selling shop floor Shop Spotlight


Shop Name: Kent Cricket Retail Location: ........................................Canterbury, Kent


Owner: .............................................Kent County Cricket Club Website: ..........................................www.kentcricket.co.uk Date Opened: ..............................Club formed 1870!


Do you have a buying group affiliation? We have a main buying source from Samurai Sportswear. They are our official teamwear suppliers for the next 5 seasons.


1


Unique Selling Point? We are a specialist retailer to


cricket retailers. We sell a host of playing equipment, clothing and Replica clothing including the Kent cricketers players range.


2


How are recent trading conditions?


The last couple of years have been extremely tough like the majority of other sports retailers.


We have been forced to sell direct to schools and clubs to create extra business revenue.


3


Kent CCC has experienced tough times financially


recently, how has this impacted on trade? My financial budgets have been slashed dramatically and in previous years I have made seasonal one-off orders; I now


Specialist Sport Sport: Soſtball


forced to sell direct to schools and clubs to create extra business revenue


We have been


but there has certainly been an increase in participation further north and elsewhere across the country, which is encouraging for everyone involved in the sport.


3 1


Who are Wilks? Wilks are a relatively new


name to softball in that it is only in its second full season. Wilks has a sister brand in the rounders sector, Aresson that is a market leader and has a reputation for supplying quality products at competitive prices. Wilks does the same for the softball sector. A lot of imported American product is over-priced and too expensive for many who might like to take up the game so Wilks fills a gap in the market and brings new players to the game. While


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the product line tends to be geared towards youngsters and newcomers, don’t be deceived by the price; the quality of all of the products in the Wilks range is of a very high standard.


2


What essential information do retailers


need to know about your sport and its equipment? Softball is a game that is growing beyond the areas where it is traditionally strong, in London and the South. It continues to flourish in this part of the world


Why is softball worth considering for retailers?


It’s not a sport embraced on a huge scale by sports retailers, particularly those outside of London or the Home Counties, so can offer retailers a point of difference. But more than that, it provides them with a genuine opportunity. With a network of leagues developing and more and more players coming into the game every summer, now is a good time for retailers to take advantage of this growth by getting in early and establishing a name for themselves in this sector.


4


What demographic does it appeal to?


Traditionally softball is a game played by young professional people in urban areas, predominantly in London and the Home Counties. If you look at most of the people playing


make monthly orders to ensure we do not accumulate too much excessive stock. In the past I have been left with excess stock in the close cricket season and this has limited my opportunities to buy new season ranges.


4


What recent supplier initiatives have been


successful? Cricket companies are feeling the financial pinch too, therefore they are offering bigger customer accounts with unique offers such as Road Shows where they travel to grounds and offer a ‘try before you buy’ scheme which has proved successful. More of these types of initiatives would be welcomed.


5


How can suppliers improve their service?


They are still extremely slow on deliveries which simply do not help retailers.


in London parks they work in London, have decent jobs and a reasonable income. But, while the sport expands geographically as does the demographic. More kids are playing the game now and it’s also something older people can play too. Softball can be a really good fun family activity or a competitive sport played by serious players. Wilks also does a significant number of products targeting juniors and newcomers to the game generally, so we feel we are helping to broaden that demographic by being much more accessible price-wise but still offering products of good quality.


5


How is the sport trying to appeal to larger audiences?


Baseball Softball UK, the governing body for both softball and baseball in the UK is working hard to encourage the game’s expansion and has been instrumental in helping to set up a network of new leagues. It’s doing a lot of good work and Wilks is also helping to grow the game by making it accessible to more players.


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