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Never miss a goal
Nomis is an interesting name for a brand. What’s the story behind it?
It’s actually just Simon reversed, named after Simon Skirrow designer and Nomis creator; his wife was talking to him and he had some titles, she was reading upside down and suggested it.Very simple but everyone asks what it means. It’s a great talking point especially its pronunciation, which incidentally is No-miss.
How does the brand position itself within the UK sports market?
We are aimed at the higher market sales end, originally providing top quality boots to professional players and the elite market, but as the brand is becoming known more worldwide,we are selling more and more to the general public who appreciate the quality, and with no takedown on the kids boots, parents are realising that quality and comfort are worth paying for, to help with the growth of young kids feet. This is where the independent retail market is so important to our brand.
The Nomis Glove and Spark were rated as the best boots in 2006, rating higher than any other brand’s boots. How important were these findings to the brand’s global presence?
It was a massive gamble for us to take, but we were so positive that the boots would rate highly amongst other brands that we engaged the tests whole heartedly. The results were staggering – to beat the most established brands and be placed 1 and 2 with the Glove and Spark respectively was a fantastic achievement. It has enabled us to really come out fighting, knowing and believing we have the best products on the market, and having the scientific reports to prove it. It has raised our profile massively,we are receiving enquiries from all over the world, from players, retailers and academies.
Tell me a bit more about these products – why are they so special?
The original design was based on a running shoe, with the aim to provide comfort and injury prevention - and they do this fantastically well. They are made of top quality K leather, which is very very soft but strong, and importantly are made in one piece, which lessens tearing at the seams, or where synthetic materials join, as in some other brands.
The leather properties are coated with control technology, which allows players to optimise their performance in different weather conditions. We have produced 2 formats, the dual control and the wet control. The wet gives the player better ball control in very wet muddy conditions whilst the dual can be utilised in all playing conditions. The boots have excellent sweat resistance, are breathable, and have a very low water absorption, which means less blistering, and dry warm feet!
The redesigned sole pattern has improved the rotational movement of the foot, therefore removing stress from the ankle, yet still retaining great traction. The nomud technology is applied to the soleplate during manufacturing. It reduces the amount of mud and dirt collected on the soleplate of the boots, which means less weight, and keeps the studs/blades free of mud therefore improving traction and grip. It also means less cleaning!
Explain the thinking behind the DUALCONTROL and WETCONTROL technology.
The simplest explanation is to compare to Formula 1 racing – how many times do you see the leading car pull into the pits, losing precious time, yet going on to win because they changed their tyres to suit the surface. It is the same principle with the Dual and Wet Control technology. The boot maintains its grip on the ball, especially when wet, so there is less ‘aquaplaneing’and more control.
The brand offers four footwear ranges – Firm Ground; Soft Ground; Turf Shoes and Indoor Shoes. Talk us through the different styles and technologies within each of these product categories.
Another innovative area Simon Skirrow has worked on is the design of all the sole plates in the Nomis range. With questions being asked about the relationship between stud configurations and player injuries, Simon was ahead of the game by re designing semi curved blades to improve the rotational movement of the foot, removing stress from the ankle, whilst the blades/studs still retain optimum traction.Nomis Firm Ground boots were one of the first boots to add rubber tips to the blades to reduce injury to players, and the placement of the blades is wider to improve stability.
The Soft Ground has 6 stud forefoot, to enhance grip on the ground and the wider position improves pressure dispersion, improving comfort. The use of screw in studs enables the player to customise their own boots.
The Turf or Astro shoes are made to the same high specification as the Glove and Pearl boots with wet and dual technology applied to the leathers.We are constantly re designing and developing new technologies, and this year we will be bringing out even more soleplates to suit various sports played on the differing styles of astro turf.
The indoor shoe is the latest in the range with the Nomis Excel 3000, a pure running shoe which is in the developmental stage, and has so far received fantastic feedback from professionals who are trialling them.
Nomis Control Techology has been incorporated into the gloves range. How does this work and why is it important?
The Nomis brand has always been built around improving player performance, so by applying the control technology to the palm side of a glove, the player’s grip on the ball or stick is greater than the palm of your hand. In dry conditions the sweat from the palm is used to create the grip, therefore keeping your hands dry, but increasing the grip on the outer side, whereas in wet conditions, the technology uses the water, and in sports such as rugby the combination of wet weather and a wet ball increases the grip even more.
