Sports Trader March 2016

Southern Africa’s business-to-business magazine for the sport, outdoor and leisure industries • Vol 37 No 2 • March 2016

Why different age groups buy sneakers Active outdoor industry tackles earth issues Are efforts to grow cricket talent pool succeeding?

2016 March :: Sports Trader

Vol 37 Nr 2 March 2016 www.sportstrader.co.za

Industry

On the cover Merrell, locally distributed by Medicus Shoes, is a brand that challenges individuals to “do what’s natural”. The brand has always inspired the pursuit of an active lifestyle, whilst enjoying the outdoors.

Merrell believes that the desire to experience the awe of the great outdoors is in us all. With its progressive technical and great comfort features, the brand will continue its dominance in the active lifestyle category, and then extend its fearless pursuit to dominate the casual lifestyle, and after-sport categories, says Daniel Brink, marketing manager of Medicus Shoes.

“Whatever happens — rain, shine or mud — enjoying every minute of the outdoors is attainable, wearing Merrell gear.” For more information contact Medicus Shoes on Tel: 041 484 1645.

Publisher: Nicol du Toit Editor: Carin Hardisty Managing editor: Trudi du Toit Proofreader: Liz Milburn Features: Carin Hardisty, Gerrie van Eeden, Rhianah Rhode, Trudi du Toit Design: Carin Hardisty, Rhianah Rhode Photography: Nicol du Toit Advertising: Nicol du Toit Subscriptions: Carin Hardisty Printing: Novus Holdings Distribution: InsideData Sports Trader is published bi-monthly

by Rocklands Communications cc.

Reg. No: 1997/057165/23.

Members: N. J. & G. C. du Toit & C. Hardisty

Contact details:

PO Box 12197 Mill Street 8010 22 Rocklands Avenue, Vredehoek, Cape Town 8001 Tel: 021 461 2544 Fax: 021 461 2549 Website: www.sportstrader.co.za Facebook: SportsTraderMagazine Twitter: @SASportsTrader Blog: sasportsindustry.blogspot.com Advertising: nicol@sportstrader.co.za Editorial: trudi@sportstrader.co.za Subscribe: carin@sportstrader.co.za Publication information: The title and contents of Sports Trader are protected by copyright. It is a business to business publication compiled to inform, entertain and educate retailers, distributors and manufacturers of sports and outdoor equipment, footwear and clothing. It is available only to members of the sport, outdoor and activewear industries and is published bi-monthly. © Rocklands Communications.

4 10 30 32 58

TK global appoints new SA MD South Africa’s Rassie Pieterse succeeds Thomas Kille as MD of TK Global.

Skechers’ new distributor

Skechers footwear is now locally distributed by Brand Folio LLC.

Highlights: How to keep water safe on-the-go How age affects sneaker choice How to kit out triathletes

Brand ID’s holistic brand solution

Brand ID has moved to bigger premises to showcase their portfolio of leading brands.

2016 ISPO award innovation

The exceptional sport and outdoor products that received rewards at this year’s ISPO Munich.

Holiday trade affected by Rand

The drop in the Rand and economy caused anxiety over the holiday trading period.

Outdoor

50

Softshell waterproofing can harm the environment

54 57

Chemicals used in waterproof breathable fabrics can harm the environment and pose a health threat.

Keeping water safe on-the-go

The different water safety options available when collecting water from unsafe sources.

Outdoor news

News from outdoor companies and brands.

What sneaker customers want p21

Clothing & footwear

18 21 24 26 35

The latest footwear trends News about new footwear launches.

How age affects sneaker choice

What different age groups want from their sneakers.

New clothing trends

The latest trends from fashion and industry shows, or trend forecasters.

Shopping online for kids’ shoes

Are parents interested in buying their kids’ footwear online?

New wearable technologies

The lates wearable technologies that will astound and delight athletes

Sport

36 47 46

Waterproof breathable fabrics are bad for the environment p50

Regulars

2 8 12 29 60 IBC

People on the move

News about people in the industry.

Companies on the move

News about companies in the industry.

Brands on the move

News about brand activity in the industry.

Shop Talk: The Vault

American Clothing opened a new upmarket store

Company results

International financial results.

Trade show news News about trade and industry shows.

Cricket bodies hope to nurture more World Cup stars

Is the South African cricket talent pool, and market, growing or shrinking?

How to kit out the triathlete

What kit do triathletes need and what may they not be allowed to use.

Olympic’s active cycling launch

Olympic International recently introduced its latest cycling range during an active launch.

Who’ll be the next Bavuma or Rabada? p36

2016 March :: Sports Trader

p2 :: Industry

People on

Trish Bahlmann and Jeep-sponsored Thomas van Tonder won the Hakahana Trails Black Ops Elite category in the ladies’ and men’s divisions respectively, kicking off the 2016 Jeep Warrior Series, which consists of eight events held across four provinces.

Photo: www.zooncronje.com The talents of two members of the adidas South Africa Running Business Unit (BU) have been recognised and rewarded by the brand internationally: Kate Woods (above) who headed the Running BU for Emerging Markets (South), including adidas SA, is heading for Dubai, where she’ll head up the Running BU for all adidas Emerging Markets. A multi-tasker, Woods managed the simultaneous demands of being a top international and provincial hockey player, adidas product manager and mother of a toddler, with serenity and aplomb. She joined adidas 10 years ago as a tech rep and became a permanent staff member in 2007. The following year she was vice-captain of the South African hockey team competing in the Olympics in Beijing and was crowned SA Hockey Player of the Year. After becoming a mother and captain of the WP hockey team, she was again selected to represent South Africa in the 2012 Olympics in London — all the time working her way up the adidas structures.

Tamara Friessnegg,the adidas SA Running Brand Activation Special Projects Manager, is joining the adidas head office in Germany, where she will be responsible for organising global football World Cup events and logistics.

Michael Phelps and Hall of Fame coach Bob Bowman have partnered with Aqua Sphere to create a new brand, Phelps, which will cater for swimmers of all levels.The partnership will expand Aqua Sphere’s competitive product range and also aims to expand the reach of swim programmes and products to deal with the global needs for water-safety and learn-toswim initiatives. Phelps will swim in the new brand at the Olympics.

Messi: the greatest of all time AS A tribute to Lionel Messi’s fifth FIFA Ballon d’Or award win, adidas has launched the new I’m here to create campaign, which celebrates his great moments in soccer. The brand also created a new platinum soccer boot — featuring real platinum elements — for the player.

Winning the prize of best male player for the fifth time has established Messi as the ultimate creator, says adidas. Creators are athletes who redefine the sport by demonstrating skills that have never been seen before. The new Messi 15 boot demonstrates this by the use of platinum, which is an element rated above gold and marks him as the greatest, rather than just a winner.

The premium Messi 15 boot design is based on the current in-line Messi15 model and is adidas’ first unique boot made for a player. It is ideal for Messi’s playing style, which includes close dribbling. The back is embossed with one platinum and four gold dots that commemorate Messi’s Ballon d’Or titles and the insole is marked with the phrase: el más grande de todos los tiempos — meaning the greatest of all time.

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

the move Under Amour has partnered with actor, producer, WWE wrestler and global superstar Dwayne The Rock Johnson. He joins the likes of Stephen Curry, Andy Murray, Michael Phelps and Jordan Spieth as an Under Armour ambassador.

As part of the agreement, Johnson will help Under Armour create a range of footwear, apparel and accessories inspired by film roles he is working on. The first products from this range are a Rock-inspired backpack and duffle bag, which will be launched in the next few weeks.

He will also help develop original content inspired by his lifestyle, fitness regimen, and philanthropic initiatives, as well as support Under Armour’s philanthropic initiative, UA Freedom, their Connected Fitness initiatives and promote their platforms like the HealthBox and Record application.

The full Under Armour range is now also available in South Africa from Apollo Brands.

Industry :: p3

Radio personality Jeremy Harris (above) suited up in Speedo to take part in his first Sanlam Cape Mile in February in Grabouw, Western Cape. Speedo was also the technical swim partner of the race. Harris swam in Speedo’s Fit Pinnacle Jammer suit, which offers great core and leg support, he says, while also keeping the swimmer in a good swimming position.

Harris has been affiliated with Speedo, locally distributed by Brand ID, for close to eight years.

“It all started when they heard me talking on the radio about swimming,” he says. “Since then they’ve spoilt me with some of the best swimming technology available.”

When he’s not on air, Harris is a registered spinning instructor and cyclist, and he used to play club cricket and rugby. “I swam and played water polo at school level,” adds Harris. “I’ve

also competed in the odd short triathlon, but enjoyed the water discipline the most. Swimming is the perfect full body work. Entering the Sanlam Cape Mile was one of those crazy things that I just needed to do.”

Speedo athletes Danie Marais (above) — who won the Cape Mile last year — and Carmen le Roux finished third and second respectively in the men’s and women’s races of the second annual Speedo sponsored Sanlam Cape Mile, which took place 7 February at the Eikenhof Dam, Western Cape.

Myles Brown and Chad Ho came first and second in the men’s race while Michelle Weber and Mari Rabie came first and third in the women’s race. Speedo is locally distributed by Brand ID. Photo: Tobias Ginsberg.

Fila, locally distributed by Footwear Trading, has signed endorsement deals with two professional tennis players: John Isner (30), who is the #1 American male tennis player and #11 on the ATP World Tour, and Karolína Pliskova (23), #12 ranked female player on the WTA Tour.

Isner turned pro in 2007 and has 10 ATP singles and three doubles titles to his name. Czech Republic’s Pliskova turned pro in 2009 and has won four singles and four doubles titles on the WTA Tour. The brand is also sponsoring the BNP Paribas Open and the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, amongst others.

Rorsted replaces Hainer as adidas Group CEO THE ADIDAS GROUP has appointed Kasper Rorsted to replace Herbert Hainer as CEO from 1 October 2016. Hainer (61), the longest serving adidas CEO, will be stepping down after 14 years as CEO at the end of September, six months before his contract is due to end.

Danish born Rorsted (53) will join the adidas Group as an ordinary member of the Executive Board on 1 August 2016 to ensure a smooth transition when Hainer departs a month later.

He has extensive international management experience, most recently at the helm of the German listed consumer goods company Henkel where he had been CEO since 2008. During this period the share price of the company tripled. Prior to that he held senior management positions with computer companies Oracle, Compaq and Hewlett Packard.

Rorsted is a passionate runner, skier and football fan.

“I am convinced that, together with the top management of adidas Group, he will continue with the company’s dynamic growth strategy and lead the adidas group to new successes,” says Igor Landau, chairman of the supervisory board of adidas Group.

Under Hainer’s leadership adidas Group sales have tripled, net income and the number of employees have quadrupled, and

the value of the company has increased from € 3-bn to € 18-bn, according to Landau. “Under Herbert Hainer, the adidas group has become one of the most sustainable corporations in Europe and one of the world’s most attractive employers. For these outstanding achievements, he already today deserves the heartfelt gratitude of the supervisory board and all adidas group employees,” he says.

Over the past few years investors had expressed discontent with Hainer’s leadership, especially after Under Armour overtook adidas as the #2 sports brand in the US. Sales losses in golf and currency losses in Russia also affected the Group’s financial performance.

Adidas shares rose more than 6% after the announcement of Rorsted’s appointment, while Henkel shares dropped 4%.

