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“When I look at our sales, specifically on junior tennis rackets, the market does seem to be growing as we keep on selling out before the end of season.
Local brand Rugbytech supplies the same range of rugby balls to the local and overseas markets: “We believe that good quality balls will play well in any climate, but exposure to extreme conditions, such as long rainy seasons, will negatively affect any rugby ball, if it is not alternated regularly,” cautions Frikkie Crous of Rugbytech.
“There are many established brands in the skate market and they are often associated with the pro skaters and the best designers.
Swimming
brands keeping head above water
‘While
the Olympics helped to elevate the status and awareness of swimming as a sport,
there is just not enough money available from swimming brands to support the
sport AND swim stars’ —
CARIN DU TOIT reports on how the swim market can be grown
Swimming has
been getting a make-over as more and more swimming stars emerge from the waters.
But, the average selling price for athletic footwear fell 4.
Widespread use is good news for the brands that market these products, but they told JACOLIEN NEL that it is ultimately the players who benefit It is no longer unusual to see an 8-year old wearing headgear or even a protective vest in a mini-rugby game.
He says CASA found several branded balls on the SA market that did not conform to the weight specifications.
“The choice of brand is left to the discretion of member countries, although we would encourage members to support our official ball supplier, Mitre, used at all IFNA tournaments,” says Anne Steele, executive officer of the International Netball Federation (IFNA).
Participation in formal courses allows one to assimilate the critical knowledge very quickly will speed your way to effective safe selling.
Like ten years ago, retailers importing their own brands, is causing concern for many industry members.
Sportsmode
successfully introduced the local Flame hockey
brand two years ago, and since then they have not had a stick returned due to
breakage or had any complaints whatsoever, says Christian Andrews.
Well-known
retailer Sedgars is now also a supplier and
they showed a number of different ranges they are bringing in, for instance, the
Swimline swimming brand, the Ihsan and Vampire cricket and hockey brands and the
Winner soccer brand.
Although a referee can check a ball’s dimensions and weight before a game, brands still have a responsibility to ensure that the quality of the materials they use are up to standard.
Skateboarders may now wear designer brands, but some of them believe that being bad has not lost its appeal.
But, since different countries have different playing conditions and balls suitable for Europe may not necessarily be suitable for local play, appointing only one brand for use during international matches is not the answer.
The reason why they had been selected against stiff competition from other well-known cricket brands, he explains, is because they are dedicated headwear manufacturers that come from an engineering, rather than marketing, background.
They also do not endorse a specific board or brand,” says Mervyn Johnson of Darts SA.
In the period after the Second World War many competitors entered the market and all the different brands were all chipping away at the Gunn Moore market share.
” He explains that most US distributors represent about 5 – 8 brands each and Boogaloos deals with 8 – 10 of these companies.
Suppliers are, however, concerned about the criteria that individual Rugby Unions use when selecting a brand as sponsor.
While few adults would be able to name the bat sponsors of the top batting line-up in the Protea team, a group of schoolboys will be able to name the bat brands of the whole team in no time.
Only 27% play with the brand that they rated as their favourite.
What’s more, only 20% said that their cricketing hero’s bat will influence their choice of brand.
When new brands enter the market, one always has to ask: they sustain the service? Do they offer repairs? Will they stay in the market?" says Prout certainly do not have the population to sustain so many brands, so some brands are bound to get hurt.
do you continue to pay out individual
sponsorship money at this level, when there are so many genuine development
needs in SA?"
The bottom
line is: while the Olympics helped to elevate the status and awareness of
swimming as a sport, there is just not enough money available from swimming
brands to support the sport AND swim stars.
Ironically, most of the established brands contribute huge amounts to cricket development programmes — which enables the emerging players to play the sport without having to buy equipment.
An interesting display — for instance with a display stand — will attract customers, but it can be confusing if different brands are all displayed in a branded merchandise stand, cautions Prout.
The presence of brands like Stuart Surridge (93%), Bellingham Smith (87%) and Duncan Fearnley (87%) in the local market was also well noted.
Led by
Slazengers three times Olympian, Jill Atkins, the 2005 range sees technical
innovations which have been developed to keep the brand at the cutting edge of
the performance hockey equipment market.
