You are in:
Giving the independent a voice
Surf Shack has acquired a kind of cult status over the years- sports and outdoor enthusiasts love it. When was it established?
Surf Shack was established 15 years ago in Rye as an independent shop retailing surf, skateboard and snowboard equipment, and sports style clothing. The business enjoyed considerable success and developed into a chain of shops including Maidstone and Bromley. The Rye shop was sold to realise the capital value of the land. With the opening of Bluewater shopping centre, turnover fell and the Bromley shop was closed allowing us to concentrate on the Maidstone shop.
How would you describe your store?
The shop has an individual and relaxed image committed to appealing to a very diverse customer base. It maintains its unique position by providing not only clothing, but sports equipment and staff that are knowledgable and actively involved in the various sports. The shop is a lively and fun place that customers come to for its friendly service and advice.
Talk us through your products.
We stock products in three main areas, surf, skate and snow.
Our snowboarding customers enjoy snowboards, boots, bindings, accessories and technical clothing to match, from suppliers such as Burton, Thirty Two, Flow, and Bonfire, to name a few.We also provide a snowboard maintenance service.
Skate customers benefit from blank decks, trucks, wheels, tools, various accessories, protective pads, and a range of complete set ups, from suppliers like Enuff, Enjoi, Casual, Plan B, Almost,World Industries.
Body boards, skim boards, snorkel sets, flippers, wetsuits, and surf boards are offered to our surf customers, along with clothing from Stussy, Hurley, Addict, Alpine Stars, Fox, Quiksilver, Billabong, O’Neill, Animal, Weird Fish and Plain Lazy.
We also supply footwear from Globe, Etnies, Es, Emerica,Vans, and sunglasses from Oakley and Dirty Dog.
What has trade been like so far this year? What are your busiest months and why?
Due to the amount of rain we’ve had, and the late start of the summer weather trade has been slow this season. These weather conditions do not encourage shoppers to come to Maidstone, they would rather go to places like Bluewater.
Despite this we stock a wide range of products all year round, and if it’s not in stock we’ll aim to get it.
As soon as the hot weather arrives we will sell loads of board shorts from our extensive range. Our busiest months are usually June/July when customers are buying their holiday clothes, and Christmas when we have presents and gift ideas for everyone.
Do you have any marketing strategies in place, such as linking up with local charities and schools?
We help local schools and charities providing clothing and accessories for fashion shows that they put on.We provide amongst other things prizes for local events such as Peace One Day, and the skate competition Up Rockin. For the Tour de France weekend we held a beach party, with a surf simulator, BBQ, and bands, to promote Market Buildings as the street of independent stores to visit when in Maidstone. Our next big street party will be the Christmas Lights switch on,when we plan to stage similar activities.
Do you belong to any buying groups?
No, but given the current retail market, and the fact that the big brand names are demanding large minimum spends per season, this is something that is not practical for us as we are a relatively small store, and it ties up too much cash flow, therefore I think this is something we should definitely look into.
Has the growth of online retail impacted on your shop sales in recent years?
Certainly, it’s a very competitive market, and this is something we are trying to capitalise on as well,with the opening of our own website www.urbansurfshack.com. We also run an ebay shop http://stores.ebay.co.uk/urbansurfshack, and have a sister website www.urbanfreestyle.net.
What about the might of the multiples, just how do you compete?
Our focus here has to be, and is customer service, and to try and stock styles in season. By offering and providing an individual service to make the customer feel wanted and special.
What sets the independent sports retailer apart from the rest?
Customer service and knowledge of the products you’re selling.We can, and have to be able to offer technical advice on the products we’re selling, something that isn’t available in the multiples.
The outdoor industry has changed a lot over the years – is this for the better or worse?
Things are always evolving and all we can do is evolve with them. If you sit still you’re finished.
