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Dave Shaw, HEAD
When you've become head of HEAD UK, you've got a career to talk about and a wealth of valuable knowledge to share. So let's hear from Dave Shaw. He was appointed General Manager of the UK division in January, in succession to Jeremy Sherwood who has been promoted to the international board in a new role as executive director global sales and marketing. Another recent strategic change sees the appointment of Helen McHugh who takes up the role of Promotions Manager.
Dave came into the sports business in 1994, joining Sportline after five years in the Royal Navy and a variety of sales roles. Sportline were the UK distributors for HEAD and when the brand set up its UK subsidiary in 2002, they brought him on board. Since then he has had a range of responsibilities on the sales and marketing side from field sales and promotion to players and coaches through product manager and then category manager for racket sports. Shaw says that he enjoys working in the industry because it offers such variety: "You meet and deal with retailers sportsmen and consumers, you're not chained behind a desk." He also likes the fact that it's a close-knit industry where you can build long-term relationships with customers: "To me it feels like one big family".
HEAD of course is noted for its racket sports products but it also has a large winter sports range covering all aspects of ski and snowboard hardware - little wonder with an Austrian head office. In the UK the brand also has a big heritage in sports bags and holdalls. To date HEAD has always been a technically driven brand, focusing its image on technological expertise and advances. In 2009 that is due to undergo a significant strategic change. While maintaining the underpinnings of technical excellence the focus will be far more on consumer emotion, passion and personality, aiming to reach a younger market, especially teenagers. This will be reflected in far more dramatic advertising which will include computer generated imagery. Marketing spend will be massively behind the brand's endorsed personalities to recruit that younger generation of customers. It comes as no surprise that Shaw sees 2009 as a "very testing year for many", a year that will be about consolidation. His hope is that the present conditions will bring independent specialists to the fore, fighting off the stranglehold which multiples have applied. He is also confident that the HEAD proposition - "a fantastic product range endorsed by professional sportsmen of the highest level, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and skiers Didier Cuche & Bode Miller" - will make a significant contribution to independent retailers' efforts.
With HEAD's technological history you would expect some new developments and you won't be disappointed. As a general market position they are aiming to stress the user benefits derived from their superior technology across the range of sporting skill levels, from novice to expert. A brand new development only just announced is the use of d3O, a compound which falls under the heading "smart materials". The key benefit is that it enables a product to change its characteristics depending on what it is being used for. Thus a racket is firmer for a smash creating more power than a gentle drop shot, when control is the key ingredient. This material already exists in the football world and is a key material when it comes to protective clothing.
Although Shaw is a big fan of the business as a whole, his greatest frustration is the extent of focus on price, driven by the internet. An obsession with discounting and price matching ignores all the other benefits of a sports retailer: range, expertise, product trial and good old-fashioned customer service. Shaw says that selling over the internet works most effectively for "product in a box" and sports goods are far more finely nuanced than that. "Customers aren't just interested in price. We have far more benefits to offer."
HEAD are the official racket sponsors for the British Squash Open championship in Manchester and will provide the official ball (HEAD ATP) for the Barclays ATP Tour world finals at the 02 Arena in November. Shaw says that the latter in particular will raise not only the brand's profile, but tennis in general and create "a magnificent sales opportunity in the run-up to Christmas." for the industry as a whole. He recommends that retailers should be conscious of consumers' heightened awareness created by such events and reflect it in both their stock and in-store merchandising.
To compliment the ATP finals HEAD are running a Golden Tennis Ball promotion from May to July. Every time a consumer buys the HEAD ATP product they stand a chance of winning a prize ranging from a racket, to accessories and footwear. In addition a number of ‘Golden' balls will be distributed. The ultimate prize for stumbling across one of these is to not only stay at the players' hotel and watch the finals from a luxury VIP seat, but also practice with Andy Murray in his build-up to the finals.__Like many in the business, Dave Shaw is a keen sportsman himself, playing golf, football and tennis, the latter to county standard. While he doesn't believe it is essential to play sports to sell the product, he knows that his background helps when dealing with specialist retailers.
Shaw sees attention to after-sales service as a vital element in what makes retailers stand out. "First you've got to sell customers the right product for them as individuals. Then sell the add-ons, but just as important aim to bring them back to the store." He cites as a good example, offering the first re-string free. "The aim should be to make them habitually choose you first."
Shaw is also a strong advocate of being pro-active in the local community. He says: "You can't just sit behind the till waiting for customers to come in, you have to get out there and forge links with local clubs and schools." Creating trial events at a local club and making exclusive offers to members will generate both sales and drive word-of-mouth publicity among members.
Finally, for new entrants to the business (and even in challenging times they are there) Shaw's experience says that the routes to success are in creating a distinctive offering to the customer. "Have a clear idea of which products to focus on; don't spread yourself too thin; above all, do whatever you can to stand out from competitors, especially the multiples."