Top players not only have to contend with different playing conditions in other countries, but they also have to use different balls, depending on which brand supplies the host nation with equipment.
While Andrews, who also distributes international brands Easton and Louisville Slugger, says they are also gaining popularity in private schools, Couvaras reckons that in private schools “a child who can bat is immediately pushed into cricket”.
Paragliding: “The costs involved in importing paragliders, coupled with the fierce competition between brands, would prohibit most retailers from keeping stock, and most paragliding schools carry there own brands that includes flying suits, boots, helmets etc.
Tennis rackets are expensive retail items as several models and grip sizes have to be kept in stock and retailers could therefore be enticed to reduce the brands on their shelves, says Jerome Goslett of Head distributor Omni Sport.
There are also several factors pointing to the tennis market being not quite so dead as some would wish it: In the US, sales of tennis footwear increased by 17% during 2003; Players from countries like Russia, Japan and Thailand, with huge sporting populations, are suddenly performing well on the international circuit — showing that tennis is certainly generating interest in those countries; The international revival of a brand like Prince — helped along by the blonde beauty of 17-year old Wimbledon star Maria Sharapova — and aggressive, entertainment-orientated marketing campaigns, rejuvenates the market; Head has had a great start to the year, with sales increasing 10% in the first half of 2004 and international bookings up 10.
It has strengthened the brand in every country in the world.
Still under the control of the Grays family, the brand has been involved in businesses as diverse as soccer, snooker, sub-aqua, fishing tackle, bowls, toys, sports publishing, retailing and even building.
” Tips on how retailers can get involved in extreme sports: · Stock more alternative brands and not ‘bubblegum’ brands that are freely available from chain stores.
A modern strategy for a brand that still remains true to its roots from all those years ago.
This was punted as an inexpensive way for the tennis brands to exhibit during the show and a special program was organised for retailers … but again some of the top brands declined the invitation to exhibit, with others following.
As the only
bowls equipment distributor marketing specifically through retail, Fullard is
also concerned about the potential affect of the new distribution strategy
adopted by brands like Taylor — they are now marketing directly to the public
via international players like Lorna Trigwell, Giepie Vermeulen and Neil Burkett
(Pat Wilsthire Sport relinquished the distributorship rather than selling
directly).
While most interviewees are concerned about some aspects of the market — for instance, direct supply to the public, selling through coaches, retailers importing house brands and indents — most are upbeat about sales prospects.
According to Powell they need to carry a range of brands in order to guarantee some exclusivity to the growing local industry and closely follow trends from the US.
But, on the other hand, young players are very brand and quality conscious and only want the latest — and often most expensive — technology.
Sports Trader
A premium quality brand must deliver the best quality throughout the range, whether it is a dart that sells for $1.
“Several new tournaments, and the quality and numbers of coaches on offer have encouraged the growth in junior tennis — and this has carried through to the seniors as well,” says Andrew Wentzel of WET Sports, distributor of RoxPro, an affordable racket brand that has enjoyed tremendous growth.
It is nothing new, as retailers would have been selling orange and yellow dot balls a couple of years back.
•A second important success factor is the quality of the product they provide at each price point available in the market - which contributes to customer satisfaction, which in turn builds brand loyalty.
Tips for selling squash shoes Shoes are the most important part of your squash equipment, even more important than the racket, believes Craig van der Wath, one of SA’s top ranked players.
How does this impact on bat sales and brand loyalty? We asked some schoolboy cricketers Schoolboys seem to assimilate facts about cars, soccer or rugby players, and the bats used by top cricket players without ever reading a newspaper or magazine.
When budget determines the brand, cheaper balls from the Asian sub-continent are popular choices.
“The problem is that there are soccer balls with the FIFA approved stamp on the local market, selling for only R49.
Then, tennis administration was bankrupt and in disarray due to the amalgamation of several governing bodies prior to the 1994 election, retailers were importing their own brands and the market flooded by brief forays from brands like Estusa, Fino, Rossignol, Donnay, Mizuno, Forza and Karakal (can anyone remember them?).
The fact that some of the new distributors are retailers themselves, resulted in other brands losing out on shelf space.
A retailer who wants to be part of this ‘brand and attitude orientated market’, must be prepared to stock everything concerning the specific sport— from the equipment to clothing, watches, eyewear etc.
