and Primark had to raise their prices, with the latter retailer seeing declining sales as a result. Bottom line Outside the leading two sports chains, the ‘tops and bottoms’ market is not so important, but it plays a large enough role to impact on retailers’ bottom lines. Around 50 per cent of sales are attributed to these two types of garments in the rest of the market, and lost value here can significantly Pricing hit turnover. Tesco’s overall apparel However, when you start to look at loss was 14 per cent in the subject of pricing, another point volume, with over 50 per comes to the surface. The rise in VAT cent of this decline to 20 per cent, which came into force attributed to lost tops and last January, has meant average prices have risen.