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First Words - August 2011
Merchandise is a topic I want to talk with the trade about
The issue of merchandise is one that I’m keen to talk about with the retail community, especially with such big events as the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games on the horizon and other marquee sporting events like the Rugby World Cup and football European Championships also on the radar.
We’ve given plenty of column inches up to the work of Pattni Imaginations to bring its football action figures to the attention of SGB Sports’ readers, and from distributor Spot On Gifts to manufacturer Homewin there is a common theme: it’s a no-brainer.
The independent retail community has an opportunity to use these goods, whether bags, packs and key rings and wallets, to garden gnomes, dog bowls and mugs, to make itself a go-to destination within its community.
You can forgive me for including gnomes and dog bowls in that list as, although they may not be the traditional fare for sports retailers, they highlight the depth and breadth of merchandise available to the retail market to draw in customers, bring about additional sales and give your shop a point of difference.
Football fans, particularly, are fiercely loyal to their local club and are always keen to adorn themselves in all the latest products bearing their club’s crest, be it the new shirt, a scarf, a hat or a key ring dangling from their house keys.
And with being a football supporter remaining a localised pastime (forgetting the jokes about Manchester United fans coming from Croydon), it makes these items an ideal way for you to connect with your local community.
While they should never become your bread and butter, they seem like an ideal way to sweeten any sale to me.
David Pittman, editor, SGB Sports
