selling darts ››
HDBoard which incorporates new and unique construction technology and components, and a range of Carbon Fibre Accessories. Pringle- It is too early for specifics but we are eagerly preparing new samples for ISPO this February. We are officially the longest unbroken attendees at the show having exhibited since 1981. Gillewicz- New products have yet to be confirmed but Target has some very exciting new innovative products for 2013.
Have you implemented any unique marketing initiatives that have proved to be successful?
Flack- We are always looking at weird and wonderful ways to spread the sport of darts to a wider audience, and this has included the British Superbike Championships, publicity via a Sky Sports darts lesson with Spurs player Sandro and even our own Winmau TV channel-
Winmau.com and via the medium of YouTube. Gillewicz- We like to think that Target are one of the more proactive darts brands in using social media and we have recently hired a PR officer to increase our marketing presence. Broughton- Yes we have and we are increasingly seeing the benefit of our own website and social media platforms. Pringle- Along with our ongoing initiative with Rileys sports bars to help drive local interest in the game, we are eagerly looking forward to our national sales initiative with Eric Bristow. After a successful stint on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!, now is the ideal time to undertake a national campaign to take advantage of Eric’s popularity on the show. Already we have seen an upsurge in the number of Bristow’s range of darts being sold.
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of online retailing but there is still very much a place for independents with knowledgeable staff selling our products. Flack- The independent sports trade plays a huge part in our sales structure and we will continue to invest and work with them for all of our future plans. We enjoy exceptionally good relationships with independents. As we are constantly innovating and have such a large portfolio that the multiples can’t stock, our business through the independent trade is continually increasing and looks set to do so into the future. The fact that many pubs
has been following an upward trend in media coverage and viewing figures for the last 10 years, and this shows no sign of fading
Darts
Is the recent success of the game merely a fad or can we expect the game to keep growing?
Broughton- We can see no reasons why it should not continue to grow. Pringle- The success of the game is not a fad and will only keep growing. We were active in helping the game grow again after being in the doldrums in 1992. We were highly supportive of the formation of the WDC (World Darts Council) which is now the PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) and since then the game has been on an upward curve. The public love darts as it is a fairly easy game to understand and relatively inexpensive and this won’t change. Flack- Darts has been following an upward trend in media coverage and viewing figures for the last 10 years, and this shows no sign of fading. The fast-paced action and easy to understand format makes terrific viewing and we expect the sport to continue to grow, especially as it is played on a global stage now. In the UK, the
women’s side of the sport is growing and this is largely thanks to the coverage of nine times World Champion (and Winmau sponsored player) Trina Gulliver. We are also supporting the newly created Ladies Darts Organisation. Gillewicz- The game will only keep growing and the PDC has done a fantastic job to help promote the game into a true ‘TV showcase’. Although the BDO is often now considered as darts’ poor relation, there is the potential for the game to grow considering the BDO world final attracted over four million viewers.
With the continued success of the multiple retailer, will you look to increase your sales directly to the consumer? How much emphasis do you still place on the sports independent retailer trade?
Gillewicz- We wouldn’t cut out the independent retailer and we actively support the retail trade. Obviously we can’t ignore the importance
are closing down has also resulted in more dartboards being sold to customers for their homes, and what better place to buy this equipment than at a knowledgeable, local independent store! We don’t sell direct to the consumer via Winmau and we would rather create products and a market structure that allows our partners to make stocking Winmau products an easy and profitable choice. Broughton- Provided we continue to achieve a wide distribution of a good representation across our full range of products, we will continue to support the sports retail trade - selling direct to the consumer is not currently on our agenda. However, we live in a fast changing world and we have to respond and adapt as necessary, so we constantly keep our distribution policy under review - we would be both foolish and short- sighted if we didn’t. Pringle- We don’t sell directly to the consumer and are only b to b. Obviously we can’t rule out a change in tact in the future but our business model isn’t just UK centric and so changing our business model may have negative repercussions on our overseas trading. SGB
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