SGBGolf_Feb09_p24_25 23/1/09 09:19 Page 24
Field Report
Climate control
A toughening economic climate is forcing a year of consolidation on
the golf trade; so why are rainwear specialists Sunderland debuting
a range of sun-protective shirts made with coconut husks?
Sales and marketing manager Brian Mair explains the need to
find a balance between stability and innovation in 2009
Words: Duncan Lennard
“O
ur biggest problem is with currency,” to build business overseas. To date, new distribution
reveals Sunderland’s sales and marketing partners have been signed up in Spain, Portugal,
manager Brian Mair. “Almost everything Scandinavia and France.
we buy is in dollars, and with the pound “I think it’s fair to say the product in the market place
weakening against the dollar it’s made it much is becoming much more European in look and feel,”
more expensive to create product. Our production says Mair. “We won’t disregard our heritage, but I think
costs have gone up by about 25-30% in the last it’s good to get this influence coming in. Our partners
three months.” are very vocal about what’s needed in the market, and
That’s a truly frightening statistic, and one that will the UV range was a key discussion point to them taking
unfortunately compel a price hike across the Sunderland the brand.”
range, which will be effective from March. No wonder Underpinning Sunderland’s interest in UV-protective
Mair’s lexicon is dotted with words like ‘focus’ and clothing are some alarming skin cancer statistics.
‘stability’. “At the moment we have to be incredibly Skin cancer is the second-most common form of the
prudent,” he insists, “and focus on the core business. disease in the UK, with 9,500 cases and 1800 deaths
Some of the more innovative ideas – some would say each year. Long hours on the course put golfers
‘risky’ – have to be put to the side while we focus on especially at risk, with Padraig Harrington’s treatment
our bread and butter.” for a sunspot in April 2007 one of the higher-profile
And yet, against this rather gloomy backdrop, Brian Mair cases. In bringing out its new range, Sunderland has
Sunderland recently announced a new range of UV- sought the advice both of Herriot-Watt University,
protective, long and short-sleeved shirts, with a magic ingredient woven experts in textile research, plus Screen4Life, who do screenings for the
into the fabric, Cocona, which comes from coconut shells. Sunderland has European Tour.
long had a reputation for innovation – they introduced Gore rain suits and “I think there’s a responsibility for us here,” Mair avers. “We’re happy
the Weatherbeater – but given the economic climate, why has it chosen to push the awareness and education message across. We understand
now to make such a bold move away from their core values of reliable wind skin health is a tricky message for retailers to send out; we’re working on
and waterproofing? point-of-sale aids and swing tags to help, and looking at tying in incentives,
“It sounds like a contradiction,” Mair concedes, “but launching this new such as our trade customers getting a screening day for members at their
category of sun protective clothing has become very important to us. course. It’s important people realise that detecting something is not a
“Commercially, we need to find ways to take the seasonality out of death sentence, it’s treatable; it’s not finding out about it that can cause
our business. Sunderland is renowned for being a rainwear company, the problems.”
which is great, but the problem is that focuses on a few months of the Yet while pressing forward with the UV range, Sunderland has,
year; a huge percentage of our sales take place around autumn and winter. reluctantly, put on hold its creative liaison with famed designer Tony Q’aja –
As a business it’s hard to sustain that. What can Sunderland offer the trade the man behind Darren Clarke’s sartorial splendour.
and consumer for the rest of the year? [The UV range] helps us offer year- “The original objective was for Tony to design a waterproof suit for
round product.” Sunderland for Autumn Winter 09, and there’s been no change with that,”
Sunderland’s second incentive for pushing through the UV clothing is a explains Mair. “But we were also looking at exciting new developments he
desire to widen its markets by becoming a more international brand. To that had in mind; polo shirts and trousers, new colours and accessories like hats
end it has been looking outside the UK and Ireland, its traditional heartland, and belts. But in the climate today, it’s fair to say we have to be cautious.
24 SGB GOLF FEBRUARY 2009
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