News ON THE WING Chilled water on the move


Combining patented freezer stick technology with a water filtration system, EZ-Freeze Pure reusable water bottles from Spearmark Housewares are an eco friendly and cost effective way to enjoy chilled water on the go and are suitable for all sports men and women, the company says. www.spearmark.co.uk


Skins launch TV ad


Cheat Legal, Skins’ new £500,000 30 second TV ad promoting its A400 range of gradient compression clothing is now playing across all Sky Sports Channels plus ESPN. www.skins.


Ispo Trade Fair Initiative


Your Key to Trade Fair Success Initiative is a new service for exhibitors at Ispo 2011 forming a comprehensive package of instruction, training and check lists including a brochure “10 Steps to Guaranteed Success at Trade Fairs.” www.ispo.com


Footbalance launches in UK


Finnish Footbalance custom insoles are now available in the UK through independent retailer Tony Pryce Sports. The Footbalance store concept provides a comprehensive foot analysis and individually moulded insoles made on site by the retailer.


www.footbalance.com


Gola appoints new business development manager


Gola International have appointed Tom Stopforth as business development manager. He joins from Fila UK. www.gola.co.uk


Sports wash kills germs


A non-bio laundry detergent designed specifically for sports wear clothing has been launched. Halo ProActive Sports Wash is designed to remove sweat and odours from sports clothing and contains Hygienilac, said to have powerful anti- fungal and anti-bacterial action. www.germwarfare.co.uk


BodyPower Expo 2011


Over 200 exhibitors are expected at next year’s show, taking place on 21-22nd May at The NEC, Birmingham. This is 66% up on this year’s figures with around 25,000 visitors expected. www.bodypowerexpo.co.uk


Skoda sponsor Bike Arena


Skoda has confirmed its sponsorship of the Bike Arena at the London Bike Show taking place in Excel, London 13-16 January 2011. There will be a test strip, pump track, dirt track and trials area with professional demonstrations. www.thelondonbikeshow.co.uk


10


Launch Pad


K-Swiss adds ion masked California and Kwicky Blade to Spring shoes


In terms of added value, ion mask could give K-Swiss an interesting new edge in the running market – as long as retailers understand the technology…


I


f a running shoe is waterproof or close to, the chances are it’s going to become very, very sweaty – and in all likelihood, this would be achieved using a membrane of some kind. Ion mask, developed by the Ministry of Defence for use in chemical warfare situations, is something entirely different – but it is not waterproofing per se. Ion mask is used at the end of the production cycle, with the shoe put into a vacuum chamber and permeated with ion mask. This basically means that the shoe will never, ever absorb water – it’s good for the life of the shoe. Hi Tec has been using the technology on its walking boots for some time and have enjoyed huge success – add ion mask to leather and you have membrane- free waterproof boots. But on a mesh shoe, it means something quite different: sure, the shoe never gets wet, but the foot inside does. However, what this means for runners is that when you get


home from a nice wet run, shake the shoes out and hey presto, they’re dry and


ready to go out the next day. And as no-one else in the premium running shoe market is really harnessing this, K-Swiss could really have a winner on their hands, not least with the triathlon crowd. Imagine a shoe that never absorbs a drop of water and how useful that would be at changeover; add to that the seam-free uppers in the shoes, and strategic drainage, and you have a potent tool for triathletes.


For next Spring, K-Swiss are adding ion mask to two styles – California (a moderate support shoe) and Kwicky Blade Light (a lightweight trainer-racer). As Adam Smith, UK Sales Manager, Running for K-Swiss explains, the Kwicky Light’s drainage adds to the ion mask edge: “The Kwicky Blade is the first time we have used sideways drainage. The drainage holes are between the midsole and the upper. There were some concerns that the shoe might take on water from underneath, for example if a runner stood in a puddle, but because of this positioning, there is less opportunity for water to get in to the shoes in the first place.”


But, explains Adam, the addition of ion mask comes at a price – though it’s far from the only improvement to the shoes. He added: “We’ve incorporated a totally seamless upper, a slightly different overlay pattern and it’s a totally new construction for us. Both of the shoes that have had ion mask added are slightly more expensive – there’s a premium of £10 on the RRP of the California compared to the Konejo, for example, which is a similar type of shoe.”


Educating you, the retailer, is going to be vital for the success of these shoes, and that’s something that Adam is only too aware of. He concluded: “POS and education is absolutely critical. Not that many people know we make running shoes even though we’ve been doing it in the UK now for over a year – we’re still so well known for tennis or fashion. So partly it’s educating about our shoes, and partly about the technology. We’ll make sure we do an in-depth training initiative throughout the UK where the shoes are sold. Hopefully be educating the staff in specialist stores, they can relay that to their customers.”


SGB SPORT OCTOBER 2010


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