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Arena
In February 2008, Solosport signed a distribution agreement with Arena to market their product and develop opportunities for the brand in the UK and Ireland. With Prince rackets already in their stable, Solosport is a well-known name in our industry. Can they bring the glory days back to Arena in the UK? SGB thinks so, as Digby Gunson explains.
SGB: Tell us a little about the Arena brand's history.
Digby Gunson: If we take the brand as a whole, the Arena brand was created in 1972, by Horst Dassler, who at the time was president of adidas and the son of its founder. It came about because in the Munich Olympics Mark Spitz won seven gold medals setting some seven world records at the same time. This crystallised a vision in Horst Dassler's mind, that the swimming community could really benefit from having product which is wholly focussed on developing and giving the very best, in product terms, to that community. Dassler then went off to create the company, and announced his plan and dedication to the aquatic sports community. Arena became a brand and was launched in 1973 with the endorsement of Spitz, produced a swimwear line called Skinfit.
In the 80s, a line called Flyback was introduced, which was the world's first competition swimsuit designed with thin straps to create a large opening on the shoulders, which is now the standard form for competitive swimwear.
The brand became much higher in profile in the 1990s, introducing an Aqua Racer range, and in the new millennium, 2000 and onwards, produced PowerSkin and PowerSkin Extreme, and now Arena's latest innovation R-Evolution.
This latest development was overshadowed with the controversy surrounding the Speedo suit, which has now moved on. The technical structure of the Speedo LZR suit has set a new standard in the use of materials, and there will be an R-Evolution+ suit coming out in time for the Olympics which has all the benefits and more of the Speedo LZR suit.
SGB: Will you have swimmers wearing the new suit at the Olympics?
DG: The intention is that Arena-sponsored swimmers will be able to wear the R Evolution+ suit at the Olympics. It's a difficult area because national teams are often sponsored by a brand and so are meant to wear that brand's swimsuit. As a result, there's a lot of to-ing and fro-ing to decide who wears what. But we have an expectation of being very visible on the podiums throughout the games.
SGB: How long has the brand been around in the UK?
DG: The brand had been around in the UK in a meaningful way up to about seven-and-a-half years ago. In 2000 the brand was licensed to Sports World, who manufactured their own styles and to their own quality standards. That license agreement lasted for six years. By the end of that time there was a new management team at Arena who had a different, new fix on the brand's positioning, and decided the Arena brand in the UK was not to the standard they wished to support, so the contract ended. That was a year and a half ago.
SGB: So has there been any kind of rescue required on the brand, any repair work in the consumer's perception?
DG: The way we've come at it is a complete relaunch, almost as though the brand was hitting the UK for the first time. Obviously it isn't, and the name is known to a lot of people, but the product standards of recent years didn't perhaps reflect the standards that had been enjoyed prior to it being made under license.
SGB: There must be a lot of work involved in a relaunch...
DG: Yes there's a lot of work and it will take time for people to accept that we're here in a meaningful way, with product manufactured to very high standards as expected by the serious frequent swimmer. That frequent swimmer may be a competitive one or a leisure one.
We have a media plan which is really announcing to the retail trade that we're here and we will be knocking on their door in the fullness of time, and we'd quite enjoy it if they'd knock on our door to see what we have to offer.
In parallel with that, we have to announce to the swimming community that we're here so that we can try and guide them to take our products through the retailer that supplies their club or their region. In the meantime we have to address the other issues any business has, which is to make sure we have the right stock at the right time and at the right price.
Arena - which has a world HQ in Italy - will be working very closely with us to give us the maximum support to take advantage of whatever opportunities we think are available and commercially viable.
SGB: There's a huge number of casual swimmers out there, and they often pick things because they like the style or the colour rather than out of brand loyalty. How are you going to reach those swimmers?
DG: If we look to Europe, Arena has a brand name which at market share level ranks with Speedo, and in some cases ahead of Speedo. The two brands between them have very high visibility at whatever standard of swimmer or water activity you take part in. On Eurosport for example there is a lot of Arena branding in water sport activities; the name is not going to be as strange to prospective customers
Arena's history is its strength in the technical side of the market. So we recognise we cannot be all things to all men from day one. We have to establish a presence and credibility, and our immediate aim is to do that with the serious and frequent swimmer, as against the person that might want a swimsuit for their holiday or to nip down to the beach. That said, there are full ranges of beach and leisure wear which are available, in a comprehensive manner, as these are very important markets to Arena in Italy, Spain and wherever the sun shines.
There's also a full range of technical aids, with training aids for the frequent swimmer, buoyancy aids to make sure children stay safe in the water, goggles - again, for children, adults, there's a full range of accessories for whatever activity they want to get into, right the way across to where we could kit out a full water polo team from head to toe.
The Arena brand is not a general sports brand of which water is an element, we are totally committed to water sports activities.
SGB: Do you sponsor any individual athletes?
DG: Kirsty Balfour is one, Kris Gilchrist is another. They're the male and female swimmers in the UK Olympic team that come instantly to mind. There is sponsorship and we will be developing that area as and when opportunities present themselves.
SGB: What's exciting in the future, in the 2009 lines?
DG: We actually just got back from seeing the new lines in Italy. The range for SS09 are really impressive, in the sense that the material they're using is really state-of-the-art. Chlorine resistant, UV protection and all the other bits you would expect. But the pattern and cut are really special, and will make them stand out from alternatives people may consider.
There's a new way they're manufacturing goggles as well, so the actual fit is both more comfortable and more effective, and better in terms of width of vision for the swimmer.
They're also moving into electronic goods. They have an MP3 player which is completely waterproof to a depth of two metres. For a long-distance swimmer or a triathlete, you clip this onto your belt, put the earphones in - which also keep the water out - and you're off. The alternatives are waterproof headphones, which are bulky, a case for your MP3 player, which is more bulk... This is quite compact and very effective. It also features a radio, so if you're sitting on the beach you can use it and there's no way for sand to get in. In Italy, they're running out of inventory for the item as it's sold even better than anticipated.
It all supports what I said earlier - they are totally focussed on water activities.
SGB: How are you going to be getting the message out about Arena to independent stores?
DG: We will have a sales team covering the UK and Ireland. We currently distribute the Prince racquet brand , and the guys that look after that will be presenting Arena to their customer base. So the chances are retailer will already know the salesman who will be presenting the brand to them.
We will also be looking to sponsor and support the local swimming community through local swimming clubs and leisure centres. We'll have a range of activities aimed to raise the profile of the brand with the end user, and where possible join in with the local retailer or retailers in an area who want to create demand for the Brand.
We're practical. The high street at the moment is quite fragile and quite nervous about taking anything new. Some people will get hold of Arena quite quickly, some who will remember it from years gone by; other will be more cautious. We're not trying to be everything to everyone, we'll feel our way and develop the brand in the light of economic circumstances that everyone is facing.
