Selling: Table Tennis
With official statistics showing more and more people taking up table tennis, UK Table Tennis tells us what it is doing to support this growth.
A
ccording to the results of Sport England’s Active Peoples Survey, more and more people are playing table tennis and doing so on a regular basis. Nicola Waters, the owner of UK table Tennis, the sole authorised UK importer of Cornilleau and Tectonic table tennis equipment, attributes this to its prominence as an Olympic sport and the upcoming London 2012 Olympics. She also cites the Ping! project in London last summer, which saw 50,000 members of the public playing table tennis on more than 50 free Cornilleau tables in and around the capital. “As a result, growth in London and the South East is particularly strong,” she says. “This initiative has been repeated this summer in Birmingham and Hull, again using Cornilleau equipment, and we are anticipating similar results.”
These market
developments have helped UK Table Tennis overcome the wider economic difficulties seen across the retail landscape, so Waters says. This has included impressive growth in sales of Cornilleau’s Sport range of tables, a category that was refreshed two years ago. “We focus on table tennis tables and accessories for schools and for home use. Bucking the economic trend, sales to retail customers
remain buoyant across all products and price ranges.
“Cornilleau redeveloped its Sport range two years ago and updated the tables to include innovative, additional features and a fresher, more modern design. Although at the top end of the range, these models have become immensely
32
www.sgb-sports.com
popular, doubling the sales of their predecessors.”
“Schools are feeling the pinch though, and we have seen an increase in table repairs and the purchase of more economical tables which are driven more by budget constraints than product suitability.”
Cornilleau will continue to be at the forefront of UK Table Tennis’s plans over the next 12
months, with the 2011-12 rage offering “exciting new
product developments”, according to Waters.
“The entire range of bats
has been repackaged and many have been redeveloped to incorporate new features such as carbon technology. The popular Tacteo range of bats now has a high-performance Grip+ covering and is available in new colours.
“The most exciting addition to the range is the Nexeo series. Designed for outdoor use, these are fast, high- precision bats made using
materials that offer the best in comfort and durability.
“The line of table
tennis tables has been expanded to include additional models. At the entry level there are two new models that
combine excellent performance with
attractive pricing and a brand new Push’n Lock opening system for ease of use. All Cornilleau tables are made in France and we pride ourselves on quality products designed to last with a great aftersales service and spare parts availability. We also offer an assembly service on all our tables.” In addition, UK Table Tennis offers direct-to-consumer distribution meaning retail partners do not necessarily have to hold their own stock of Cornilleau or Tectonic equipment. This service is accompanied by no minimum order requirement, meaning retailers can pass on orders as small as a single pack of balls or individual bat for despatch to customers. “We hold stock of all tables and accessories so that retailers can order products for direct despatch. We can send a single pack of balls or just one table tennis bat direct to customers on behalf of the retailer as we don’t
have a
minimum order threshold.
“We also have in place
significant discounts for distributors who
stock table tennis accessories,
such as bats, balls etc, and the order requirement to benefit from this discount has been lowered.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40