You are in:
Independent sports retailers join the club for supplying team strips
It may seem an attractive proposition, and club or team kit wear represents a growing sector, but for most independent sports' retailers maintaining stocks and ensuring good quality after-sales often precludes their profiting from this market.
The UK football team kit market is estimated to be worth £60 million with over 12 million players in the UK- of which 7million are adults and 5 million are children- from school and youth teams through to the pub leagues and lower professional divisions all requiring team strips and increasingly training wear and accessories. There are approximately1.3million affiliated to the FA which means there are a vast number of non-affiliated leagues.
Serving this sector can be a logistical nightmare for the independent retailer. Typical problems include:
Delivery times: it seems impossible to predict when clubs will need new kits and what colours and styles they will need, so realistically, stock cannot be held in the shop. This could make it impossible to cater for demand - a situation not helped by the more well-known brands which are frequently unable to provide a quick turn-around.
Stock levels: it is very difficult to keep the appropriate stock for all grassroots football teams, as levels would be ridiculously high and shops do not have the capacity to store the product.
A growing number of retailers are benefiting from working with specialist suppliers in this sector. Prostar for example has been producing sportswear since 1901. It is regarded as one of the leading specialists in performance team wear and has worked with independent retailers to take many of the expected problems off their shoulders enabling them to take maximum profits with minimal risk.
Mark Warick, who has worked in the sportswear industry for over 20 years, owns and manages Brentwood Sports in Essex. His management partner of four years, Jon Parrott, has a career spanning nine years in the sportswear industry. Both believe specialist knowledge of the teamwear sector along with excellent customer care are key to a successful business.
Mark said: "Around 40 per cent of our business is made up of providing team sportswear so it's vital that we have an effective and efficient service. Larger suppliers are unable to provide the stock needed in a quick turn-around time. Specialist suppliers, like Prostar, enable us to run our business more efficiently."
Jon said: "We supply team sportswear to all sports and regularly provide football kit for over 280 grassroots teams. It is vital to us and our customers that we have a trustworthy and reliable supplier."
Ian Stokoe set up Just Sport in Newcastle 27 years ago. As well as supplying sportswear across a wide range of sports, he is a football teamwear specialist supplying kits to hundreds of grassroots football teams.
Just Sport supplies the full range of sports gear from kits to footballs, and a large proportion of the business is dedicated to teamwear. The business has a ‘one-stop shop' approach- providing embroidery and printing services for clubs and teams where kits can be personalised.
Choosing the right supplier is often a critical factor in being successful in the teamwear market.
Ian said: "The sportswear industry is a price-driven competitive market, so it is important you choose a supplier who consistently provides top quality, affordable sportswear and who you can always rely on to deliver."
Specialist suppliers, like Prostar, can provide a 48-72 hour stock turnaround, providing a fast and efficient service. As well as producing a wide range of team kits, they can also provide co-ordinating trainingwear, reducing the need for retailers to shop around various suppliers.
Key lessons for any sports retailer wanting to enter the teamwear market include:
- Look for turn-around times from order to delivery - as clubs are impatient and do not want to hang around waiting for their order.
- Check out the supplier's after-sales service and how responsive they are for individual orders - where a team may have forgotten to order a complete set. This is vital for good after sales service.
- Check out the range and variety on offer.
- Always seek to be able to offer a new choice each season. Many clubs look out for something new to make them stand out.