But sports companies report that they are doing a lot more corporate business, branding and sponsorships with regard to dart products.
“The seriousness with which professional players have adopted protective gear has had a major impact on the youth, and there is definitely a growing demand for protective kit from schools,” says Jean-Marc Tostee of Sunboyz, distributor of local brand BAD BOY.
The owners also became further removed from the business, and by the time that Unicorn bought it, the brand was in serious trouble.
As in the surfing market, some distributors and retailers prefer to remain core and only sell the specialised products of well-known skate/surf brands to true skaters.
gives the independent who stock more brands plenty of opportunity to grow their share of the cricket market," says Daryl Scott of Sportopia, supplier of SA brand WASP.
“The few hockey players that are still resisting will soon move over — I do not believe that anyone that is not selling composites will still be in business in two years time.
Also, the fact that trade shows seem to have become showcases for apparel, footwear and new sports trends — yet, when the big footwear brands all withdrew from trade shows, nobody predicted the demise of Nike or adidas.
While lesser-known local brands like PYZ (KwaZulu/Natal), D&P (Western Cape) and CASA (Gauteng) had low recognition amongst the total group of cricketers, their names were better known in the areas where they had been used for coaching clinics or promotions at schools.
As far as the future goes, Maartens is of the view that specialisation will become a selling point.
Thus,
swimming brands are putting a lot of money into the development of the sport,
but they are not seeing sales being generated from this investment, says Baker.
“It is advisable to purchase products of a reputable brand name where warranties are available,” says Andrews.
However, rugby brands also pay sponsored players large sums of money to wear their protective garments — and most agree that the influence these role models have on junior players should not be underestimated, even though brand names are usually invisible to rugby watching consumers unless a player wears headgear.
Having burnt their fingers, they now stick to trusted brands and local manufacturers who can easily replace any balls that are not performing well.
Hi-Tec was founded because owner and chairman Frank van Wezel realised the need for a light squash shoe that offers good support — and from there grew into one of the top ten global footwear brands.
It therefore leaves a bitter taste when the brands are not even afforded the opportunity to quote when the UCB does buy equipment for development programmes.
Now, the more favourable exchange rate that resulted in a price drop from several brands, has played a major part in the upbeat view of the market.
A reputable ball manufacturer will ensure that all balls conform to these standards, because he has a reputation to protect — but if you source a no name brand, there is no guarantee of what you will find when the ball is cut open, warns Elliot.
Gilbert’s rugby brand manager Joost van der Westhuizen
managed to greet retailers, just a few hours after he came from the scene of the
accident in which his friend, Blue Bulls vice-captain Etienne Botha, had been
killed.
Most brands report increased interest in the new season’s ranges and retailers already report better sales this year.
Apart from the expensive stamp, the brand also has to pay royalties to FIFA.
Yet, only 7% of the high school cricketers play with their favourite brand, while 50% of the primary school cricketers manage to play with their favourite brand.
Consumers are sick and tired of cheap products – it took us twenty years to establish ourselves as a quality brand that offers high end, expensive products.
For instance, balls from quality English brands Duke and Reader are hard, and white limited over balls are harder than red balls — but that they do not damage bats.
Nowadays, there is a worldwide resurgence in boxing, says Wayne Smidt of Everlast, a US brand that recently returned to the SA market.
Retailers who push their own brands at the cost of other well-known brands, offer the consumer fewer choices.
But, there is also another group who buys — and uses — skateboards: youngsters who do not know one skate brand from another, and considers a skateboard a fun way of getting from point A to B.
Selecting squash equipment: Tips from top players What are the most important features to look for when selecting squash equipment? The material or weight of the racket frame? The grip? The strings? TRUDI DU TOIT asked some experienced players for advice With a dazzling array of squash rackets to choose from, it is not always easy to recommend a racket for a client — especially a beginner who does not have any brand preferences.
Lowy was intrigued by the unicorn on the royal crest printed on Wisden’s letterhead and decided that Unicorn would be a very good name for his darts brand.
Advancements in Slazenger
goalkeeping range will further enhance protection levels for today’s
goalkeepers, whilst further developments in luggage, accessories and footwear
will maintain the brands reputation of producing quality products for all
players.
It is therefore safe to say that brand recognition does influence sales.
