Buying: Teamwear
Samurai - a weapon in the retailer’s armoury?
Why should every retailer seek investment in teamwear products? SGBputs this question to Samurai Sports…
S
ince its launch in 1996, Samurai Sportswear has become one of the market leaders in custom-made sportswear. A truly multi-sport brand, Samurai draws on experience gained in cricket, netball, hockey and rugby. The growth of the Samurai brand was initially carefully planned to focus on grass roots and schools rugby and the success of this strategy has since seen them feature heavily in other team sports. This has allowed the company to go global in 2008 and have since branched out into countries such as New Zealand, Australia, America and Japan.
Samurai believe that their brand has achieved longevity and offers the retailer something that little bit different. In 2006, they invested in securing their own factory in Dong Guan City, China where they now employ over 200 people who manufacture solely for Samurai. Owning their own factory and manufacturing their own products means total control over the whole process from production to delivery. This was shown in 2010 when the company achieved a 96.6% delivery success rate.
But why should the retailer invest in teamwear? Sales Director Richard Brand believes teamwear offers retailers a cost effective means of generating extra income.
“ Teamwear limits the amount of waste loss. Look at how much money in business is tied up in cash flow. The amount of cash flow tied up in stock through teamwear is minimal and so is a low risk form of retailing. In periods of economic uncertainty like we are currently experiencing, retailers should use us to minimise risk and help bring the community back into their shops.” When speaking to Samurai, this emphasis on using teamwear to get the community into the shop is at the core of the brands agenda. “Schools, clubs and universities all need teamwear products. By investing heavily in teamwear, it brings the community into the shop who can then buy other products whilst inside” says Brand.
This value in the community is there to be seen as 16 years after their launch, Samurai are still
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www.sgb-sports.com trading as
independents. “We want to work with re-sellers rather than direct sales,” says Richard Brand. This means that trade shows such as STAG and ISPO are very
important to Samurai as it presents them with
opportunities to engage with retailers directly. Samurai themselves have also invested into the community with the introduction of the Apex range (pictured), which provides financial assistance to Demelza House, a residential hospice for terminally ill children. 5% of net turnover from the Apex range goes straight to Demelza.
Retailers looking to make ends meet should certainly not ignore the
possibility of investing in teamwear. Year on year, there is a constant demand for products with new kits needed by school teams, local clubs and universities. It is a product range that is likely to remain unaffected by economic conditions and as there is minimal capital tied up in stock, retailers should consider teamwear as a lower risk investment.
Samurai are offering a
FIRST ORDER DISCOUNT of 35% on teamwear products for
READERS OF SGB. Their contact details are:
sales@samurai-sports.com or 01508 531010
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