“It all starts with an adventure”, says Andrea Engelbrecht (25) Hi-Tec’s newly appointed PR & Content Executive.

She graduated in 2012, with a Bcom (Hons) Corporate Communications degree from the University of Pretoria in 2012. After her studies she went traveling and working abroad as an English teacher in both Thailand and South Korea.

Passionate about her studies and determined to start a career in South Africa, Andrea came back and completed a course in Digital Marketing from GetSmarter, a division of UCT. After her course she was appointed as a Social Media Marketer at a digital marketing agency. “When I saw the opening at Hi-Tec I got so excited”, she says.

She describes that after meeting the team at Hi-Tec, she knew that’s where she wanted to be. “It’s amazing to be part of a company now that celebrates their heritage of 40 years. Everyone was so welcoming and looking back at what the company has achieved in the past makes me very excited to be part of the future,” she says.

2016 March :: Sports Trader

p4 :: Industry

TK Western Cape agent Mike Wallace, CEO Thomas Kille and new MD Rassie Pieterse

SA’s Rassie now MD of TK global Rassie Pieterse, MD of TK South Africa, has been appointed as successor to Thomas Kille, legendary founder and MD of the hockey brand that revolutionised composite sticks and is one of the market leaders in six major hockey playing countries

T

he TK hockey brand and its creator and namesake, Thomas Kille, are inseparable. For more than thirty years he had been intimately involved with the development of innovative products and growing the brand he started in his basement into one of the leading hockey brands in top hockey playing nations like Germany and Holland. It was therefore a huge honour for Rassie Pieterse when Kille chose him, the MD of the South African distributorship, to take over the day-today business of running TK Hockey Equipment as International MD. Kille announced in December last year that he would step back to concentrate on his role as CEO of the TK company, one of the market leaders in 58 countries. They are particularly strong in Holland, Germany, the UK, US and South Africa, Kille said during a visit to South Africa last year.

When announcing that Pieterse would take over from him, Kille described him as not only one of the best hockey goal keepers in the

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

world, who played 120 matches for South Africa, including two Olympics, but a highly successful as MD of TK South Africa since 2009.

Pieterse has been groomed for the job for the past six years, during which time he was working closely with Kille on designs, manufacturing and sales in the global company.

He has great admiration for Kille, whom he describes as a workaholic who is passionate about the brand and passionate about hockey.

“He knows exactly what players want, because he listens to players,” says Pieterse.

“He is hands-on and I know he flies to factories all over the world to make sure he gets the right products. He always has new ideas: sometimes he’ll phone me and tell me he’s got this new idea for goalkeeper equipment, which sounds like absolute science fiction.

But, we try it, and if it works, he carries on with manufacturing it.”

Slowing down could not have been an easy decision for a man who thought and walked and talked the brand in a relentless and passionate round-the-clock schedule for more than thirty

years. “Nobody is as crazy as I am to do so much to promote the brand,” he admits.

The right people But, apart from good manufacturing, and smart management, he ascribes the brand’s success to employing a network of the right people: “Crazy people who work seven days a week for 24 hours.”

The fact that about half the people who work in the head office in Mannheim are — or were — hockey players further contributes to the success of the company, he believes.

“They have knowledge of the requirements of players, the game, and they understand the infrastructure needed.”

This sentiment is echoed on the TK website: We are a team built of current and former hockey players, sports-mad lateral thinkers, young creators and determined personalities.

We have known each other for a long time, like a family we’ve shared many different activities together and are motivated to break To p6 new ground.

in who do YOU trust?

WWW.TK-HOCKEY.COM

in

2016 Trader WE TRUS TMarch :: Sports .

p6 :: Industry

Rassie runs TK cont. from p4

It is also a mind-set Pieterse shares. “I love what I do,” he says. “On and off the field I love my job.” Working in his own business directly related to the sport he loves has been a great benefit, he believes. This not only enables him to play hockey at the highest level — but also enabled him to reach such a high level in his career at a fairly young age.

Playing with your heart and soul is the key to success, Pieterse is quoted as saying on the TK Hockey website. The player with the most hunger is usually the most successful one.

Whether laying his body on the line to stop a ball from entering the net, or developing a clothing range or promoting TK sticks, he wants to “make sure that people remember me for making a difference on and off the field … not always playing with pure technique but always giving it my all!” he says. “I also love pushing myself to greater things and that is why I like the challenge of playing international hockey.”

Luckily, he enjoys travelling and meeting interesting people, because in his new position he will work in close contact with all the international sales teams as well as manufacturers.

Hectic days He had been a goalkeeper for the national men’s hockey team for close to ten years — whilst also building the TK brand in South Africa and running the TK distributorship in Johannesburg. He will still be based in Johannesburg, where he will continue in his current position as MD of TK South Africa, in addition to his international duties.

He is used to hectic days packed with meetings, hockey practice — as goalie he puts in extra sessions on Wednesday evenings — and matches for his Wanderers club on weekends.

That is, if he is not travelling with the Protea team.

But, walking in Kille’s shoes is no-doubt a daunting prospect. He is a legend among hockey players across the world, because it was his experiments with glass fibre and polyester reinforcements in the basement of his home in Mannheim during 1978 that evolved into the composite sticks of today.

An experienced player with 60 caps for Germany’s junior national team, captain of the German U21 team and a player in the national leagues, Kille understood players’ needs. The players who bought the handcrafted reinforced blank sticks from the young business economics student confirmed this — and soon spread the word about the unique performance of these sticks.

The demand grew to such an extent that Kille launched a range of TK branded sticks in January 1985, which he distributed in partnership with Ranbir Bal, who had contacts with manufacturers in India and Pakistan. The brightly coloured logo depicting two elephants whose crossed trunks were shaped like hockey sticks,

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

Rassie Pieterse is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, says TK founder Thomas Kille.

‘Nobody is as crazy as I am to do so much to promote the brand’ — Kille further attracted player attention — and grew demand for the sticks. Eye-catching styling in graphics and design has since become a trademark of TK. At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics the brand got international recognition when ten men and women in the German teams won gold and silver respectively played with sponsored TK sticks.

In 1999 The FIH (international hockey federation) gave their stamp of approval to composite sticks when they changed the rule to allow these moulded glass, kevlar and carbon fibre sticks to be used in all levels of play.

Today, TK is much more than just a hockey brand, it is becoming a general sports brand, says Kille.

Being innovative, staying one step ahead of the rest and being different to everybody else are the reasons why TK became so successful in a relatively short time, he says. “The fact that we made a very good composite stick also contributed. And we combine technology with a great look.”

South Africa, with about 120 000 registered hockey players at 10 000 clubs, is one of the big hockey markets in the world, and therefore important for them. The high import duties, however, makes it a very difficult market to trade in, says Kille, although he is full of praise for his local distributor.

The US is probably the biggest market with thousands of girls playing at universities and colleges. “Holland has about 220 000 players, followed by England and Argentina, where every girl has to play hockey, and then South Africa.” But size is not all that matters: multiple gold medallist Germany has about 65 000 registered players, of which about 50 000 buy

equipment, and in France there are only about 5 000 players, Kille estimates.

“We feel very positive about our performance in 2015, in all categories, including clothing and equipment,” says Pieterse, who is also happy that the sport is growing so rapidly in South Africa, especially in Afrikaans and boys’ schools, where hockey traditionally had not been popular sports.

TK South Africa enjoyed good sales across all categories: their clothing range is doing very well and the orders from schools are just getting bigger every year, says Pieterse. Apart from good growth in hockey clothing, they also supply cricket clothing and have been in contact with some other sporting codes like rugby and netball, he adds. They also sponsor a few development teams with TK sportswear.

Their Shrey cricket helmets are doing so well, that they are struggling to keep up with demand, and three franchises are wearing them on the field: the Lions, Dolphins and the Knights.

The innovative TK stick selector app helps retailers to select the right stick for the right player, by entering the player's age and profile for the app to recommend a stick, adds Pieterse.

Part of his new duties will be to ensure that the great service he, and other sponsored players, received from the TK head office continues. “The whole camaraderie with the TK team is very special,” he says. “TK is not just a sponsor, nor just a stick that you play with, there is a lot more behind the brand.”

Apart from sponsoring some of the world’s top players in fourteen countries, including the 2015 FIH Women Player of the Year Lidewij Welten and the 2015 Goalkeeper of the Year, David Harte, TK also supports disadvantaged youngsters in India and Pakistan, where most hockey sticks are made.

The elephants depicted on the logo have become more than a symbol — TK say their products pay tribute to the characteristics of the elephant, namely quality and durability.

“The elephant often represents a symbol of size, strength, power and long life expectancy. They are creditable and strong.” But, elephants are also endangered by poachers hunting ivory and TK Hockey therefore decided to adopt an elephant as mascot — Tembo Kille — who now resides in the elephant sanctuary near the Kruger National Park. They also actively support the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) efforts to create a better habitat for elephants and promote a positive relationship between people and animals.

Because Brazil, host to the Olympic Games this year, is not a hockey-playing nation, they will not be making a special effort to promote the brand around the Olympics. “In a country like Holland with 220 000 players, it is easy to fill a stadium with 18 000 people and create hype around and support for the Dutch players,” says Kille. “Brazil has no chance of filling a hockey stadium and it is very difficult for international hockey brands to create excitement around an event if there is no local market for their products.”

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Companies on the move p8 :: Industry

Takealot.com Cape Town 10s wins sports award LAST YEAR’S takealot.com Cape Town 10s event has won the Best Live Experience award at the 2016 Discovery Sport Industry Awards.

The event attracted 25 000 visitors and more than 400 rugby and netball matches were played when it was hosted at Hamilton’s Rugby Club in Green Point on 6 and 7 February.

“The concept of the takealot. com Cape Town 10s is to provide the public with a truly unique experience, and to be lauded as the Best Live Experience by our peers is a phenomenal achievement and makes all the hard work even more worthwhile,” says co-

founder Bob Skinstad.

This year adidas was also nominated in several categories including Sports Brand of the Year, Sponsorship of the Year, Best use of PR in a Sport Campaign, Creative Activation of the Year, Best Integrated Sport Marketing Campaign and Best Use of Digital Communications In Sport.

The Discovery Sport Industry Awards, which took place 11 February at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, presented 16 awards to South African sport industry members it believes are the best in particular categories.

Protea player Kagiso Rabada, takealot.com Cape Town 10s co-founder Ron Rutland, takealot.com Cape Town 10s event director Gerhardi Odendaal and former English Cricket captain Nasser Hussain.

New Balance launches digital division NEW BALANCE launched a Digital Sport division at the Consumer Electronics Show, which took place 6-9 January in Las Vegas, US. It will concentrate on athletes’ needs by improving their digital experiences and wearable technologies.

They will create sport clothing and footwear, which feature smart technologies from digital, hardware and software companies like Intel, Google, Strava, etc. The first product is a smart watch that enables the wearer to train without using a smart phone: it can track the routes via GPS and enables the wearer to listen to music during the run (see right).

As a complement to its wearable consumer products, New Balance Digital Sport will also create digital experiences like New Balance Run Club that will unite their digital and physical community of runners. Runners using Run club will be able to connect and track each other’s performance, share favourite routes and celebrate accomplishments. They can also participate in group or individual virtual training programs for upcoming running events, or in virtual

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

PLEASE NOTE that the TYR/Action-ize Gauteng agent is Silvia Schulz at telephone number 082 414 1983, not Robert Thompson as mentioned in the Retail Directory.