Basically it gives the player wearing the gloves an advantage, and that final touch on the ball could make all the difference.
Talk us through each of the brand’s glove designs.
The principle of all the gloves designs are to provide comfort and enhanced grip, this can be incorporated in virtually every sport,with just a few design changes to suit.
For instance we have been working very closely with Olympic Gold medallist Chris Hoy, and designing a cycling glove that has all the properties a cyclist would love. We ask all our professional athletes to trial any product for us, and respect their views totally, using their suggestions within the designs.After all, who better to ask than the guys who spend their whole life striving to be better and to wear products that improve their game.
The rugby mitts come in two styles half finger and _ finger, and are skin tight with a velcro fastening,whilst the Gaelic Gloves are full finger with a little more protection.
The equestrian and golf gloves are full fingered and made from k leather and are similar to the Gaelic, whilst the hockey glove is padded for all digits and the back of the hand, to provide ultimate protection, and grip on the palm.
What does the STIK registered trademark stand for?
This is the registered trademark for Nomis certified performance technology. It means the product contains authentic surface technologies developed to improve performance.
What do you think of celebrity endorsements? Do you have any such contracts with teams or individual players?
Endorsements are only as good as the products.We ensure players trial the products in competitive environments, and give us feedback comments to us.We are not interested in players who will endorse a product simply because they are being paid to do so.All of our endorsees wear the products because they believe they are the best, and top sports athletes will always wear a product that enhances their play and gives them an advantage.
We are official boot suppliers to the Scottish National Women’s squad, and the Welsh Women’s Rugby Union,we are great supporters of women’s sports, and have designed the only football boot specifically to fit a women’s foot and ankle. Previously it was deemed ok for women to wear mens boots, and yet the shape of a woman’s foot and ankle is so different to a man’s. This is just one example where Nomis has led the way in innovation.
We have developed a boot for Liverpool’s Harry Kewell, who has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. Since wearing Nomis he has had the longest period injury free and is a great supporter of our brand.
Lomana Lua Lua at Portsmouth and Tony Hibbert at Everton wear the Spark and Glove respectively, and many of the womens England team wear the womens cut.We also have many endorsements from the world of rugby union and league.
What is your relationship with the independent retailer?
We ONLY deal with independent retailers, they are the most important people in our network and we cannot succeed without them. Because of the very nature of our products we need the comfort and quality zones to be paramount and this relies on the retailer taking the time to discuss and show these properties to the consumer. Our future marketing campaigns all feature working with our retailers to raise brand awareness, and to build on the partnerships already created.
Do you offer technical training and support?
Yes we do, and a new range of POS materials have been designed for the retail market, and will keep on developing new ideas and formats.We will be delivering far greater support this coming year as we develop a stronger hold on the retail market, and providing retailers with promotional opportunities. Our professional Promo team, created from contracted athletes,will be available for appearances and coaching. This is a new area, and one we believe will offer our retailers an opportunity to engage with consumers in a far reaching strategy, that will continue repeating itself around the UK.
What about merchandising?
Is the way in which retailers present the product range directed by the brand?
Because our products are far ranging from kids size 2, up to adults size 15, the merchandising varies to each retailer, this is where our differing POS materials can help. We discuss with our retailers, rather than offer advice, on product display and initiatives.
Our boot packaging is first class, therefore retailers have confidence in the whole package.We offer within the price, product information and extras that are not available through other brands.When retailers show Nomis products they know the consumer is receiving value for money. It’s a winning formula.
What advice can you offer the independent retailer trying to compete within such a fierce marketplace?
The brand provides unique quality and understanding of it’s market, therefore producing an unrivalled product, with confidence.
The vast range allows retailers to choose from a high product end to the elite market place, through to the kids arena,with no take down in materials and comfort.
The range is developing fast into different arenas both indoor and outdoor sports, from grassroots to Premiership and is designed for all levels at broad market prices.
Nomis is synonymous with ensuring good productivity and consistency from design to despatch, and because our warehouse is UK based we operate a fast turn around, enabling our retailers to provide an excellent service to the consumer.
For retail sales contact steve@nomisports.co.uk