Last year’s row about the different brands of rugby balls used during the Tri-Nations series, highlighted a need for stricter equipment standards — especially at international level.
This not only creates uncertainty for the brands who do not know whether they will receive orders from these retailers, but a supply of unknown brands at low prices confuse consumers who expect the same price reductions from established brands.
Tennis was one of the fastest growing school sports over the past 5 years, with more juniors participating in the sport than in cricket or rugby!* Local distributors of tennis brands we spoke to all report growing sales – but cautiously add that this might be because they are all gaining market share, not necessarily that the market is growing.
Conceding that it is important to get branding across to the consumer, Whipp cautions that sponsorship only “pays so much” and that being in a store is still the most important brand exposure.
Two local brands — Lazer and WASP — who do not have high-profile players under contract, also got 100% recognition, which shows that player sponsorship are not essential for brand recognition.
The
"Essential" series features the top selling core models all now with a
high end fashion look.
Grays’ hockey sticks were the first to introduce reinforcement for durability and performance and laminated heads, which enabled the unique ‘hook’ style head shape — and the first brand to replicate the playing qualities of wooden sticks with the new composite material technology.
It all depends on the individual player and how he likes to swing — what the racket feels like for him, explains says SA’s second ranked player and co-owner of a squash clinic, Craig van der Wath.
Although it is now a well-known international brand, Benjamin Crooke Son founded the Mitre brand in 1817 as a family concern.
” He refers to the “domino effect” caused by one big brand withdrawing — resulting in most of the others following.
The brand name was by far the most significant reason given for choosing a particular bat.
Toit is one of those rare miracles that brands dream about.
When a brand obtains a national sponsorship, it has implications down the line, as provincial, clubs and school teams would want to play with the same match ball as the one used at national level — this also means that retailers get more requests for a specific brand.
As can be expected, the top international brands have a very high recognition value, with Gunn Moore, Gray-Nicolls, Kookaburra and Slazenger all recognised by 100% of the respondents.
As a result,
some swimming brands have been talking about starting dedicated swimming shops
that stock all swimwear brands and accessories year round.
When it comes to the selection of a favourite brand, Gunn Moore (47%) was a clear winner, followed by Slazenger (27%).
Founded in Cambridge in 1855 by World Rackets Champion HJ Gray, through growth and acquisition, it today boasts a powerful portfolio of brand names familiar around the world — Grays hockey and rackets, Gray-Nicolls cricket , Gilbert rugby and netball and, in rugby league, Steeden.
According to Iqbal Mohamed of McCoys Sports World, his customers “are not scared to pay for the best quality and brands” although more clubs now want strip in their own colours.
Other favourites are Jacques Kallis, Lance Klusener — and even the late Hansie Cronje and Aussie Shane Warne got the nod! None of the major bat brands is a clear winner as a choice for play, but apart from local brand Bellingham Smith (which does have international status), all the boys played with the top international brands.
Apart from the trust placed in a well-known brand name (indicated by all the players), the “feel” of the bat also plays a significant role when choosing a new bat.
They will not consider buying anything but a branded, specialised board from the US.
Pentland Plc is one of the UKs leading sports brand companies and owns several top sports brands, including Speedo and Ellesse.
Chain store Game sell their own two brands of skateboards that vary in price between R80 and R200 and are aimed at riders fromn 5 to 18.
“Companies with huge budgets can afford sponsorship and it certainly helps a brand, but as soon as consumers realise that all headgear are made from basically the same raw materials, it becomes very price driven,” says Whipp.
Sponsored players not only lend credibility to a brand’s headgear on the field, but they are also useful for product advertisements and packaging.
The traditional brands with a strong heritage will always survive and continue to build the cricket market, as in the past, says Steve Gallienne of Dunslaz Distributorship, distributor of Slazenger.
This is an interesting discrepancy, as all of the respondents indicated that they choose a cricket bat because they know and trust the brand.
If a brand does not have a warranty, warns Andrews, it is very likely that it will not last in game conditions.
Taking a top of the range racket from one of the top brands to a private stringer, or a store with an antiquated stringing machine, is a lot like taking a 7 series BMW to a backyard mechanic for a service.