We apologise for any confusion caused.

Jarden Corp. sold to Newell Rubbermaid

races between individuals and clubs.

Runners will also be able to participate in physical Run Club activities that will be centred around New Balance stores and will include local runs, group training, alternative training and classes. The first Run Club will take place in Boulder, Colorado, early this year and others will emerge in key running markets in the US, Europe and Asia, later in the year.

JARDEN CORPORATION founder Martin Franklin has sold the company to consumer goods group Newell Rubbermaid for $15.4-bn. Jarden Corporation is the holding company for brands such as Campingaz, Coleman, Arc’teryx, Rawlings, and their Pure Fishing division, while Newell Rubbermaid has brands like the Baby Jogger stroller.

Newell Brands — as the alliance will be named — is expected to generate sales of approximately $16bn. Currently, Jarden Corp’s household goods generate the bulk of its income, but its Outdoor Solutions business unit recently reported sales of approximately $2.7-bn and an operating profit of $276-bn.

Newell Rubbermaid plans no major changes for the brand portfolio’s immediate future, but will assess each business unit’s performance in a process that will take years rather than months, according to its management.

Industry :: p9

Walmart reviews assets WALMART, WHICH locally owns Massmart with stores like Game and Makro, is closing 269 stores, mainly in the US (154 of their 8 803 stores) and Brazil, where 60 stores are shutting down.

Outdoor shoe range from Willow KATZ FOOTWEAR has expanded their Willow brand offering with a comfortable new men’s outdoor shoe range. The range is aimed at people who enjoy spending time outdoors and walking light trails, says Monika Dresen.

These mid-level priced shoes feature PU and Nylon combination uppers and soles that are made of a sturdy TPR. The Willow brand is a registered trademark of Katz Footwear and includes numerous clothing, footwear and accessory items that are locally manufactured and distributed.

Katz Footwear also distributes the Wild, Luciano Rossi, La Star and Enzolini brands, and is the license holder for all of the South African developed Loxion Kulca sneakers and casual canvas footwear.

“Our aim is to provide our retailers with affordable fashionable styles to please their customer’s needs and keep their customers satisfied,” says Dresen.

Head office: Tel: 011 447 4120 Fax: 011 447 2179 Email: info@katzfootwear.co.za www.katzfootwear.co.za

They have about 11 600 stores worldwide and are planning on opening more than 300 stores around the world next year.

This follows a strategic review of their assets conducted in October last year.

Gelvenor Textiles now fully SA owned GELVENOR TEXTILES — previously owned by Courthiel Holdings (Claas Daun) — is now officially part of Jacobs Capital to become a 100% South African company for the first time in its history.

For financially beneficial reasons part of the sale agreement includes the company merging with MB Workwear. This will become a division of Gelvenor Consolidated Fabrics, but will operate as an independent entity.

Jacobs Capital intends to grow Gelvenor and

support the business in bigger ventures than in the past. It will also assist the textile manufacturer in building on its strengths as well as dealing with its shortcomings.

Love lost between adidas and IAAF THE BIGGEST sponsor of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), adidas, is planning on ending their 11-year sponsorship of the sporting body, reports the BBC. This is four years before the current contract ends.

The BBC reported that adidas allegedly took the decision when a second report from the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) mentioned that “corruption was embedded” in the IAAF, after a prior WADA report mentioned “state sponsored doping” in Russia.

Adidas remains a FIFA sponsor.

Sales team:

Gauteng: Benny Berson 082 569 7779 KwaZulu Natal: Roy Nell 031 303 8318 Western Cape: Mike Wybrow 082 962 8381 Free State / Lesotho: Freddie Carpel 082 900 3970 Eastern Cape / Garden Route: Dave Nagle 083 284 0740 Limpopo / Mpumalanga / North West / Northern Cape: Gabriel Andreas 083 641 1427

2016 March :: Sports Trader

p10 :: Apparel & Footwear

Skechers changes local distributor after two decades Skechers recently ended their relationship with one of their oldest international distributors, Footwear Trading. The brand will now be distributed by their successful Middle East distributor, Brand Folio, which recently added Africa to their portfolio

A

fter 22 years, during which they introduced, built and established the Skechers brand in Southern Africa, forged strong and personal relationships with the owners, received numerous merit awards, and were recently inducted into the Skechers Hall of Fame, Footwear Trading’s distribution agreement was unexpectedly terminated.

At the end of February this year, the Middle East distributor of Skechers, Brand Folio LLC, became the new South African distributor of the brand.

This is part of the Dubai-based company’s agreement with Skechers to add Africa, including South Africa, to their Middle East and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States, formerly part of Russia) portfolios.

Brand Folio has been distributing Skechers in the Middle East since 1997, during which time they grew sales from 11 600 to more than 6-m pairs per year and became the top-selling footwear brand in the Middle East.

Recently they acquired the African and CIS distributorship where the goal is to create a similar trajectory in these newly acquired regions as what was done in the Middle East, according to their website. Part of the strategy is to make a big push into the African market by building new stores throughout the continent.

Footwear Trading, which was one of the two very first international distributors to show confidence in the brand 22 years ago, had no idea that negotiations were underway to end their close relationship, says Stanley Kotkin.

“Our perception of the relationship was always positive and strengthened by the fact

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

It was a massive shock, in fact, it was the biggest letdown of my working career that there had been no contract renewal in the last 10 years, nor had there even been a visit to our territory from a company representative during this time.”

Footwear Trading, the local licensee/ distributor of other prominent footwear brands like Jeep, Levi’s, Fila, and Diesel (apparel and footwear), is currently in discussion with Bounty Brands. The company, now worth more than R1-bn, has acquired brands like Vans, Hurley, Jeep clothing etc. for local distribution. The distributors (Chappers Sports Direct and Musgrave Agencies) continue to manage the brands as before.

It was during these negotiations that the Footwear Trading directors learnt that Skechers was about to pull the rug from under them.“It was a massive shock,” says Kotkin, “in fact, it was the biggest let-down of my working career.”

Introduce full range The new distributors started introducing the brand’s full range —1 800 SKUs across 19 categories — to local retailers with a brand showcase event in February. Their first stock will be arriving for Q3, for July-August intake.

Brand Folio’s South African Country Manager, Ahmed Elias Habib, and Brand Manager, Steven Swaby, are keen on showing the South African retail market the full depth of the brand: fash-

ion, lifestyle as well as technical performance.

They will be based in Johannesburg, from where they will distribute and market the brand.

Swaby has more than 20 years’ experience as retail buyer in countries around the Gulf and in Russia for, amongst others, the Landmark stores group.

South African Habib got to know the local retail market through family members who own stores in Johannesburg, and has worked in the African athleisure market for more than two decades as distributor and agent for international brands.

In Saudi Arabia and Dubai Brand Folio sold more lifestyle footwear than any of the other big athletics brands, says Habib.

“We are well established as wholesalers and supply more than a thousand doors,” says Swaby. These include 85 monobrand Skechers stores, managed by their partner The Apparel Group, with more than 1 200 stores of their own. The Dubai-based group also supplies an impressive range of top brands like Nine West, Tommy Hilfiger, Kenneth Cole, Aldo, New Balance, Birkenstock, to name a few.

Brand Folio hopes to repeat their Gulf growth success in South Africa through extensive marketing of the brand to make it more visible among consumers — they plan on utilising the full gamut from magazines, to billboards, taxi wraps, sponsorships, TV, social media and point of sale — as well as showcasing the brand in its entirety to retailers.

They also want to ensure that the right type of merchandise is supplied to the right type of store. Because of Swaby’s experience working

Apparel & Footwear :: p11

Stanley Kotkin (left) and Laurence Slotsky, directors of Footwear Trading, which was one of Skechers’ first two international distributors.

for Skechers overseas and as retail buyer, he will be able to advise retailers to buy well, comments Habib. “When a retailer buys wisely, we sell and he sells. Everybody benefits.”

The Apparel Group will also look after the retail side in South Africa and will follow the international strategy of rapidly expanding the number of brand stores.

“They want to open 35 stores in South Africa in the next 3-5 years and expand and revamp the current Skechers stores, where possible,” says Swaby. “Where the stores are too small to accommodate the range, they will be moved to bigger premises.”

The idea is that these stores, showcasing the full brand offering, would become Skechers catalogues, he adds.

Reach all stores Their aim is to market to a wide selection of stores in South Africa, from major chains to independents in remote areas. While it would be ideal for retailers to visit their showrooms to view the full range, they understand that smaller retailers will find it difficult to leave the store and travel and will therefore appoint sales reps to service remote areas.

But, a sales rep will unfortunately not be able to travel with close to 2 000 SKUs and will therefore only be able to show retailers a selection from the full range.

Of the more than 1 800 styles on offer, 800 are for women, 600 for men, 170 for boys, 260 for girls and 100 for infants. Nearly a quarter (48%) of Skechers’ quarterly sales is to women, 30% to men and 22% for kids.

While lifestyle fashion will be the core of the

New Skechers distributors: Ahmed Habib, Brand Folio’s South African Country Manager and Steven Swaby, Skechers Brand Manager.

In the Middle East they grew sales from 11 600 to more than 6-m pairs per year over the past 20 years range, all categories will be covered, including casual and technical performance products.

“Skechers technical running has had the biggest growth in the US of all technical running shoe brands,” says Swaby. The brand is now ranked #2 in athletic footwear sales in the US with global sales of about $3-bn.

Sales have been growing with double digits over several years — in the third quarter of 2015 they attained the highest quarterly sales in the company’s history, namely $856.2-m (27% growth), mainly due to Skechers’ international wholesale business revenues growing 53%. In the first nine months of 2015 international sales constituted 40% of total sales and the brand predicts that international sales will contribute half of all sales over the next three years.

Globally, retail sales by the 714 international Skechers stores grew 33% in the 3rd quarter — the majority of the stores are owned by franchisees, distributors or are joint ventures.

“Skechers is for the people who play on the field, but also for the people in the stadium,” says Habib. “We want to give performance and comfort.” He describes the comfort offered by a Skechers shoe as “putting soles on socks.”

While the brand can compete well on technology, this technology offers good value as it is available at a more affordable price than

other technical athletic footwear, points out Swaby. The technology, which has won Skechers several awards — including from Runner’s World and the UK Footwear Industry — is available across all the ranges, adds Swaby (also see below). “Skechers is for the athlete who wants to look good in the gym.”

The Skechers Performance Division recently announced a multi-year agreement to become the title sponsor of the Los Angeles Marathon, and is also the sponsor of the Houston marathon. Elite marathon runners like Olympic silver medallist Meb Keflezighi and Kara Goucher, as well as golfer Matt Kuchar, further lend credibility to Skechers as a technical performance brand.

Latest awards for Skechers SkecherS recently received two Plus Awards from the US trade publication Footwear Plus. Skechers was named Company of the Year for the seventh time and received an excellence award in the Athleisure category.

Skechers has demonstrated remarkable growth, tenacity and evolved into an industry leader with a global footprint since receiving its first Plus Award in 2000, says Greg Dutter, editorial director of Footwear Plus. Its ability to identify trends in the market and rapidly deliver footwear consumers love to wear has contributed to its tremendous success this past year, he says.

The annual Plus Awards were nominated by and voted for by thousands of American footwear retailers and consumers.

