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www.sgb-sports.com
SGB
Sports Retail - PROFILE
Sports and Outdoor
We’re talking about thousands of jerseys. Anybody that the things that we have retained, which is slightly different
is in it for the replica sales generally tries to make profit on to some of our competitors. We do offer a full
the deal overall, and the replica sales, and that’s good for customization service – we can do outside embroidery,
their business. We are happy to look at a balance where logos, numbers, and we can even do alterations. A lot of
the investment we put into the club, the price that we the other brands don’t offer that service to
charge for the replica to the club balances out, so their independents, and that’s what sets us
that we don’t lose out, the club owner wins, but apart.
we get our profile. We do a lot of work with
Shrewsbury and Wycombe, for instance, where SGB: How do you work to support
we supply jerseys for local schools – the club independent retailers?
goes out and basically gives away kit. There is Shane Bray: Independent retailers are
no money made, but it is a good thing for the really important to us. We have well
club, which is encouraging kids to play sport over 600 independent, specialist sports
and be active, to become a member of the retailers. First we do POS – we have
club so their membership increases, and branded header cards and we provide
from our point of view we get lots of kids playing in them with what is perceived to be the best
PROSTAR. football catalogue in the country, which is well over 200
pages, which we supply those free of charge. In addition to
SGB: What are the key strengths of the company? that we also produced a digital version this year which can
Doug Bedford: The business was started in 1899 and it has be slipped into the post at minimal charge.
basically been in the same place until May last year, when For our larger retailers we also have a discount and
we moved it, but most importantly, we kept it within loyalty scheme. Depending on their previous year’s
Wakefield. We retained all our staff, but moved to a turnover, we offer them a loyalty discount so that they
modern distribution, sales and marketing facility as one of benefit in the following year – it’s continuing support,
the things we recognized as a key strength of from our point of view.
the business is distribution.
We are an ex-stock business, so we carry SGB: What's new for 2009?
huge amounts of stock at the right points in Shane Bray: We need to maintain our core
time, and we expect to be able to supply, in business, which is football teamwear as this
general, within 48 hours. Of course, that is represents 45 per cent of our turnover. We at netball or general gym work. This coming year the
difficult – we’re not saying we’re perfect. have developed that side of our business garments coming in are geared to athletics and running.
When you consider we are talking around through product introductions, so for
5,000 SKUs, and that the majority of our instance we have upgraded a number SGB: How are you going to market the company and the
customers don’t buy the stock until they of our football jerseys. And in the new lines?
require it, we have the odd hiccup but the football business, we are looking to expand Shane Bray: Along with the Pro Club program element,
majority of our orders go out within 48 hours. There’s a into training accessories – things like boundary poles and we are developing a number of different catalogue
financial commitment there, but fundamentally, that’s hurdles. executions, maybe more specific to different sports, and
what we have been good at for many, many years. The main part of the growth of the group has to be then using the media for inserts. So if we were to enter the
into other sports, with over 55 per cent of our sales cricket market, we might use the regular publication
Doug Bedford: In terms of sportswear, we are one of the coming from training wear – tracksuits, raintops, shorts, Cricket World, and put a catalogue as in insert to the
few brands of our size that are actually warehousing in the bags and so on. Over the next few years we will be publication to disseminate it directly into the clubs, and
UK. Nike are bringing in from Holland/Belgium, for targeting the key teams sports producing the playing supply those clubs through the specialist retailers some of
instance. We expect to increase our labour force going garments needed for rugby, cricket, hockey and netball. which may or may not be our existing customers.
forward in warehousing and distribution – and there are Last year we launched a lady’s Synergy Skort, which is a Obviously, we will enhance our website so that those
some skilled elements in terms of customization of skirt with a short underneath it, a typical hockey, netball key sports will have their own microsites, where people
jerseys, numbers, badges and embroidery. That is one of garment. We’ve added a ladies vest top, very much aimed can see the garments
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