But is this the true picture? Do the brands not want to spend money on exhibiting because tennis is in a downward curve internationally? Or are there other reasons? We were unfortunately unable to get answers from the international headquarters of the major brands before going to press, but according to local Head distributor Jerome Goslett, the ease with which products and new developments can be made accessible via the internet could be a reason why the brands do not want to spend “astronomical amounts to exhibit to a dwindling number of visitors at international trade shows.
The International market A few weeks before the ispo Summer sport show in Munich this year, the major tennis brands withdrew.
The
hockey brands also exhibited
Orbit
Sports launched their new hockey range
for 2005/6, which includes the New Millenium shaped moulded curved leg guards
with 100% local raw materials.
is definitely some growth in the market, as we are selling a lot more volleyballs and waterpolo balls than a year or two ago," says Nigel Prout of Opal Sports, distributor of Epsan Waterfly waterpolo and Conti waterpolo and volley balls.
Cost is not, however, the only consideration, and many teams will wait until they can afford the brand of their choice.
, and basically all the brands who are involved with the sports,” says Du Plessis.
Two local brands — Lazer and WASP — who do not have high-profile and 50% of the primary school cricketers had no particular cricketing hero.
Unicorn realised that the Gunn Moore brand needed revving up, but they also realised that the brand’s heritage was very similar to Unicorn’s because both developed from a strong family business culture.
They also more or less agree on the reasons for it: • A return to the one good year, one bad year, cricket cycle as consumers keep their equipment longer before replacing; • The market became saturated with too many brands fighting for a slice of the same consumer cake; • Retailers stocked up for the Cricket World Cup before the new season’ ranges were launched, and then had to work away the leftovers; • Development programs do not necessarily translate into sales.
Remember, there is a difference! Stringing can make or break a store By Jerome Goslett With the advent of the modern lightweight, more powerful rackets from the top brands, the importance of selecting the correct string to match the players’ play style as well as racket, has become increasingly important.
” Direct selling by brands like Babolot also affects the retail trade adversely — and several retailers expressed dismay over coaches selling to their pupils.
Wicket keeping pads are now available in the Firebrand line and Abdo guards will be available in multi-colours.
“We leave coaching to the coaches, and they should leave selling to the retailers,” Cuttler sums up the view expressed by several retailers.
While
swimmers in the US, for instance, receive comfortable salaries and other
benefits from sponsors, SA brands simply do not have the resources to support
swimmers in the same luxury as some other sport stars came to expect.
According to him, Mikasa’s wound ball, the Kickoff, is Africa’s biggest selling soccer ball.
fitness facilities will offer pay-as-you-go memberships, quick fix workouts and branded programmes.
De Wet’s Medalist
range of hockey equipment includes their best selling CLUB junior
hockey sticks which combine tested durability and affordability.
•Thirdly, premium quality brands must lead innovation.
The Sports Trader survey indicated that the kids are very brand conscious and that coaches or teachers seem to have a big influence in stick selection, as the whole first team often played with one or two brands.
He believes that new brands who want to establish themselves in the market, will find sponsorship worth their while.
brand wath selling
“The brands have worked hard to grow the sport and create interest, and these guys are just in to make a quick buck.
Yet, some high-profile players simply enjoy wearing a certain brand, although they are not sponsored by that brand.
Ludewig, however, claims that even top brands can make mistakes.
And not just any squash shoe, but the one who will offer you the best support and cushioning and is not too heavy, says Van Der Wath, who believes that Hi-Tec offers these qualities.
This kind of brand promotion clearly pays off, as a few players said that these brands were their favourites.
Tennis sales are increasing in many countries, especially in Asia, but in Europe and the US the market is declining — and more and more brands are competing for a slice of the consumer market that is shrinking.
According to
Paul Revington, SA mens hockey coach and brand manager for TK (distributed by
Gilbert), the changes in hockey shows a resemblance with those in tennis, which
replaced wooden rackets with graphite.
“Sometimes they will even remove the branding,” says Peter Whipp of Sportsballs, local supplier of Mitre.
Players should experiment with different string tensions when switching rackets because what works for one racket does not necessarily work for another, with elements like head size, brands and make influencing string tension.
They will buy the cheaper, Asian skateboards that all basically look the same, but cost much less than a branded board.
Nor do they necessarily play with their favourite brand.
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