2016 March :: Sports Trader

Brands on the move

p12 :: Industry

Cat Footwear joins hip hop event

CAT FOOTWEAR’S new 2016 Spring-Summer collection will be introduced with a big boom to hip hop and trendy urban culture music fans who’ll be enjoying the sounds of local and international bands at the first Jack Daniels Boomtown event in Johannesburg in March.

Cat will be the only footwear brand to showcase their products at this exciting lifestyle event where international artist T.I. will be supported by popular local talent, including Mafikizolo and MiCasa.

The brand’s core lines, for example the Colorado, will be on display, as well as new men’s and women’s seasonal styles. Their SS16 range has a “boisterous approach to colour, print and graphics, which ties in with the brand’s tagline: Make a Scene,” according to local distributors Medicus Shoes.

Consumers will be invited to try on styles and interact with the official Cat Ambassador, Paledi Segapo, owner of the PALSE Homme brand, in a pop up store. Visitors to the store will also be invited to make use of the photo booth.

The inaugural event will be held on Saturday 12 March at the Zoo Lake Sports Club in Parkview.

Tough Merrell Transkei Tuff THE MERRELL Transkei TUFF adventure race brought together local and world-series adventure racing teams (of two or four) on 26 February who participated in one of the most breathtakingly scenic events held in South Africa.

The raw beauty of the Transkei Wildcoast formed the backdrop to the race in which participants were required to complete the 150km event — which included a number of disciplines like snorkelling, flat-water paddling, trekking, swimming and mountain biking through rural areas — within 24 hours.

“The Wildcoast has an abundance of raw beauty and as organisers of the Merrell Transkei Tuff it has been a case of piecing together these magnificent land marks; where we are showcasing these unforgettable places to athletes from all around South Africa, ” explained adventure photographer and organiser Bruce Viaene.

Merrell, locally distributed by Medicus Shoes, is well-known among adventure racers as the sponsor of one of our top adventure racing teams, the Merrell Adventure Addicts.

Many other active adventurers also enjoy their footwear, like the All Out Terra Light (right), which is also featured on the cover. The lightweight and water resistant shoe is perfect for the trail runner who is seeking a shoe with excellent control and traction.

Suunto makes waves with Ambit3 Vertical and Kailash

Hi-Tec teams up with walking festival SOUTH AFRICA’S only Walking Festival, sponsored by Hi-Tec SA, will start on 25 March and runs over the Easter Weekend, along the Garden Route.

It features 52 walks between George and Storms River that cater for all ages and levels, and allow participants to explore and connect with the area’s natural beauty.

It is also for a good cause, with funds going towards local environmental charities and conservation initiatives.

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

SUUNTO HAS launched the Ambit3 Vertical multisport GPS watch (below), which allows the user to plan and track his elevation gain.

The lightweight watch has up to 100 hours of battery life and its antenna construction and streamlined design enables a comfortable fit on any wrist. It features built-in barometric pressure, route altitude profile, vibration alerts and multisport functions for a number of sports. It is able to tracks users’ speed and distance, and can also track effort and recovery when used in conjunction with Suunto’s Smart Sensor heart rate belt.

The Ambit3 Vertical allows the user to view his altitude profile — the ascent gain of his route as well as what remains — in real time from the watch. In the ascent summary he can view daily, monthly, yearly and all-time totals for his ascents.

When used in conjunction with the Movescount App, the wearer can customise his settings to share his activities while on the go and to receive messages and calls via the watch. On hilly terrain the watch will inform the user of how

tough the course really is and enable the use of a Stryd Running Powermeter.

Meanwhile, Suunto’s Kailash watches (left) have won the prestigious iF Design Award 2016 in the Product category, which is given to products with outstanding achievements in design.

The watches’ design aims for purity and modernity, and the premium detailing — a hallmark of Suunto watches — complements the discreet, classic form, explains Timo Yliluoma, the designer of Suunto Kailash watches.

The Kailash had been designed for adventurous people and it combines premium materials with global, automatic time and location update features, an adventure logbook, which summarises the user’s adventures and composes an adventure timeline.

The iF Design Award is recognised as a label of design excellence awarded by an international jury, which this year assessed more than 5 000 entries from 53 countries. The Kailash will feature in one of three shows hosted at the iF design exhibition in Hamburg, Germany, in 2016.

Suunto is locally distributed by Ultimo.

2016 March :: Sports Trader

p14 :: Industry

PUMA launches traditional Toyota Cheetahs kit

A new water polo brand is born WHAT STARTED as a university assignment has resulted in the launch of the new water poloinspired brand Drenched International.

Brand creator Matthew Currie, who is currently studying B.Comm Financial Management through UNISA and is an assistant coach at SACS (South African College High School), has identified a space in the market for a water polo clothing range.

“I was searching for a market where I would be able to offer a high quality and stylish clothing range,” says Currie. “Water polo is one of the fastest growing sports in South African schools. From coaching the sport for four years and being a boarding housemaster, I was able to get to know what [the players] are looking for and what they wanted [from] the clothing industry.”

His entrepreneurial yearning became a reality when he launched the brand to the public earlier this year, in conjunction with a university assignment. He’s launching a teaser range in March and plans to have a big launch in August, when he also aims to enter the market through big tournaments.

“We have started with t-shirts and tank tops, but we look to grow in the near future to caps, shorts, ladies t-shirts, towels, golfers, kit bags and jackets,” he explains. “As a new company, we are entering the market predominantly through tournaments, festivals, social media, online and school promoters.”

Drenched International’s logo features a shark, which represents aquatic dominance as they strive to dominate the aquatic sports and their leisure wear, and a diamond that represents the high quality of the products, says Currie. The water polo man represents the sport that the brand is geared towards.

The clothing is manufactured in Cape Town.

Currie is not a new face to the entrepreneurial world, having already launched and successfully sold three small businesses and is a born sportsman. He was in the first rugby and athletics teams at Pretoria Boys High, participated in school and club cricket, and has provincial colours in cross country and soccer.

After school, he played rugby for Harlequins U21A and first teams, and coached both rugby and water polo at his former school in Pretoria.

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

PUMA HAS launched the latest Toyota Cheetahs Super Rugby kit, which features the team’s traditional all-white Home and all-orange Away colours.

The jerseys’ designs commemorate the team’s first season playing as sole custodians of the Toyota Cheetahs Super Rugby franchise, after having shared it with the Griquas and the Griffons for the past nine years.

The new kit design for the 2016 season symbolises the team moving into a new era, says Brett Bellinger, marketing director of PUMA South Africa.

It features a new sprinting Cheetah logo as well as a modern Cheetah watermark, which

Brands symbolises the new generation Cheetah player who possesses the skill, power and agility required for the game.

PUMA has also launched the new away kits of the Austrian, Czech, Slovakian and Swiss teams (below) they sponsor. All the shirts feature their new ACTV Thermo-R technology in strategic positions to help players maintain an optimum body temperature — cooling them down in hot conditions and warming them up in cooler weather.

The teams will wear the new away kits at UEFA EURO 2016, from 10 June10 July in France.

A sports coffee brand WHILE THERE are thousands of coffee brands world-wide and with the crazy coffee culture at full steam ahead in SA, there is a distinct gap in the market for a sports related coffee brand, believes Gary and Candace van Rooyen, developers of Xpression Sports Coffee (XPC).

“We did extensive research into the coffee market and came up with an exciting concept that is bound to put some bounce in the step of every type of athlete who enjoys a great cuppa,” says Candace. “Amazingly enough, the old stigma that was attached to drinking coffee and all the negatives that surrounded your morning wake up call, have all been thrown out of the window. Take a moment to Google the advantages of coffee and caffeine and you will be surprised what researchers have discovered!”

XPC have aligned with experienced coffee roasters and barista’s to come up with a robust flavoured mix of high caffeine, Robusta beans, together with a blend of Arabica beans from Ethiopia, Costa Rica and Columbia, they explain.

Island Style turns street kids into surfers

AS A result of Island Style’s partnership with Durban-based Surfers Not Street Children (SNSC), the surfing brand has signed three former street children (Ntando Msibi, Vukani Mhluzi and Sfiso Mhlongo) to their Island Style team of sponsored surfers.

SNSC works with street children to get them off the streets by getting them interested in surfing, empowers youngsters by ensuring their independence and employment, uses members’ stories to change the perception of street children globally and inspires children still living on the streets to see their potential and the opportunities available to them.

on the move New Balance Fresh Foam for Comrades 2016 COMPLETING A Comrades marathon gives a runner an entry card into an elevated fraternity. New Balance is giving successful runners another way of showing their comradeship through the introduction of a special commemorative Comrades shoe, launched in April.

The New Balance 2016 Comrades shoe will feature their award-winning Fresh Foam 1080 cushioning. It will be available in a men’s and women’s style (right).

The design team collected data from selected runners’ biomechanics, force patterns and wear tendencies to help guide them to deliver a highly cushioned underfoot feel. “It respects and maintains the runners’ need to engage with the ride itself,” says New Balance of

Industry :: p15

the neutral running shoe.

It features a substantial midsole with an inherently stable footprint and careful attention had been paid to areas of flex. “The Comrades Fresh Foam 1080 gives runners a pinnacle neutral shoe that can handle any amount of mileage,” they say. The one piece Fresh Foam midsole gives runners a continuously smooth ride, without interference.

“An intelligent emboss on the top bed of the midsole — in conjunction with data driven flex groove placement — combine to complement flexibility in this tremendously cushioned underfoot shoe.”

The bootie-construction was specifically designed to accommodate various instep heights and foot volumes in a secure wrap of the midfoot. There is ample room for natural toe splay on a long run. An engineered mesh in the vamp adds a luxurious feel to offer a plush, soft ride, even if the mileage is high.

Adidas focus on RunBase and women athletes for Two Oceans Marathon CAPE TOWN runners can now also enjoy the benefit of an adidas RunBase, where they can pop in for a bit of advice from elite athletes, test the latest adidas gear, socialise and refresh and recuperate, while contemplating the scenic route and heritage of the Two Oceans Marathon. This RunBase in the V&A Waterfront will be a highlight of adidas’ activations around the 2016 Two Oceans Marathon, which they sponsor.

It is the second RunBase in South Africa — a small one had been opened in Johannesburg — and follows the global pattern of runners’ bases where athletes from around the world can relax and socialise with likeminded people as they converge on a city for a major marathon, or just get dressed after a lunchtime casual run.

Adidas has already established RunBases in popular running cities like Tokyo, Moscow, London, São Paulo, Prague, etc. and more are opening across the world on a regular basis.

The first US RunBase, opened during the Boston Marathon last year, became a stateof-the-art hub for runners, who can relive the historic marathon at any time of the year through inspirational displays of marathon memorabilia and historical photos.

The RunBases offer runners facilities like a changing room with showers and lockers, which comes in handy when a runner has to change for work after an early morning run, and a stretch area to prepare for a run.

It is also a base for community runs, with an events hub where runners can catch up on forthcoming events, a lounge area has stations for charging smartphones or training apps. Other services that attract runners to the venue are trainers assisting with advice, a free foot strike analyses and free wi-fi. And best of all, an invitation to test the latest in adidas footwear and other gear.

All eyes will be on Caroline Wöstmann (left), who last year made history by winning both the Two Oceans and Comrades marathons in one year. The running sensation has recently signed a contract with adidas SA in time for their Two Oceans marathon campaign.

