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Digging down
If the market won't come to existing price points, there is only one thing for it, according to many of Europe's leading team-wear producers: take the price points down to the market.
"Unfortunately what we are seeing is that there are less small businesses out there sponsoring team kits, so a lot of teams are having to make do with the same kits as last season," says Ian Bishop, Prostar's Business Development Director. "It is tough times but we are holding our own. Thankfully our sales have remained even, year on year, which is great considering the economic climate we are in."
Sensport brand manager Simon Shalloe is of a similar opinion; "Clubs are looking at more cost-effective options," he says, "mainly because sponsors are offering less in terms of hard cash. Where a sponsor may have once offered £800 to a club for their playing kit, and a further amount for training-wear, sponsors and clubs now need to get more for their money."
These market conditions have prompted Prostar to establish a new entry level. "We are offering a basic design but with the same quality of product," explains Bishop. "It offers real value to teams that need their kit at a low budget. The long-sleeved jersey will retail at around £12, as opposed to £14-15 for our normal range. The initial reaction we have had from retailers has been very positive."
Paul Sherratt, UK country manager for Uhlsport, reports a similar response from the premium German brand. "Uhlsport has always positioned itself as a mid to top-end brand and we still have products within those categories," he says, "but we made a strategic decision to try and open up more doors by introducing some new product that maintains Uhlsport's quality, but which is priced more aggressively. This has allowed more retailers to buy into the brand."
Sherratt singles out Uhlsport's Club range, which is retailing at the "pretty key price point" of £19.99 for a shirt-shorts-socks set. "That has been a big drive for us," he adds.
However, the new entry level is not being entertained by all brands in the team-wear sector. On the back of a strong 2008, for example, Precision Training is holding its kit RRPs from last year.
"In 2008 we showed good increases in our sales for team wear and training wear, and one of the reasons is that we have stock," explains Dave Sanderson, national sales manager for Precision Training. "Crucial to the team wear market is whether companies have got the right stock on the shelves at the right time. We can turn around orders in 48 hours. That is an integral part of our service to the sports trade, that we offer 24-48 hour delivery. It's a very good service."
Precision Training's 2009 catalogue is being launched on April 1, and it will feature new colours across all four of its team kits, which are named after some of the great stadia of European football: Bernabeu II, Olimpico, San Siro and Parkhead.
For team-wear manufacturers, like any other business, it is critical not to stand still in a tough market, whether that means working out a way to pull back prices or by pushing forward with enticing technological advances.
Team Colours is hoping to stand out by positioning itself as a bespoke kit specialist. "Competition is fierce," claims managing director Rosemary Carter. "As such, we've positioned ourselves as a bespoke kit manufacturer giving the customer options in the styles, sizes and colours they can have. We have seen an increase in the demand for bespoke sportswear, football kit and team-wear. As more people opt for bespoke kit, we've experienced positive growth this past year and we are warily confident that this growth will continue into 2009."
For rugby brand Rhino, which has a long tradition in rugby training equipment yet only entered the team apparel game last year, they hope the secret to success lies in coconuts, or to be more specific, Cocona.
"Rhino has exclusivity for Cocona in the rugby market, and we will be launching the products in our forthcoming range for August 2009," says Duncan Olner, commercial manager for Rhino licensee Tri-Merchandise. And no, Cocona is not a new moisturiser for prop forwards. "Cocona is made from a coconut bi-product and we are using it as a fabric varnish, providing a water-repellent finish. It wicks away sweat and regulates body temperature. Cocona is being used in all the Rhino base layer products and official team kits."
And there it is: when addressing the team-wear market today, it can only be a matter of time before the sector's shining saviour comes into focus: the base layer. While the shirt-short-sock three-piece may just about remain the basic team requirement, it has all but expanded into a quartet, with the base layer at its foundation.
"Increasingly, base layers are being considered part of the core range rather than as a support collection," confirms Olner.
"The explosion in base layer technology and provision has been remarkable really," adds Tim Barnard, UK sales manager of Errea Sport. "Because the majority of players are now wearing base layer products, right down to grass roots levels, you are seeing that team shirts are tending to be made in lighter fabrics."
"The Bukta base layer has really taken off," says Neil Cameron of Bukta, itself a new entry into the ultra-competitive team-wear market. "The base layer is still a relatively new and exciting concept, and as all the football professionals are wearing them this has a knock-on effect on grass roots football. Our price is also considerably cheaper than many other brands, while the quality of our base layer products is very high."
Precision Training will be introducing a new base layer range for Autumn Winter 2009, but apart from the base layer technological advances, plans for Italian brand Errea Sport revolve around its new ‘Titanium Nano-Technology' fabric. Nanotech particles in the new textile have water and oil repellent, anti-stain, anti-static, anti-bacterial and breathable properties, and they are being worn the pitch this season by football clubs Middlesbrough, Atalanta and Parma, in Errea's home city.
"We are using nano-technology fabrics in our shirts for professional teams, and that technology will be rolled out into our standard catalogue product from Spring 2009, to be released in March," says Errea's Barnard.
For Kustom Kit, its Cooltex range is going to be key this year. "Our Cooltex range is a new addition for 2009, and it has been introduced to meet the greater demand for performance-led garments," says Ryan Hornbuckle, Kustom Kit's marketing director. "Cooltex garments feature dry-wicking fabric that gives improved air circulation and allows moisture to escape. The Cooltex range is ideally suited to anybody that needs a performance garment - not only sports teams but also for staff at leisure centres and gyms, and those in the sporting corporate hospitality sector."
Mitre also remains at the leading edge technically, with its microfibre travel suits and polyester water-resistant jackets proving popular at the professional level. Having recently signed up to supply kit to the El Salvador national team, Mitre's product development hinges on training ground feedback from professional teams, to the extent their football socks even come with heel and toe cushioning with a view to eradicating blisters.
Meanwhile, Gymphlex is ensuring that school and club teams also have access to the technical fabrics on the high street through its new Gforce concept for 2009. Taking in over 20 fabrics and 23 colours, Gymphlex is also offering services including badging and embroidery.
A lot of companies are also countering the recession by diversifying their product offerings are delving into new markets. Prostar, for example, is following the success of its training-wear into cricket and rugby, and Bishop promises we will see Prostar kitting out an international cricket side before 2009 is all out.
Sensport, which operates in rugby, cricket, hockey, netball and basketball as well as football, has found potential in looking beyond the basic team kit and base layer items. "Clubs can generate extra revenue by producing a retail range," says Shalloe. "This area should not be exclusive to pro clubs, and we work closely with our retail accounts on producing custom ranges for clubs, as parents of junior members are only too happy to buy a hoodie or a jacket to support the club financially, which in turn generates revenue for the retailer."
Not all team-wear manufacturers will prosper in 2009. A market that is depressed and over-crowded cannot work for all. The brands emerging intact at the end of the year are the ones offering attractive and relevant products, exceptional value for money, and of course, excellent service and sales support.
