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"Trade Talk..."
What are the qualities necessary to run a successful business? And closer to home, are there special qualities needed to run a successful sports business? There may be exceptions that prove the rule but when our man about the trade, JACK LYNES, met MIKE DEEGAN, C.E.O of the Outdoor Sports Group, to talk about RONHILL, it didn’t take long to convince him that the Company was not simply in a safe pair of hands but with a man whose feet were still able to give any competitors a good run for their money.
He was the first Briton to win the Boston Marathon and did so in 2 hours, 10 minutes and 30 seconds.He struck gold in the Commonwealth Games in one minute and just two seconds less.And his third achievement in 1970 was to set up Ron Hill Sports.He has a PhD in Textile Chemistry.Before he was 70, he had raced in 87 countries and in what must surely be a world record has so far run some 150,000 miles.Well, that was Dr. Ron Hill. But I had come to see Mike Deegan, the man who is now responsible for continuing the outstanding success story which started in Ron Hill’s home (I suspect, but did not confirm, from his garage).Almost from the start, one word has been associated with the brand and has become synonymous with it.But before I track the brand’s progress (therein lies a clue) and see just where it is going, let’s check over Mike and see how he came into the picture.
It will be no surprise that Mike himself was a runner from an early age.As a boy at Middleton’s Delasalle School he quickly took to Cross Country, a sport at which he excelled. Some early brands which would have pride of place in a British sports museum (is anyone interested in establishing one, or is there already such a place in existence?) that he wore included a ripple sole shoe by ‘Lawrence’ and a ‘Litesome’ cotton vest.We wondered how the latter name, linked almost as a generic term with supports, was ever allowed to be dropped, unsupported by its new owners. Compare the progress of Reebok, whose origins were in simple running spikes,with no inkling of fashion, and anything but ‘cool’ which has since taken remarkable strides. But we stray. Living, or running, somewhat dangerously, as a somewhat shy boy at an all boys school,Mike was apt to run more by night than day, as he was somewhat embarrassed by his scant shorts as he strode past the girls’ school next door.At least, that is his version and who am I to question? Dominated by running but not restricted to athletics, he participated in most school sports including rugby union where he was usually sidelined to the wing.
At 18,Mike left school having attained a double grade A in Maths.He went on to University in Birmingham and read Commerce and Accounting, leaving three years later with a 2.1. in that subject and receiving a B.Com.Ac, no mean feat. But it was his other feet (sorry, could not resist that one, or those two) which put him on a par, so to speak,with Ron Hill. Participating in Rabat (Morocco) in the 1975 World X Country Championships he was in the first forty of the two hundred runners. Mike’s entry into the real world of work was with GEC Switchgear but he soon ran out of patience there, bored and restless, and informed his parents that he saw a future, his future, rather differently. It was thanks to ‘Athletics Weekly’,which he still reads, and a small box advertisement that he discovered a vacancy for a bookkeeper with Ron Hill.His interview was somewhat out of the ordinary, if not unique. It took place ‘on the run’ and some six miles later, he was in Ron’s employment, in his shop in Hyde, the
fourth member of staff.His first task was double entry bookkeeping, but it was Ron’s influence in those early days, his own father having recently died, that he fondly recalled and which undoubtedly played a very significant influence in making him the confident and capable person that I was meeting that day.
Mike married Angela 25 years ago. Quite apart from their pride in their two children, Rachel, 22 years young and an Oxford Blue and son Thomas, 19 years, also running at University, Angela is herself an international runner and sped round the first London marathon in just two hours 50 minutes touching the tape in ninth place. Let me confess right here and now that even though nothing stronger than apple juice passed my lips whilst we were meeting,Mike is not simply a fast runner, he thinks and speaks speedily too and attempting to engage with a rather thick club sandwich whilst making notes was none too easy. So accuracy in this running story of Mike might be somewhat questionable.
Now this story simply has to find a space somewhere so here goes. Ron, it seems, was at one time earning very little but would sometimes be in receipt of 1000 dollars for a single race. On one such occasion the money went into his pocket and then all was lost in the wash. It is not recorded if this was the first instance of laundered money, but without any doubt, this was one spin too many. But back to basics, or in this case, tracksters; that was the word you were looking for and at one time possibly the mainstay of the business.Mike who had steadily climbed the Ron Hill ladder recognized the danger of this and boldly challenged the situation, asking what would happen if they were to disappear altogether from the order book. Or, somewhat more realistically, if sales were to decline so that they were no longer so important in the balance sheet.How often is our foresight so clouded by outstanding success in one direction as to make us oblivious to possible, even probable, change? The warning was heeded and though tracksters for men and women still feature in the range, if the unthinkable were to happen, and they were to disappear, but forget it, they surely never will.
History is important to Ronhill. The progress, year by year, forms the preface of their quality catalogue. Despite an excellent web site, they have produced a very worthy production for 2008. I was particularly impressed with their creativity showing athletes super imposed running over famous London landmarks. The names given to the various ranges too stand out for their simplicity and directness. There is no mystery about ‘Advance’ for instance, where technical advance and safety colours combine to enhance vests to gilets, the latter boasting 360° reflectivity giving high visibility at dusk and for running at night. The new ‘Aspiration’ range for the active woman has what they describe as ‘an eclectic colour palette’ and the Aspiration vest quite apart from its claimed athletic functional design in a flattering feminine fit (I can't wait to be invited to the fashion show) has been independently tested to keep the skin protected from the summer sun’s UV rays. The Shape range, designed for the woman who seeks balance in her life, looks set to be another winner. But what particularly caught my eye, no, not another woman, was the new Junior range. This will surely help in the fight against young obesity and mean extra sales for any retailer with the initiative to stock it. Hot off the press, and remember that you first heard about it here, I can reveal the soon to be publicized launch of Ronhill’s ‘Young Athlete of The Month’ and a chance for every forward looking retailer to get in on the act.
On or off the road, the new Bike range looks to be a safe bet in more ways than one. Safe to stock, of course, but more importantly, safe for the biker. Quite apart from the obvious reflectivity, it will be a welcome garment for the cyclist seeking lightweight breathable fabric, ventilation, water resistant zips, cuffs that are elasticized to keep out the elements, and with some models, three easy reach pockets et al. But despite all the special features of the many ranges (and I have only had space to mention a few) and yes, two pages of the catalogue are devoted to the latest tracksters, one very special theme seemed to run through the entire brand and its image. That was its 'Britishness'. Front and back of the 2008 Spring/Summer Workshop book, shows a proudly waving Union Jack. The Contents page proclaims ‘RONHILL QUINTESSENTIALLY BRITISH’. The catalogue states its mission to be for ‘our great nation to become more active and healthy’.Not a bad philosophy, I suggest, for all our readers. Surely, a profitable one too.
Whatever it was that impressed Ron Hill when he ran with Mike Deegan that first time,we may never know.He has recalled, however, that he was running in a pair of Ron Hill shorts, bought through an advertisement in ‘Athletics Weekly’ for the princely sum of 99p, or was it £19.99 ? And through this ‘Jack meets….’ he would like to thank them. I think our readers would like to join in the appreciation.As do I.
Jack welcomes your comments and is always glad to discuss your ideas, problems and concerns, either person to person, or in print. If there is anyone you would like him to meet or any product to write about please contact the Editor or Jack (writeawayjack@aol.com) His articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers and are not ‘advertorials’. They are not seen prior to publication by any person or firm to whom they may refer.