Slightly more than seven years after she started running to lose weight after the birth of her second baby, the quirky and self-depreciating finance lecturer is one of the favourites to win the women’s race. After all, she did topple the reign of the Russian twins in the Comrades last year to become the first South African in 14 years to win the race ... and ran one of the fastest ever splits because of mis-communication between her and her coach Lindsey Parry.

Last year, the Two Oceans was supposed to be a training run for the Comrades, but she somehow found herself at the front just by sticking to her training schedule. This year, running in her third Two Oceans, she’ll be defending her title.

Her meteoric presence among the top women runners over the past few years, have also been inspirational.

Three years after she started running for exercise, she came 15th in the Comrades. Two years later, in 2014, she came 6th.

And thereafter her name has been in the record books.

No wonder then that adidas is especially keen to profile their female athletes as inspiration for the Two Oceans. They will again be asked to share their running experiences and appear on the huge adidas stand at the Expo.

Wöstmann will, no doubt, keep an eye on fellow-adidas athlete Tanith Maxwell (left), who last year created another surprise by finishing third in her first ultra marathon.

She is a long-term versatile adidas athlete who excells in shorter athletic races to marathons and half marathons. In 2012 the KwaZulu Natal athlete became one of three South African women to qualify for the London Olympic marathon.

The versatile Rene Kalmer, who has been a contender in distances from the 800m to 1500m to marathons and ultras, will be one of them. The experienced athlete represented South Africa at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 in the 1500m and ran the marathon at the London Olympics four years later.

A veteran of eight IAAF World Cross Country Championships, she alternated between running shorter races at the IAAF World Championships with running — and often winning — marathons. In 2014 she was runner-up in the Two Oceans half marathon.

2016 March :: Sports Trader

p16 :: Industry

Look, no laces!

ADDING TO its list of innovative products, adidas has launched its first laceless soccer boot, Ace16+ Purecontrol. The high performance, limited edition boot enables a clean strike and generates more power and accuracy due to its larger surface area.

Instead of traditional laces, the boot features a TPU cage, knitted upper and an internal knitted techfit locking system that work together to lock the wearer’s midfoot in place.

The boot’s upper, which is an evolution of the brand’s Primeknit technology, combines tight and loose knits to offer the wearer a glove-like fit.

“We’ve taken away something that has been present in every pair of football boots adidas has made — the laces,” says Sam Handy, adidas Foot-

ball’s vice-president of design. The result has been a pure silhouette and a beautiful shape that not only makes it visually stunning, but gives the players an unparalleled strike surface, he explains.

The boot, which also features an enlarged heel pocket and redeveloped sole plate that reduces weight, will be worn on pitch by players like Mesut Ozil and Ivan Rakitic.

“My whole career I have tried to minimise the impact of laces on my strike and ball control,” says Ozil, who played a vital role in the product’s development. “When they came to me last year with the laceless boots, it was like they have created my dream product.”

Goggle for open-water swimmers OPEN-WATER SWIMMERS demand the very best when it comes to their goggles. Comfort, vision and ease of adjustment are critical requirements when competing in triathlons, states Speedo, locally distributed by Brand ID. “Futura Biofuse Pro is our response.”

After two years in development and defined by extensive research, Futura Biofuse Pro is the ultimate triathlon goggle. Innovative design features combine to deliver super-soft comfort, allowing triathletes to forget about their goggle — and focus on the race.

The Ultra Flex Seal features a unique

grooved design constructed from the softest of materials, resulting in Speedo’s most flexible goggle seal to date, and exceptional comfort around the eye. Swimmers will benefit from the wide field of view, courtesy of the wide vision lenses that allow for maximum peripheral vision and are enhanced by anti-fog treatment for exceptional clarity. The lenses are also available with polarized lenses, which mini-

mise glare when swimming outdoors.

For the perfect strap tension, and comfortable and secure fit, the ergonamic strap adjustment mechanism is combined with their liquid-silicon split strap. Further contributing to achieving the best possible, the goggle also features an unique and flexible nosebridge, which fits to the contours of the face. Futura Biofuse Pro is engineered to look as good as it performs.

I AM. WE ARE. ENERGY RUNNING.

Created for women, by women, the relentless energy of adidas PureBOOST X helps the wearer get the most out of every run, while its adaptive silhouette keeps her looking and feeling confident.

PureBOOST X is the result of years of testing and research among hundreds of women around the globe. Running — now the second most popular sport among women, after training — is a key part of women’s routine while trying to stay fit and healthy. The PureBOOST X shoe is designed to specifically fit this active lifestyle.

Unlike other women’s shoes, which are usually adaptations of men’s shoes, PureBOOST X was designed with only the female runner in mind, and specifically meets the unique demands of a woman’s running needs.

The full-length BOOST midsole offers a reliable source of energy: made of thousands of

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

tiny capsules, PureBOOST X is infused with energy that returns all the effort the runner puts in, and more. No matter if the lady is warming up, giving it her all, or cooling down, she is comfortable thanks to the cushioned comfort of BOOST, making every step more enjoyable than the last.

Through Aramis Testing, adidas found that the foot can expand significantly while running. This is why PureBOOST X stretches in certain areas, and supports in others — to match the foot’s natural movement.

The petite silhouette combines style and performance — with no compromise! The floating arch and its shadowed colouring create a subtle curve for a flattering look, hugging the foot to give a personalized fit for every female athlete and a unique look.

Mesh is used in several ways on

the PureBOOST X: the mesh window provides ventilation to one of the foot’s most sensitive spots, and the stretch-mesh upper keeps the foot looking petite. The embrace of the lacing system adjusts to each wearer’s foot’s unique shape by providing a snug fit.

FOR TRADE ENQUIRIES CONTACT ADIDAS SOUTH AFRICA ON TEL: 021 442 6200.

Industry :: p17

For women by women

Historic CCC shirt for UK Lions The IrIsh rugby team touring south Africa in June this year will be playing in Canterbury. The brand has also now partnered with the British and Irish Lions as the team’s official apparel partner for the combined team’s 2017 tour of New Zealand.

To celebrate the new partnership Canterbury has created 1 959 limited edition commemorative jerseys, which are inspired by the 1959 British and Irish Lions teams, symbolising their longstanding relationship with the team, which dates back to the 1959 tour of New Zealand.

The shirt will also be the first item in the Canterbury Since 1888 range — which is a premium collection celebrating the history of the Lions.

The brand has also launched several new women-specific products: the sleek and form fitting PureBOOST X running shoe and the StellaSport Spring/Summer 2016 collection, which includes apparel, footwear and accessories.

The PureBOOST X was designed by women for women to meet the needs of an active lifestyle. It features a stretch mesh upper, floating arch and lock down lacing system, which creates a personalised fit that hugs the wearer’s foot from heel to toe. Its stretch web outsole allows flexing at any point, enabling the wearer to retain natural motion.

“We understand that our female athlete demands both performance and style from the products she buys,” says Kate Woods, adidas’ Emerging Markets director of Running. “PureBOOST X provides endless energy through a beautiful sleek silhouette that compliments the shape of the female foot. It is designed, crafted and validated for women by women.”

The PureBOOST X collection also features two adidas by Stella McCartney versions, which combine performance with fashion trend elements. Theses shoes feature adidas’ Primeknit upper and extended lacing details that increase their support.

The StellaSport Spring/Summer 2016 range represent the energetic spirit of the 70’s and Californian summers, say the brand. It features rainbow lettering, tie-dye textures and graphic prints. The collection includes hoodies; a tee and tank; shoes; sports bra and tights; socks and a waistbag.

“The range brings to life all that is the adidas StellaSport girl - young, current and vibrant, looking to make a statement and stand out,” says Bret Burgess, head of Training at adidas SA. It is performance wear with a pop that is perfect for various types of training, or simply going for a walk with friends, and it offers patterns and textures to suit any mood, he says.

The adidas Ace 16 PRIMEKNIT has been bossing pitches everywhere since end of January, when the launch of the new soccer boot showed it offers the ultimate in comfort and control, giving players the confidence to dominate game after game.

For the first time, PRIMEKNIT covers the whole upper of the boot for total 360 degree control allowing players to boss everyone, with every touch, every part of the boot.

The 3D knit structure gives unparalleled fit and grip, and specially engineered knit zones across the upper combine loose and tight formed knits to fit snugly to the unique

shape of a player’s foot, enabling perfect ball control.

The brand new internal knit support system extends up to the ankle collar for a sock-like fit that streamlines the boot’s connection to the foot, so players can boss the field with confidence. The enhanced sprint frame construction delivers the perfect balance and control, on and off the ball, while an enlarged heel pocket adds to the next-level comfort of the ACE 16.1 PRIMEKNIT. For more information visit adidas. com/football, facebook.com/adidasfootball or follow @adidasfootball on Twitter.

BOSS EVERYONE #BETHEDIFFERENCE

2016 March :: Sports Trader

FOR TRADE ENQUIRIES CONTACT ADIDAS SOUTH AFRICA ON TEL: 021 442 6200.

Footwear

p18 :: Apparel & Footwear

New quality footwear from Levi’s THE LATEST Levi’s footwear is sure to attract young South Africans who have a way of styling that emphasises their own beauty and likes to express themselves fashionably, says Derik van Wyk from local distributor Footwear Trading.

This season the brand’s ladies’ range focuses on metallic hi and low tops, knee high and ankle boots while the men’s range will feature a premium selection of leather formal low cuts, b r o g u e s and boots.

The premium products are directed towards the more brand loyal consumer who enjoys matching his favourite Levi’s denim with same quality shoe, says Van Wyk. They also feature the Levi’s two horse Levi’s Emilia logo, which illustrates two horses trying to pull a pair of Levi’s denim apart, but are unable Levi’s Dunk Pitch Hi in Bronze Metallic

to do so — symbolising the durability and quality of the product.

Another offering in the range is the Levi’s Dunk vintage, which is made from the same cone denim as the Levi’s jeans.

Jeep Spirit: Step into nostalgia JEEP SPIRIT, which promotes the concept of individual expression and an adventurous spirit, is ideal for the fashion conscious, young and trend-led consumer.

The footwear in this range represents a free spirit and love of the outdoors in a way only Jeep can convey — incorporating materials and design principles that are compatible with the Jeep Spirit brand aesthetic, says Derik van Wyk from local distributor Footwear Trading.

The brand’s target audience is the fashion conscious as well as consumers who have a nostalgic connection with Jeep’s proudlyAmerican heritage. “The portfolio of outdoorinspired fashion footwear features a collection of diverse marks that have a vintage quality that communicates Jeep’s rich heritage and authenticity.”

“There have been many concerns in the local market about the connotation of Spirit in the sub-brand extension of Jeep. While some may feel that the word Spirit can be uncanny, the brand is actually designed to appeal to a

New footwear for WILSON’S INNOVATIVE new Glide high performance tennis shoe (right), which controls and enhances how players slide on hard court surfaces, is bound to be a big talking point around courts this season.

According to Wilson’s footwear engineers and designers, who spent four years to develop the shoe, the Glide enables the player to face the next ball 30% faster. It is especially effective on textured acrylic courts, but should not be used on clay, grass, asphalt or carpet courts.

“In studying how players use sliding, particularly younger players, it was clear current performance tennis shoes are not designed to protect the athlete,” says Hans-Martin Reh, Wilson’s GM Racquet Sports. “The Glide is a completely new type of performance tennis shoe and is a direct reflection of how the speed of the game has changed.”

