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hummel
It is tempting to ascribe the origins of hummel to Hans Christian Andersen and begin with "once upon a time..." A German shoemaker watching a local football game on a rainy day in 1923 realised that if he put cleats on the bottom of his shoes, the players would be better able to stand up and so play better. The name he chose for his cleated shoes, hummel, is German for bumble bee, inspired by the fact that the bumble bee's weight ought to make it unable to fly with its flimsy wings, but somehow it does; likewise players ought to be unable to stand in some conditions but, with hummel boots, somehow they could. The company's fashion products still carry a bumble bee logo and the teamsports range carries the chevron from the back of the bee.
Brand origins rarely have such cute stories attaching to them. Nor do many brands have as many firsts attached to them. It is the oldest teamsport brand in the world; it was the first company to put a cleat in a shoe; it was the first company to put rubber soles on trainers. The company is still moving forward because they recognise that in the sports and fashion world standing still is not an option.
The company's heritage in the UK is firmly based on teamsports and football has always been and always will be a key part of the business. The portfolio of teams has in the past included some major names - Tottenham, Real Madrid, Feyenoord and Sunderland as well as the Danish national side. Gary Bright, UK Teamsport Manager says that the company is stronger than ever in this sector, holding stock from the release of the catalogue in January throughout the year. He stresses that this offers retailers a cashflow safety valve, particularly relevant in the present commercial climate.
hummel say that this year their range of football boots "outsold even our expectations." Bright credits this success to a number of basic virtues: classic styling, a well made product, good price points and excellent margin for the retailer. hummel also take a long-term view, recognising that stocking levels are a classic retailer headache. Says Bright, "If a range ain't broke, we don't fix it, meaning that retailers can order in smaller quantities, knowing that we will keep the boots in stock for a couple of seasons."
Gary also admits that, despite his best efforts, a lot of retailers are unaware of the hummel proposition and heritage. The brand is deeply embedded in football culture and stresses quality and function ahead of fashion. That's bang central to the independent sports retailer's proposition to a customer.
All of which brings us to Glenn Hoddle, former Spurs and England star as well as manager of Chelsea and England (as if you'd forgotten). What's he doing now? Running the Glenn Hoddle Academy (GHA) is what. Check out the full story on the web, but it's a clever idea: lads who, for a variety of reasons, have not progressed beyond apprenticeships with academies, get another chance to make it. As Hoddle stresses, from his time at Chelsea he was aware that young players develop physically and mentally at different speeds, but the academy system is necessarily unforgiving of that. Hoddle's academy takes some of those lads off football's scrapheap.
hummel are closely involved with GHA, supplying match and training kit. Gary Bright has a long history with Hoddle, working for him in his sports retail stores and developing the link with his academy. Via GHA, hummel has achieved a lot of media coverage this year, including Sky Sports, BBC, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and Football Punk.
Bright says, "Our sponsorship is synonymous with the hummel approach, focused on grassroots, not done for immediate impact or quick financial gain but working closely with one of our ex-sponsored players and, maybe, one of the GHA members will be the new Glenn Hoddle." Every serious football fan (regardless of tribal sympathies) will recognise that Hoddle's playing and management career was focused on skills and expertise - aiming to deliver a quality product. Doesn't that reflect how the independent sports retailer operates?
