Contents


Industry 4News


6 Analysis


First Words I


’m writing this May comment at the very end of March, but as regular readers of First Words will know from last month’s column, I’m now a happily married man and very much looking forward to my first summer as such.


Before summer comes spring though. Hopefully in the weeks between me writing this and you reading it, the weather has only gone from strength-to-strength. What a joy it is to be able to get back outside properly and take advantage of the great weather, particularly when doing sport.


Granted, I’m primarily a spectator these days due to excesses at university, but the exercise I’d been doing to prepare for the wedding was so much easier with the sun on my back.


I’m sure many of your customers feel the same, and hopefully that has translated to increased footfall in shops and some extra orders for suppliers.


And with the sun out, now is definitely the time to make sure you’ve blown away the cobwebs of winter and are prepared for the future.


However you’re planning on tackling the best few months of the year that lie ahead, in my humble opinion at least, let’s do our best to make sure we’re all representing the sports industry as best we can and looking to the future.


As of May 1, it’s 453 days until the start of the London 2012 Olympics, so there’s still plenty of time to make sure you’re part of the team on the ground that makes the UK an exciting and thriving place to visit next summer.


But let’s enjoy this summer first, have a few ciders in the sun and make the most of the time we get on the court, field or track, however you choose to make sport part of your life.


David Pittman, editor, SGB Sports


Somnio adopts distribution model in Europe – STAG signs deals with Trespass and Sport100 International – Intersport confirms DW Sports as retail member


Find out what it takes to open a new independent sports retail outlet in the current climate as Suka Sport opens its doors in the heart of London


8 Buying Groups


STAG tells the trade about its recent fact-finding trip to China and about the importance of e- commerce to a modern business


10 Intersport Q4 Review


Buying 12 Launch Pad


We get feedback from the floor at the recent Intersport Q4 show


Precision Training adds more to its portfolio with a new range of boxing equipment


12 Boxing Showcase 16 Opro


Editor David Pittman takes a visit to mouthguard manufacturer Opro’s new home in Hemel Hempstead


18 Martial Arts Showcase


Selling 22 The Shop Floor


Pain & Glory shows us around its store, and Zsig tells us about the growing popularity for mini tennis


24 Swimming: Zoggs Zoggs tells SGB Sports why it is feeling buoyant in the current market


26 Swimming: Aqua Sphere


We find out from Aqua Sphere about the growing popularity for swimming and how retailers can benefit


28 Yoga/Pilates: FreeFORM New kit has launched which it is claimed offers a ‘new paradigm in functional training’


www.sgb-sports.com The partnership voice for the trade


SGB Sportsis the UK member of the European Sports Trade Publishing Group, a co-operative of leading business magazines. ESPG partners exchange news and publish Sports Retail Europe, the only pan-European sports trade magazine – free to SGB Sportssubscribers. ESPG members include SAZ (Germany), SPORTeco (France), cmd (Spain), Sportfack! (Sweden) and Sportimyyja (Finland).


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Inside this month: Industry: Buying Groups, Intersport Q4 Review Buying: Boxing, Martial Arts Selling: Swimimming, Y


oga/Pilates Read about UFC on page 20 www.sgb-sports.com 3


May 2011 www .sgb-sports.com


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30 Well Being: Reebok


Reebok has developed two fitness products to add to its toning family, the EasyTone Step and the TrainPod


32 Tech Rep: Speedo Swim brand Speedo tells us SGB Sports about different swimming aids and how retailers should best sell them


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