Polyethylene plates have been strategically sized and placed to allow for optimal sliding and high traction and durable rubber provide

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

traction once the slide is complete. A rubber reinforced toe and inner drag pads offer extra protection during lateral and forward sliding and make the shoe more durable.

Wilson is locally distributed by The Golf Racket.

Mizuno back on court MIZUNO IS returning to global tennis courts in 2016 with the launch of its tennis footwear range to EMEA markets. This forms part of the brand’s 110th anniversary celebrations.

It also forms part of the brand’s Never Stop Pushing campaign — a content-led multi-category campaign across EMEA countries that will be led by compelling and engaging brand and product stories told in inspiring ways to create the right engagement with the target audience.

The Wave Exceed Tour shoe is one of Mizuno’s main models and is designed for competitive top players who are looking for a light weight shoe.

The Wave Intense Tour 2 for men is designed

news

Apparel & Footwear :: p19

younger audience who enjoys in a range of colours, textures and treatthe outdoor, but may not ments that vary from brown to black. necessarily seek the thrill For those consumers who prefer a more of adventure. With this Winclassic adventure look, the desert ter 2016 collection the Jeep shoe silhouette of the Willow Spirit brand should be seen will be carried throughout as a brand that promotes inwinter. “This silhouette has dividuality and self-expresJeep Spirit Raccoon been a favourite with consumers sion,” adds Van Wyk. and has been altered for this season, bringing Footwear Trading, the license holder of both in the Willow 2 and Willow 3,” says van Wyk. Jeep and Jeep Spirit Footwear labels in South “By extending the uppers and adding a folded Africa, has developed a ladies’ range for wincollar on Willow 3, these new additions of anter 2016 with these Jeep Spirit aesthetics in mind. In this season, boots reach their peak kle boots are great for an easy-to-style casual and the range will consist of two categories: weekend look.” fashion boots and fur-lined boots.

Among the fur-lined boots the adventure The fashion boots category takes inspiration look is taking over. The Raccoon boot is a refrom the outdoor wear look and includes knee construction of the classic Jeep Gecko, which high rider boots, heeled ankle boots, sees the urban boot paired with a compleand biker boots with detail menting faux fur lining and versatile casual such as buckles, zips and disfolding collar. tressed nubuck, which give The vegan faux fur boot style acts as both them a bit of an adventurous a bold fashion statement and practical warm edge. The Rider 2, Ant, Orfootwear.

The tall Vulture is available in black chid and Cara and grey and features decorative buttons will be available on the sides. The shorter Falcon ankle boot, which is decorated with a tie back, is available in brown and tan.

Jeep Spirit Orchid

Jeep Spirit Willow

tennis stars for competitive elite players who give priority to stability.

The new tennis footwear range is available with a clay court as well as with an all-court sole. It also features the Wave technology that provides controlled cushioning, stability for sidesteps, and keeps the ankle in its right position.

Several top players will wear Mizuno during the upcoming Australian Open, which takes place 1831 January and is the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. Over the past months the shoes have been tested both in training and tournament conditions.

Some of these top players include Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic (#21) and Cyprus’ Marcos Baghdatis (#45) who will both wear Mizuno apparel and footwear, as well as Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut and Albert Ramos-Vinolas, and Italy’s Simone Bolelli who will all

wear Mizuno footwear on the tennis courts.

Among the ladies, Yulia Putinseva (#77) from Kazakhstan will wear Mizuno from head to toe, and Australia’s Jarka Gajdosova will wear the footwear.

Mizuno is locally distributed by Brand ID.

Berdych now plays in adidas ADIDAS HAS also expanded their stable of top tennis players by signing #6 ranked Tomáš Berdych, who was previously outfitted by H&M. Although the exact amount of the longterm sponsorship is not known, sportbusiness. com reports that it is the second largest after Under Armour reportedly paid $25-m to sponsor Andy Murray for four years.

Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also have contracts with adidas, while #1 Novak Djokovic wears adidas footwear.

Above: Mizuno Wave Intense Tour 2 Left: Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour

2016 March :: Sports Trader

2016 March :: Sports Trader

p20 :: Apparel & Footwear

PUMA Speed for runners AS PART of its on-going commitment to push the boundaries of product innovation, PUMA has relaunched its technical running footwear range with the new Speed series.

The range includes multiple styles for serious runners and the new Speed 600 Ignite, which provides optimal cushioning, comfort and responsiveness for everyday performance.

The shoe’s forefoot propulsion zone pushes the runner forward to generate more speed through the toeoff phase. It features a dual layer midsole infused with Ignite foam and Everfit+ technology, which locks the wearer’s foot in place for a smooth fit and secure ride that does not inhibit his natural foot movement. Strategically placed reflective overlays on the upper also help to ensure visibility at night or in low light conditions.

PUMA launches new evoSpeed soccer boot PUMA HAS launched the new lightweight evoSpeed SL-S soccer boot (right), which is suitable for training and matches and will be worn by Puma players Sergio Agüero, Marco Reus, Antoine Griezmann and Marco Verratti.

The evoSpeed SL-S is an updated version of the brand’s evoSpeed SL boot and combines its lightweight construction with a synthetic monolayer microfibre upper material to improve the wearer’s speed and durability, and offer him a lighter than light feel. The boot’s upper provides comfort, stability and a better feel of the ball.

A Speedtrack spine in its outsole enables players to make quick turns, which are further helped by a mixed stud configuration that is designed to improve players’ reaction time.

He likes to wear the same boots in training and in matches, says Agüero, and evoSpeed SL-S allows him to do that. “To me, a light boot is very important, as it helps me to pick up

maximum speed within few seconds or change direction easily, which is key to my style of play.”

Ahead of the launch of the official evoPower 1.3 boot, PUMA has launched a teaser evoPower 1.3 Camo boot (below left). It was worn

by Olivier Giroud, Mario Balotelli and Cesc Fàbregas.

Furthermore, the brand has made the evoSpeed SL soccer boot available in a new colour and also revealed the new Vent Thermo-R Jacket that features vent placements, which adapt to the wearer’s movement patterns to help improve temperature control during different conditions.

Three MAGIC footwear trends The fusion between sport and fashion was also seen in the footwear styles shown at the 2016 MAGIC trade show for Fast Fashion Footwear held in Las Vegas in February. Buyers from more than 100 countries visited the Las Vegas Convention Centre to look at the latest trends in modern, afforable footwear, to socialise and attend seminars. Three lifestyle fashion, or athleisure trends were identified: Retro Athletic (above), Future Sport

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

(top right) and Element Protection (above).

Lifestyle fashion, or athleisure, was also one of the big apparel themes at the show.

Apparel & Footwear :: p21

A number of sneaker styles were shown GDS Winter, held 10-12 February.

Why different age groups buy sneakers Sneakers are ageless and worn by young and old — although the reasons for buying change from one age group to another. What appeals to young and older customers can vary significantly from the type of kicks teens look for. RHIANAH RHODE spoke to local retailers to help shed some light on the sneaker choices consumers of different ages make

T

he brand name and price tag are the main determining factors when customers choose their sneakers. There is also a radical shift between the important features for age groups: for older consumers price is very important, but younger sneaker shoppers firstly, secondly and thirdly look for their favourite brand: for the 10-29 year olds it’s all about the brand, no matter what it costs, what’s the style, or how pretty it looks.

But, parents buying sneakers for young children (under nine’s) and older customers (30 plus) will look at the price tag before they look at the brand name, or consider what it looks like.

These are the views of most retailers who responded to the Sports Trader survey* about what features are important to consumers of different age groups when buying sneakers.

“The fact that brands like Nike, adidas and PUMA are dominating the South African market is also affecting sneaker sales,” comment-

ed Shabeer V from Street Gear, who also believes that sneaker consumers are very brand loyal. “Customers can no longer be persuaded in-store to purchase an alternative, should his request not be physically available.”

He also believes that social media influences consumers’ choice and that the retail landscape is being changed by this — and will change even more as technology advances.

Aesthetics play a fairly significant role when adults and older customers buy sneakers Nike and adidas are the preferred brands among teenagers, while the most popular brand among customers who buy sneakers for kids and pre-teens is also Nike, retail respondents reported. Converse is highly rated by teenagers, young adults in their twenties, and

older (30-44 years) customers. Adidas is also a favourite brand of their twenty-something customers, retailers say, while Jordan (from Nike) and Le Coq Sportif are other popular sneaker brands mentioned by respondents.

“Consumers’ sneaker choices are also dependent on the culture they follow i.e. basketball, hip-hop and so on,” believes Karabo Mosaka from Tlakkies Sports.

Kids (5-9 years) Parents shopping for their little ones mainly look for sneakers with a good price point say 45% of the retail respondents. Kids’ feet grow quickly and therefore shoes need to be replaced more often than adults’ — for these customers, more affordable canvas options may therefore be more appealing than pricier leather or suede sneakers.

There are, however, consumers that only search for specific brands when they shop for their little ones, say about a quarter of the respondents. Less than 10% of re- To p22

2016 March :: Sports Trader

p22 :: Apparel & Footwear

Sneaker choices cont. from p21 tailers find that the sneaker style — whether it has a hi or low top design — or aesthetics, are important for this age group. Hardly any respondents mentioned that trendiness, buying the latest product launch, or gender-specific styles sway customers’ decision in this age group.

With kids it is also important to note that they may not necessarily have any say in the sneakers purchased for them, so it may be best to consider the wants of their parents — probably in their twenties or thirties — when trying to gauge what to stock for these customers. With this age group the parents’ brand loyalty will most likely influence the type of brands they will purchase for their kids.

Pre-teens (10-12 years)

Teenagers (13-18) For teenagers the brand name is most important, say 48% of respondents. Trendiness and having the latest launches are also the most important considerations for their high school level customers, report of 22% of respondents.

There are a number of popular sportsmen, musicians and other celebrities that teenagers identify with and follow, therefore ranges revolving around these type of icons may serve to improve sales to customers in this age group.

No retailers believe that this age group even think about factors like aesthetics or cost, and only 4% say that teenagers consider the style of the sneakers — hi or low top — or gender-specific features when buying.

Customers buying for 10-12 year Young adults (19-29) olds base their decision on the Young adults mainly look at brand brand, say 39% of respondents. names when purchasing sneakers, The trendiness indicated most of the sneaker (54%) of the Brand name and r e s p o n d e n t s . is also important for these price tag are the The trendiness customers, say main determin- of the sneakers 22% of the reing factors when is the most imspondents, while portant factor customers choose to sway a sale price is a detertheir sneakers. mining factor for for customers less than a fifth in their twen(17%). Only 9% ties say 17% of say that being the first to wear the respondents, but only 13% of the latest launches are important the respondents report that havfor this age group. ing the latest launches and styles This age group still depend on are most important for their custheir parents’ purses for the kicks tomers. they buy, and therefore keep an Aesthetics, price and gendereye on the price, but they will specific detailing play no role in want to assert their own tastes sneaker purchases for this age by selecting a specific brand and group. what’s on trend.

As with the 5-9 year olds, very Older customers few respondents (4%) report that Although the brand name is still customers in the pre-teen cat- relatively important to 30-44 year egory are interested in the aes- olds, the older the customer the thetics, style and gender-specific more they value the aesthetics, detailing of the sneakers they buy. getting value for money and the

About the survey THE SURVEY was conducted through an online questionnaire that lifestyle apparel and footwear, and surf and beachwear retailers were asked to complete. Retailers were given the option to remain anonymous, or to give their consent to be named and quoted.

