p10,11 Prostar:p10,11 Prostar 29/12/2008 11:56 Page 10
PROFILE - Sports Retail SGB
Sports and Outdoor
www.sgb-sports.com
Prostar
SGB talks to PROSTAR's Managing Director Doug Bedford and Shane Bray, Sales and Marketing Director to
discuss their ideas on the future of the company since the management buyout in May 2008. "We had a very
good working knowledge of what the business did, who the customers were, and what the key competencies
of the business were," says Doug. "We are in a very good position to understand where the future opportunities
are.
"When I came to the business – and bearing in mind that I hadn’t been in amateur football, although I had
been involved with my son playing and so forth – I had never heard of PROSTAR. The more I talked to people,
the more it became apparent that if you weren’t in amateur football, you may never have heard of PROSTAR. If you were in amateur
football, then everybody had heard of PROSTAR, everybody played in PROSTAR, but it was one of those hidden, almost niche brands."
T
he new owners of the company know the brand's between 40,000 and 50,000 teams in the UK. have been an important ‘add’ to our Pro Club structure.
strengths though. Doug adds: "One of the things The Pro Club programme we have, currently sponsors We also want to get into the Rugby Union and Cricket
PROSTAR is recognized for is being high quality, four clubs – Shrewsbury, Chester City, Accrington Stanley arena.
with good design, and being technically very good. and Wycombe Wanderers with whom we have just signed
We design for the purpose of what the garment is all our third, four-year deal. It improves and increases our SGB: Tell us a little more about your sponsorship of
about. Certainly, when we are talking about grassroots profile. Next year, we are looking to continue that success Shrewsbury Town…
football, it’s all about having kit that can last for at least Doug Bedford: It started when we tried to do a kit deal with
two years, that can be washed and worn 40 or 50 times, Shrewsbury, but they had moved into the new stadium
and still look good every time it comes out of the bag. eight months before, and the stadium was un-named;
And yet it gets shoved in a bag, stays in the bag for a week that gave us the opportunity to do stadium sponsorship as
before it gets washed." well. Shrewsbury were looking for a joint deal, and it
Marketing Director Shane adds: "Our key strategy is worked out perfectly for us. It is a great place, it's a well-
to develop the business using the strength of the run club, it’s a club that we would like to be associated
PROSTAR football business and develop the brand into with. Hopefully, we can go a long way with Shrewsbury.
other multisport areas. We have started that program They have huge aspirations of where they want to be.
with a new style catalogue which took our leading They are a potential Championship club over the next few
training garments, tracksuits, raintops, polo shirts, T years, and as they develop I am sure they will be in a
shirts etc, and repositioned them." position to attract those better players, which will be good
Doug and Shane met up with SGB at Shrewsbury for both of us.
Town's PROSTAR Stadium to explain more about the
brand during a recent home game. SGB: What can PROSTAR offer a club in a sponsorship
terms?
SGB: What is the Pro Club program? and progress: We believe our club mix should be between Doug Bedford: Because we have such an extensive range we
Doug Bedford: We have got a three year programme of ten and 12, from the Championship down. can offer clubs a much wider range of merchandise than
looking to bring on more professional clubs, which adds You'll also see us doing more in the Rugby League they would probably be offered by another brand. Their
value to the brand as we go forward. We are the largest arena. We did Featherstone Rovers Rugby League last year, replica sales and other merchandise sales such as polos, Ts,
grassroots brand in the UK; we estimate we clothe and we have got them again this coming season. They sweats, raintops, tracksuits, all increase.
10 DECEMBER 2008
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