THE PRINCIPAL TRADE MAGAZINE FOR UK SPORTS RETAILERS, MANUFACTURERS AND DISTRIBUTORS SportsInsight MAY 2005 www.sports-insight.co.uk NEW PRODUCTS CONTACTS TRADE NEWS BETTER BUSINESS INSIDE THIS ISSUE COMPETITIVE EDGE Why effective staff training is crucial to your long-term success IN SEASON Focus on table tennis, fitness, running and football INCREASE SALES Give your customers a discount deal VisionaryVisionary ThinkingThinking MINORITY SPORTS How to cash in on profitable niche markets For more details: Tel No. 01254 278873 e-mail [email protected] POWERING PERFORMANCE At EAS we understand the no excuses, no pain, no gain philosophy and we know that nutrition affects performance! The Myoplex range supplies a balanced blend of protein, vitamins and minerals to provide the essential nutrients needed to maintain an active lifestyle. So for all athletes out there who eat, breathe & live their sport, lucky for them, so do we. WELCOME TO EAS EAS, the world’s leading sports nutrition company, provides a diverse range of optimally balanced supplements to support fi tness training and recovery. For more information on the benefi ts and opportunities of being an EAS stockist, contact 0870 350 3270. www.doping-free.com the world’s no.1 sports nutrition company, is proud to be the offi cial sports nutrition suppliers to EAS-UK Ltd, tel: 0870 350 3270 www.eas-uk.com A-LINE UK Italian style and quality in the UK. Contact us for details of our new range of footwear, club kits and accessories. A-Line UK, 4 Northgate Close, Mansell Way, Tel: 01204 478899. Fax: 01204 690102. Middlebrook, Horwich, Lancashire BL6 6PQ. www.a-line.it Email: [email protected] IN THIS ISSUE Sports Insight, working with CONTENTS 05.05 ABC Certification Sports Insight has a current ABC certified circulation of 5,225 (audit period January 1, 2004-June 30, 2004), The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) is an independent audit watchdog that verifies magazines’ circulation figures, providing accurate and comparable data for advertisers. ABC Certification also demonstrates a media owner’s integrity, in their willingness to be audited and to conform to industry standards. COVER STORIES 9 NAME GAME Sponsorship news 22 COMPETITIVE EDGE Sports Why effective staff training is crucial to your 10 TRANSFER MARKET Insight long-term success Industry movers and shakers Editor: Jeff James Tel: 01273 719900 Email: 30 MINORITY SPORTS 14 RETAIL THERAPY [email protected] How to cash in on profitable niche markets Owen Sports and Snowsports World, Carmarthenshire, Assistant Editor: Catherine Eade Wales Advertising Manager: Keith Shaw-Marshall 54 INCREASE SALES Tel: 01206 505947 Email: [email protected] Give your customers a discount deal Fax: 01206 500243. 15 60 SECONDS INTERVIEW Advertising Executive: Charmaine Coyle David Brint, managing director of Footie Chick Tel: 01206 500241 Email: [email protected] REGULARS Fax: 01206 505935. 18 WHAT’S NEW Group Advertising Manager: Andrea Hale 6 WHAT’S NEWS The latest lines from the world’s leading manufacturers Group Editor: Ted Rowe The latest headlines, key dates and events Publisher: Matthew Tudor 58 E-TAILING Art Director: James Philp 7 WHAT’S HOT How to choose the best hosting service for your Designer: Scott Jukes KooGaSKIN website Reproduction: Ace Pre-Press. Tel: 01206 797541 Accounts: 01206 505958 8 DIARY DATES 66 UNDER THE COUNTER Published by Maze Media (2000) Ltd., Castle House, 97, High Forthcoming trade and consumer shows A sideways look at the world of independent retailing Street, Colchester, Essex. CO1 1TH All contents (c) Maze Media (2000) Limited. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure the veracity and integrity of the companies, persons, products and services mentioned in this publication and details given are believed to be accurate at the time of going to press. However, no responsibility or liability whatsoever can be accepted for any consequence or repercussion of responding to any information or advice given or inferred. No part of this publication may be copied, broadcast, interpreted, or stored, in any form, for any purpose, without the written permission of the publisher. ABC certified circulation: 5,225 (audit period January 1, 2004-June, 30, 2004) YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION Don’t forget to register for your free subscription to Sports Insight. To do so simply visit www.sports-insight.co.uk click on ‘Free Sample Copies’ and fill out the online form. 04 SPORTS INSIGHT FEATURES 16 TOGETHER EVERYONE ACHIEVES MORE Joining the Sports Traders Alliance Group could be the best move you ever made 26 WINNER TAKES ALL Sportsmen and women have always coveted trophies and medals 60 SELLING ONLINE How to