The questions were divided in six age groups, and we asked retailers to tell us which factor is the most important for customers in that age group. Where they specified that the brand name is most important for a specific age group, we asked them to indicate which brand.

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

Apparel & Footwear :: p23

quality of the product, says an anonymous retail respondent.

The survey confirms this: price rules the roost when it comes to middle aged (older than 45) customers say 65% of retailers, a third say that the 30-44 years age group first look at price and nearly half (45%) say that parents buying sneakers for children under nine consider the price tag above all features. But, less than 10% of respondents report that the brand is the most important aspect for their customers older than 45.

Brand choice is not as important for older sneaker shoppers as for a younger crowd, but it is still important — it is the most important factor for adults (30-44 year olds) buying from the stores of 25% of the respondents.

This is followed by aesthetics, the top factor that sways 30-44 year olds, report 21% of respondents. Nearly a fifth say that this is most important for the over 45’s.

When this age group goes shopping for sneakers, the latest launches, styles and gender-specific features are hardly mentioned by retailers.

Comfort would, however, play a role in the sneaker purchase of older customers, says an anonymous respondent.

No respondents selling to this age group believe trendiness, having the latest launches, or style influence their customers’ choices when buying their sneakers.

To summarise: according to retailer feedback brand name is the determining factor when pre-teens, teenagers and young adults buy sneakers, while it is also an important factor for adults.

Price is especially important for older customers and parents who buy for young kids.

Aesthetics play a fairly significant role when adults and older customers buy sneakers, while trendiness is mostly valued by customers aged 10-29 years old.

Buying the latest launches is (not surprisingly) the most important for teenagers, whereas young adults would be most concerned with the latest style... “There is a trend for hi ankle boots this year,” reports Mohamed Regragui of Top Up Shoes.

Gender-specific sneakers is the least important factor for sneaker buying customers of all age groups, the respondents report.

Sneakers taking the hybrid fashion route More and More designers are creating hybrid styles, a combination of dress, casual and athletic, to offer one shoe that does it all — and sneakers are following the trend by moving towards styles that fit any occasion from casual to formal, say trend forecasters at the GDS show.

For the new season they expect sneakers in a combinations of bohemian elements, modern shapes and sandwich soles made up of a number of materials.

Visual elements expected to be prominent this season include gleaming surfaces, leather braiding, patchwork, stitching and linen, silk and cashmere materials.

Warm colours mixed with beige, caramel, red and orange tones, or cool and clean with pastels and grey will also be featuring.

2016 March :: Sports Trader

TRADE ENQUIRIES

FOOTWEAR: 011 857 2753 | ACCESORIES: 011 753 1853

2016 March :: Sports Trader

p24 :: Apparel & Footwear

Technology, sport style, and gender blurring set the trends Athleisure styles now also rule the high fashion catwalks, wearable technologies built into clothes and shoes, and baby pink colours worn by rugged men, are just a few of the trends spotted at recent fashion and industry shows, or in the style books of trend forecasters

L

ess consumer spending on clothing, customers demanding customised products at faster speeds, pricing pressures and production inflation are a few of the challenges the global clothing industry can expect in 2016, Leonie Barrie, editor of online news site juststyle.com, identified in an article titled Outlook 2016 — Apparel industry challenges and opportunities.

She asked a dozen global industry experts from companies like VF Corp, the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel, the chairman of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, general secretary of the International Apparel Federation, etc. for their views.

Most of them agreed that economic factors — especially volatile currency fluctuations against a strong dollar and unpredictable commodity costs — will result in pressure on pricing, which could be a major challenge for the industry across the world.

They also advise that retailers should keep an eye on the shift to online shopping and manufacturers on new sourcing destinations opening through various free trade agreements. Sustainability, fair labour and social compliance will continue to be standards consumers will expect from manufacturers.

Sports and outdoor brands can, however, expect a bit of a reprieve from the economic gloom as one of the main fashion trends seen on catwalks across the world is a fusion of sport and high fashion. For the past few years athleisure clothing and footwear have been on a roll as more and more consumers wear performance brands as office- and leisurewear.

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

Now, high fashion brands are turning to traditional sports and outdoor design elements for inspiration.

New York Fashion Week Any doubt that athleisure is the new high fashion was dispelled by the dominance of sportswear on the catwalk at this year’s New York Fashion Week — whether the ranges were called streetwear, athleisure or sportswear, reports trend forecaster WSGN’s Sarah Owen.

Open toe slides from Fila and Kanye West’s compression leggings for adidas were teamed with high fashion velvet pants or boots.

Athletic clothing with built-in sensors for tracking daily activity and heart rates and offer coaching suggestions Rihanna showed her collaborative designs for PUMA. “We can take the direction of Rihanna and she can lead us from a fashion point of view,” commented PUMA CEO Björn Gulden.

“Then we can come behind that with technology and performance and merge them together. From there the consumer decides if she’s wearing it for performance or if she’s wearing it for leisure.”

Athleisure at Magic The organisers of Magic Vegas, one of America’s biggest footwear and apparel trade shows

held in February each year, also identified sports-inspired fashion as one of the biggest trends across all categories. Several fashion brands showed the athleisure influence with ranges inspired by active performance lifestyle and urban looks.

“Utility and function turn modern and minimalist through the use of pure, soft and padded fabrics,” Magic officials described the Sports Luxe women’s apparel theme. “As well as offering a comfortable yet protective framework, tailoring and sportswear are also fused together for a soft, cozy approach to athleisure style.”

Colours like Midnight Blue, Winter Wine, Salmon Pink and Herb Green, were identified as Fall 16/17 staples for this category.

Street Sport was a prominent theme for men, described as functional meets the fantastical, with performance fabrics used in urban fashion styles. Traditional outdoor styles like puffy jackets blurred the distinction between outdoor wear and fashion in the Street Sharp theme, which also featured sporty stripes on tracksuits, shirts and sweatshirts.

Gym Sophisticate was another sport-inspired theme for spring/summer menswear, with the suit in tracksuit given a new meaning by the Performance Suit — a tailored suit inspired by a tracksuit.

The use of materials like neoprene and nylon, and activewear style elements like basketball jacket sleeves, zippered cuffs and elastic waists on pants, further blur the differences between fashion and athleisure.

Fashion meets sportsfield was also evident in the new footwear ranges identified with

Apparel & Footwear :: p25 Right: For the past 20 years a group of designers from different countries and cultures have been meeting annually as the IDEAS design group to produce a fashion trend and colour forecast book.

Left and above: Sport style fusing with fashion was one of the main themes of footwear and clothing at this year’s Magic show in Las Vegas. Right: From the WGSN autumn/winter 2017/18 trend book.

themes like Retro Athletic, Future Sport, and Element Protection.

Smart clothing Another big trend in apparel is fitness trackers in garments, smart fibres and 3D printed garments. This year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held in in Las Vegas in January, showed that wearable technologies that track fitness are moving from the wrist to clothing and footwear.

Among the smart apparel that intrigued visitors were athletic clothing like shirts, leggings, socks and even a sports bra with builtin sensors for tracking daily activity and heart rates. Yoga tights with wireless sensors that detect movement and offer coaching through an app, and technology that can be added to any sports bra that offers suggestions for improving the wearer’s fitness performance, took the technology even further.

New Balance’s 3D printed midsole and running shoes from Under Armour that track performance without a phone, were two techsavvy footwear developments on show.

In addition, travel clothing that stores items as large as laptops, belts that give various notifications and a meditation headband were smart apparel items exhibited.

Outdoor clothing is also becoming smart: a fabric that is able to think for itself was introduced by the insulation brand Thermore at OutDoor Friedrichshafen. The intelligent bulk fibre adapts to different temperatures to provide the desired insulation for every activity.

See more about the cutting edge wearable technologies that were awarded at the Wear-

ble Technologies Conference this year on p35.

Sustainable outdoor clothing An outdoor jacket made of molasses, an athletic shoe made of plastic marine debris, or a cycling shoe made of eco-leather — manufacturers brought plenty of sustainable innovations to this year’s ISPO Munich show.

Sustainable apparel is becoming increasingly more popular. Demand for eco-friendly and socially sustainable apparel has been on the rise since 2000, increasing by 5% per year on average, according to the International Association of the National Textile Industry.

In addition, fair manufacturing conditions

Sports-inspired fashion is one of the biggest trends across all categories in the textile industry are important to 86% of Germans, as shown by a poll performed by YouGov Institute on behalf of the dpa news agency.

Adidas showed a shoe made of recycled plastic marine debris as a joint project with the NGO Parley for the Oceans. Other brands have introduced cycling and outdoor sports footwear made with eco-friendly leather and have used water-repellant and breathable membranes instead of chemical coatings, which can be harmful to the environment (see p50).

A well-known brand like Bergans of Norway (not locally available) made wind- and water-

proof jackets with a 30% plant-based (molasses) polyester, a sustainable by-product of sugar production. This received positive feedback from the 30 consumers who were asked to pre-test them as part of the independent ISPO Open Innovation platform.

According to a report delivered by the European Outdoor Group (EOG) at ISPO Munich this year, consumers are willing to pay more for innovative products. One important driver of sales is said to be the sexy lumberjack look — earthy men’s clothing for lumberjack types.

Gender blurring The colour experts at Pantone say that Rose Quartz, a warm rose tone, and Serenity, a cool and tranquil blue, will be the colours of the year for 2016. “Consumers are trying to balance their fast-paced lives with some calm,” explains Laurie Pressman, vice-president of the Pantone Color Institute. “This is a harmonious pairing of inviting shades that embody a mindset of tranquility and peace.”

It also challenges some of the more traditional perceptions around colour associations.(e.g. soft pink is for girls and baby blue for boys). “In many parts of the world we are experiencing a gender blur as it relates to fashion, which has in turn impacted on colour trends throughout all other areas of design,” says Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone executive director.

“This more unilateral approach to colour is coinciding with societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity. The consumers’ increased comfort with using colour as a form of expression, which includes a generation that has less concern about being To p28

2016 March :: Sports Trader

Shopping online

p26 :: Apparel & Footwear

for kids’ shoes CARIN HARDISTY spoke with retailers and suppliers to find out about parents’ interest in buying footwear online for their children

B

rick and mortar stores are still the preferred destination for parents buying footwear for their children — only a limited number of kids’ shoes are being bought online, despite studies showing that there is a growing interest among South African internet users to shop online.

A 2015 study by market research company Ipsos showed that almost a quarter (22%) of the study’s South African internet users have already made purchases online, with another 48% expecting to shop online in the future — therefore 70% of internet users surveyed are, or plan to become, online consumers. The potential for retail sales is thus wide open if your store offers an online channel.

“We have noted a significant increase in interest in online shopping over the past few years,” says Sharnelle Peters from online retailer Zando.

“We are currently in a phase where eCommerce sales are forecasted to double every two to three years,” she adds. “Luckily Zando is in a position where we clearly surpass the fast market growth. The main reason for this, is the wide offering we cover online as well as the convenience factor. Zando offers free delivery and returns, and with our society as fast paced as it is, our customer realizes the benefit of shopping online.”

