For those that have been in the trade over twenty years the memory of Olympus Sports in their flagship 301 Oxford Street store is still one that burns brightly for many of us. That was the the era of shell suits when brands like Reebok and Ellesse were dominant, and when the UK sports trade […]
In 1999 I was co-founder of one of the UK’s first multi-sport eCommerce websites – sweatband.com. Back then the view of many in the sporting goods market was that consumers would not purchase their sports equipment online, particularly in sports where they had traditionally visited their local sports store to “check the weight of the […]
Distribution channels are developing, changing, evolving and converging at an ever increasing rate and sports brands and retailers have to adapt to these changes. Whilst there are still dominant brand players, in every sports category there is now an ever ending choice of brands for the retailer and whilst it is critical for any business […]
The face of the UK and global sporting goods industry continues to change and evolve at pace. As the boundaries between sports brands and sports retailers become more and more blurred so retailers become brands and brands become retailers. But what does this mean for the future of sports retailing and when and how do […]
The sports retail industry is being confronted with unprecedented change. Technological advances, changing consumer spending patterns and economic turmoil means that the sports retail landscape is changing quicker than some retailers (and brands) are able to react. Today’s consumer has vastly different and more sophisticated expectations of product, service, value and environment than five or […]
Approach During the past fifteen years the landscape of the UK sporting goods industry has changed dramatically. With the rise of the sports multiple came the decline of the sports independent and the overall decrease in the number of doors available to sell to. Many survivors have radically altered their business model and begun to […]