p22,23 BRAND PROFILE 7/17/08 12:10 PM Page 22
PROFILE - Sports Retail SGB
Sports and Outdoor www.sgb-sports.com
A totally British brand across all sports, and one that is aiming to put a significant amount of money back into UK sports where it matters
most – young athletes between 12 and 16 years old. Sound too good to be true? Creative Director Ffion Appleton and Director Alan
Patching spoke to Jon Bruford at NISTEX and explained why it's not only true, but it should flourish…
L
aunching a new brand is never easy, no matter athletes who are already financially well off and successful. AP: No. One of the key reasons we can do this is because
what industry it is in. But launching a brand which It's about to giving money back to sports and the athletes we produce the yarn within the group. That puts us in a
operates across all sports, and which has a that need it at a young age. unique position, and means the retailer can still earn very
healthy message and brilliant POS and advertising good margins while allowing us to still grow and improve.
material… Well, it certainly has a fighting chance. SGB: How do you do that?
Customers like a story. They like to know where their FA: We give 10 per cent from wholesale to SportsAid, a SGB: Why bother?
gear comes from, where it's going, why it's sexy and government-run charity that's been going for 33 years. AP: Because we can, and because we care. We're in a
suits them. In this industry, selling sports gear is selling They distribute funding to young athletes. unique position. Genex Brands, who actually own Field to
a lifestyle as much as it is selling an individual product. Podium, are part of the Sabanci Group, a very large group
Field To Podium's story is one that the shopping public Alan Patching: They're typically giving money to athletes that owns a division which is for textile and yarn
will respond to, as profits are not disappearing down the between 12 and 16 years of age. They're just outside of manufacture. Under the name Advansa, they manufacture
maw of a faceless multinational conglomerate, some of lottery funding, which kicks in at 16 years and above. So CoolMax and ThermaLite intelligent fibres which we've
them are going to the kid in the next street that's always they get this when they really need the money, when been supplying to the trade for years. They're used by
in the pool, the girl in the next village who's never off they're finding their feet and realising they're maybe major global sportswear brands in performance
her bike. In short, it's going to the next generation of pretty good at certain sports, that's when SportsAid steps garments. We've decided to use our infrastructure and our
Olympians, and the one after that, and so on. Read on to in. SportsAid is often the first recognition from outside yarn to create a line of performance sportswear.
find out more. that they're pretty good at what they're doing, and it FA: We're also all very passionate about sports, we all have
usually comes in the shape of a cheque for £250 or £500, a background in it whether it's simply as participants or
SGB: For Field to Podium, the brand credo is important – which will usually go toward the cost of travel or on a deeper level. My profession means I've always been in
arguably as important as the product. What is that credo? accommodation, or of course equipment. the sports industry; but there's no across-the-board
Ffion Appleton: I think every brand needs a story; ours is British sports brand now, all the major sports brands are
that we help athletes when they need the money, as SGB: With the 10 per cent coming from wholesale, is there actually foreign.
opposed to most other sports brands who give money to any effect on the price to the retailer as a result? Working for major sports brands meant I had to live
22 JULY 2008
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