p12,13 TIMEX PROFILE 6/16/08 12:30 PM Page 13
www.sgb-sports.com
Sports Retail - PROFILESGB
Sports and Outdoor
where we have to improve our authenticity and
credibility. Polar started there years before we did, we
really started getting into the heart rate business seven,
eight years ago so that’s where we have a lot of room to
grow, and as interval training and the heart rate industry
starts to grow, that’s where we have the most upside.
When a company has a large market share it’s always
an opportunity, consumers are probably hungry for an
option and if the retailer wants to grow the category they
have to give them options. We did some tests with
different sporting goods in the US where we had Polar
alone, and then you had Polar and Timex, and then you
had Polar, Timex, Sportline, Nike, the more options we
gave the heart rate category, the better the category did.
When we had Polar and Timex alone, we basically
doubled the size of the category.
SGB: How do you support retailers, how do you work with
T49699 them? T5K160
Claire Cosgrove: In the UK specifically, we split our
distribution between sports and outdoors, so we work
and sports chains. As long as you do that and you make with two very specialist distributors who have people out HC: That’s also a challenge for Timex as a company: you
sure you’re differentiating the product enough in those in the field who work with the sports stores, work with have two halves of the business, you have the style half
channels, you should be OK. the outdoor stores. They can offer product knowledge and you have the outdoor and performance sports
about the service on a one-to-one basis with the retailer business. The business structure you need to support
SGB: With endorsements, with athlete sponsorship et cetera, as well as often with the consumer, especially at events each business is different, based on the technical
do you think consumers are so brand aware now that like the London Marathon Expo, and provide them with products, versus on the non-technical products. When
they're cynical about athlete endorsements? Contracts are sales and product training and in-store merchandise we say we want to prove our authenticity growing in
well publicised when they're signed these days. materials so when the product hits the shop floor it sells those sports specialty channels, providing customer
HC: Whether they get paid or not they’re still wearing it, through better. service is all part of that.
still performing in it.
The good thing about endurance sports for the most
part and even outdoor sports, they’re not the ball and
stick sports. It’s very difficult to get them to even agree on
certain products, for example footwear is something that
for our Timex team, we have a lot of sponsors like Trek
Bikes, Powerbar and Gatorade, but we don’t mandate any
particular footwear, because they’re very particular about
which shoe they should use. So there’s an example of that
adds credibility to the team as well, but also the athletes
that are in our sports are not superstar athletes and the
amount of money that they actually get for being part of
our team, sometimes it’s minimal like a couple of
thousand dollars, it’s not like they can make a living out
of it, they have day jobs.
The second part of it is that sometimes, to be able to
use the products is why they want to be part of the team;
that shows the value of those products to them as far as
what it can do for their training, and they’re good brand
ambassadors as far as spokespeople within the
community.
Claire Cosgrove: One of the ways that we also try to really
venture into the UK is to focus on the event sponsorship
and going in with credibility with the events because the
UK consumer can sometimes get very cynical with
regards to personality sponsorship and the whole issue of
"celebrity".
SGB: With the Timex name and brand recognition… Do
you not think you’re successful enough? T49706
HC: No, because the reality is that a lot of the money is on
the fitness measurement side of the business, so that’s
JUNE 2008 13
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51