develop a successful multi-channel approach to your business IN SEASON 34 TABLE TENNIS We talk to Ransome Sporting Goods managing director Alan Ransome about the UK table tennis market 39 FITNESS The desire for all-round fitness is something that retailers can tap into throughout the year 44 RUNNING The number of runners in Britain is still on the increase 50 FOOTBALL www.sports-insight.co.uk 05 WHAT’S NEWS ALL THE VERY LATEST IN THE SPORTS INDUSTRY... Putting on a show TaylorMade, A sport brand-leader At Roland Garros the Mark Ibbotson on how to maximise returns from your • 'We make your racket play better, so you play better too' stringers really put on stringing machine • 'Professionals understand the importance of good racket a show stringing. Feel the benefits for yourself' So you've got that stringing machine. How do you make the most of it? You need to decide on a core range of strings to offer. Locate the machine somewhere visible in the shop. You Start at the top and work down. You need to show a top need good light to string, so near a window is a good option, end string, even if you think that you won't sell it much. otherwise create an area where you can make the best use of You might be surprised. The margin may not look as artificial lighting - installing spotlights is a good idea. good, but the customer satisfaction will be important. Position the machine so that the stringer can be facing A customer may bring back three of his old rackets for the rest of the shop and the customers who come in. You'll you to string in some cheaper string for use as spares. need some elbow room around the machine and the stringer There are a lot of rackets out there that haven't seen the needs access and room to extend and unravel the string. light of day for a while. Many customers will have a Have a board behind or near the machine where you can restring on an old racket and, at the same time, buy a advertise the stringing service and display your price list. new one. Enlighten your customers and increase your Remember that when the machine is not being used, some sales. customers will not actually know what it is and what it does. Mark Ibbotson is Director of Smash Sports, UK distributor of Tecnifibre rackets and strings. Go for punchy phrases to sum up what you can do for Smash Sports, PO Box 513, Walton-on-Thames KT12 your customers, such as: 5YX. Tel: 0870 242 2070. Email [email protected] • 'Professional racket stringing service HERE' Next month: Choosing your string selection and pricing • 'Onsite, same-day or while-you-wait stringing service' your service. 06 SPORTS INSIGHT Send your news stories to the Sports Insight news desk at [email protected] or call 01273 719900 “He has a face like a well-kept grave.” What’s Hot Jack Leach on Lester Piggott KooGaSKIN Shak Anwar, Director at KooGa Rugby, talks us through the company's latest launch KooGaSKIN is the latest range of elite performance rugby apparel to be introduced by the company. Made specifically for rugby players, the KooGaSKIN is a range of athletic-fit training kit designed to regulate the player's core temperature. Features and benefits Incorporating a unique fabric made using a combination of Spandex and Sorona, a revolutionary new textile developed by DuPont, KooGaSKIN conducts perspiration away from the body and forces it to the outer layer of the garment where it evaporates. As a result, KooGaSKIN provides unrivalled moisture ventilation and heat retention, enabling the player to maintain peak performance in any climate. Sorona is manufactured using the fermentation of corn sugar, replacing the less effective use of traditional petrochemical products, which gives the fabric a special spring-like molecular structure and provides revolutionary levels of stretch and recovery. Combined with the softness of nylon, it provides comfort during performance. The KooGaSKIN range is ultra soft and acts as a protective layer - like a second skin - against abrasion from rugby shirts and the rigours of extreme impact. With intense stretch, recovery and fit capability and built-in high-tech stain resistance, it’s designed to help rugby players perform at their best. It can be worn as a base layer under kit in the winter and on its own in warmer conditions. How are the products marketed? As well as being worn by players from some of the UK's leading rugby clubs, including Newcastle Falcons and the Neath Swansea Ospreys, KooGaSKIN comes packaged in custom-made boxes that are easy to stock and display. Part of the box is cut away, so buyers can feel the material before purchasing. This is an important element as the fabric is ultra soft, making it very different to what's currently available in technical rugby gear.