But, consumers are still very selective about what they buy online. Statistics by Effective Measure show that during August 2015 only 6.11% of South Africans bought sport shoes and clothing online, and 14% bought fashion clothing and accessories. The survey also revealed that shopping is the sixth most popular online activity. Effective Measure is the official traffic measurer of IAB, and the survey was conducted among 265 500 participants.

“Kids’ footwear was the strongest grow-

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

While online sales of kids footwear are still negligible, the rapid global growth of internet usage — including in South Africa — does not rule it out as a significant future trend. ing category in 2015 for Zando,” says Peters.

“While it obviously is a smaller category compared to adults, we do see a very big interest from our customers in both affordable as well as branded (higher priced) kids product.”

Suppliers agree that online sales of kids footwear is still very small. Their kids shoe sales to online store buyers are small — only accounting for around 5-10% of online buyers’ purchases, says Dianri Luttig from Footwear Trading.

Jordan & Co’s online kids’ footwear sales are also small, says Jody Henry, the Jordan sneaker sales manager. “But it’s growing! Especially the high-top sneakers are popular.”

Despite a strong presence among online stores for Intershu Distributers’ branded adult footwear, there isn’t a demand from these buyers for their kids’ shoes, says Philip Fouché, on behalf of Intershu Distributers, which has a selection of top international footwear brands: Grendha, Ipanema, Malero, Melongos, Pierre Cardin, Rider, Rockspring, and Zaxy.

These online stores have a stronger focus on men’s and women’s footwear, he adds.

“Children need to fit their footwear before purchase, unlike men and women who know their actual size,” says Fouche.

“While we cannot talk specific numbers, there is an over-all global trend that footwear has dominated sales during the induction

phase,” says Peters. “I feel the reason for this, is that it is an easier purchase, sizing fluctuations are not influenced as much in footwear as compared to apparel. With Zando being in the market for only four years we see that footwear and apparel are on par.”

“Many people prefer buying kids shoes in store due to size issues,” agrees Mohammed Laher from Rand Outfitters, which has both an online and brick-and-mortar presence. They experience more sales through their brickand-mortar stores though, he indicated.

“Sizing can be a concern for our customers,” agrees Peters. “To tackle this, Zando has added more information on our website, such as the age group suggested for sizing, thus indicating whether it would fit a toddler, kid or youth. All this information is also explained in the size guide found on every kids footwear page.”

Americans buy shoes online In America, parents mostly buy athletic footwear or sneakers when shopping for their kids’ shoes online, the research company The NPD Group found when analysing data from their Checkout Trading service for the year ending April 2015. This service tracks consumer buying behaviour online and in brick-and-mortar retail stores.

Familiarity plays a big role in what footwear American parents buy for their children. “Athletic footwear and apparel has become the wardrobe of choice for many kids as well as their parents, most of whom have grown up with athletic brands themselves and naturally seek the same for their children,” says Matt Powell, sports industry analyst for The NPD Group.

A lot of the growth in US children’s footwear sales, however, was due to increases to the average price. “The price increases are be-

Apparel & Footwear :: p27 ing driven by indulgent millennial parents buying shoes for their kids, the rise in Classic and Marquee basketball which carries higher price points, and the trend of teen girls buying boys-sized shoes, which are less expensive,” explains Powell.

“Just like their millennial parents, Generation Z has a tremendous affinity for and loyalty to sneakers and athletic brands,” he adds.

South African experiences In South Africa, brand is also a big factor for parents buying their children’s shoes, especially their sneakers retail respondents indicated in our sneaker survey (see more results on p21).

When it comes to buying footwear for their girls, light up shoes are popular among parents, says Luttig, who found that the Skechers Twinkle Toes was* a popular order among online retailers.

Parents look for comfort, price and quality in a pair of kids shoes, adds Laher.

Online buyers prefer generic kids footwear styles, says Jonathan Chaimowitz, Levi’s footwear brand manager for Footwear Trading.

For Levi’s, this includes their canvas and Pitch styles.

Children’s footwear is extremely seasonal, adds Fouche.

Peters agrees and adds that in winter Zando’s customers prefer to buy sneakers and boots, and in summer they prefer sandals and slip-ons. “I would say at every change of season sales move from sandals to boots or vice versa as the weather changes. Also when we have our new arrivals, especially of high fashion and branded footwear that all the kids have to have.”

Typically sales of kids’ footwear peak around Easter, December and Eid, says Chaimowitz.

Henry has also experienced this. He has specifically designed his kids shoes so that they look good enough to be bought and worn for Eid, but comfortable enough to also be worn at other times.

Religious periods such as Christmas and Eid has an effect on sales for specific styles among their kids shoes, says Peters. In summer, the styles that peak are pretty sandals for girls and branded sneakers and shoes for boys. If Eid falls in winter, she has taken note of sales peaking for boots with detailing and embellishments for girls, and styles “that have a little extra pizazz on them or the most popular sneaker — flavour of the month sort of thing — for boys”.

Globally, times of celebration such as Christmas and Eid attract an increase in children’s footwear sales, with parents making the effort to spend a bit more on their young ones to have them both looking good and feeling special. In tough economic times, this often means saving their money during the year and making investment purchases at these times of celebrations — investing in key items that will keep their children for a longer time.

Christmas is also traditionally a time of year when working parents have a little bit more

Parents typically love to dress up their children and spend money on them to have their offspring look good.

This creates an ideal business opportunity for retailers. Photo: ABC Kids Expo. Visitors to the expo are treated to the latest kids-focused products from distributors and manufacturers who exhibit at the expo. The next expo takes place 18-21 October at the Las Vegas Convention Centre.

to spend.

Online sales growing But, while online sales of kids footwear are still negligible, the rapid global growth of internet usage — including in South Africa — does not rule it out as a significant future trend. It is estimated that almost half (49%) of South Africans were connected to the internet by the end of 2015, reports Internet World Stats. That’s more than 26.8-m internet users — by comparison, South Africa only had 2.4-m internet users at the end of 2000.

Traffic on their website grew by over 80%, compared to Q4 2014, Paul van de Waal of Makro told mybroadband. Also, turnover from the website almost doubled.

Looking at the continent, Nigerians make up more than a quarter (28%) of all of Africa’s internet users (92.7-m users), according to Internet World Stats, with Egypt a far second (14% of African internet users). South Africa holds fourth place (8%), after Kenya with 9% of Africa’s internet users (almost 32-m users).

A 2013 report by McKinsey & Company, Lions go digital: The Internet’s transformative potential in Africa, predicts that ecommerce could account for 10% of retail sales in the Af-

rica’s largest economies by 2025 — an equivalent of $75-bn in annual online sales.

“Today, the formal retail sector is relatively underdeveloped across most of the continent, outside of South Africa,” the author writes.

“But E-commerce will open up a new shopping experience for Africa’s growing middle class, giving consumers access to more choice, better quality and convenience, and lower prices, while possibly unlocking incremental demand.”

E-commerce is the fastest growing retail market in Europe, Centre for Retail Research** found in their survey Online Retailing: Britain, Europe, US and Canada 2015, which predicts that European online retail spending will grow by about 40% between 2014 and 2016 (roughly 18% growth each year) from £132.05bn to £185.44-bn.

The United Kingdom, Germany, France, Sweden, The Netherlands, Italy, Poland and Spain are included in the survey, with the UK, Germany and France dominating the European online market — accounting for 81% of European online sales among these eight countries.

In 2015, online retail held a 15% market share in the UK, 11% in Germany, and 8% in To p28 France.

2016 March :: Sports Trader

p28 :: Apparel & Footwear

Shopping online for kids’ footwear cont from p27

Online retail spending in the US is also expected to grow, with Centre for Retail Research predicting a 30% growth from 20142016 ($306.85-bn to $398.78-bn) — roughly 14% growth each year.

More than half (57%) of Americans and 46% of Europeans buy online, the study found.

“The recession has induced many shoppers to buy online rather from traditional stores,” Centre for Retail Research found. “Retail focus on the growing use of mobile technology is an additional factor in making online retailing attractive and convenient.”

Typically South Africans tend to follow international trends, so it’s only matter of time before more of our consumers become regular online buyers.

Buying online is all about convenience, says Peters. “Being a mom myself I know how little time is left out of the day and parents don’t want to spend this precious time in mall shopping with little ones. An online platform, such as Zando, allows me to shop in my own time in the comfort of my space. Our website is user friendly and with the new cellphone app it has become so much more convenient.”

“We have noted a significant increase in interest in online shopping over the past few years,” says Sharnelle Peters from online retailer Zando.

“The wide offering also allows customers to purchase many items and return free of charge if it’s not suitable, or they can simply change a size,” she adds.

Online retailing, however, isn’t as easy as it might sound. “From the onset we realised that trust, mainly around payment methods, was an area of concern,” says Peters. “This factor has become less pronounced as we evolved as a company. Through offering Cash on Delivery we managed to minimize the effects of this challenge.”

Brick-and-mortar and online not exclusive South Africa has seen several traditional brickand-mortar retailers extending their reach to

Clothing trends to expect cont. from p25 typecast or judged, and an open exchange of digital information, has opened our eyes to different approaches to colour usage.”

Pressman pointed out that today’s gender blur is a little different from previous years — instead of the masculinization of womenswear, we’re seeing the feminization of menswear, not just in terms of silhouettes but also in the colour story.

“It’s not necessarily about trying to make a man look like a woman or a woman look like a man. It’s really about creating a canvas that can be adapted to any style.”

Activewear colour predictions In autumn/winter 2017/18 technology will become more seamless, sustainability more imperative, and old social signifiers are eroded, add trend forecasters WGSN. “Colours take their cue from sustainable design, appearing as though they have been altered through time, or recycled with a palette of smudged grey-toned pastels and midtones,” they say.

“In active-specific clothing bright bold lilac and chartreuse are introduced to create versatility and dynamism, ensuring the palette works from outdoor to wellbeing to performance and active all-day. A sense of calm is created through the use of layered mid-tones and the introduction of core neutrals.”

Their new colour palette is built around core

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

colours, for example: • Bold Lilac, specific in activewear, is the alternative new pink for the season, but with the colour values dramatically increased. An adaptable shade, it translates well within the neutrals and soft and calm mid-tones.

Alternatively, it pairs with turquoise and bright chartreuse (lime-green) for a graphic, active clash.

• Turquoise is a key colour, adaptable across the palette, as a standalone shade or paired with other hues.

We are experiencing a gender blur as it relates to fashion, which has in turn impacted colour trends throughout all other areas of design • Mid-tones work cohesively with the bright, dark and core neutral colours.

Other colours to expect The IDEAS Active Sports Design Network, consisting of twelve international colleagues from different cultures, annually present a colour palette for outdoor and activewear at the OutDoor Friedrichshafen and ISPO Munich shows.

The colour palette for outdoor clothing in

the online world. “In addition to the increased transactions across our various clients, we are seeing a transition towards a fusion of brickand-mortar and online strategies targeting improved customer engagement,” says Mustapha Zaouini, CEO of PayU MEA, a Naspers-owned online payment portal. “In the past year we have observed an increase of transactions in the retail E-commerce sector,” he adds.

TFG (The Foschini Group) launched its online sales channel a year ago and so far results have been promising. “We are exceeding all expectations for online sales at TFG,” says Robyn Cooke, TFG’s head of E-commerce. “This is in part due to the fact that people are becoming more familiar with our sites and that the South African consumer is growing more confident about shopping online.”

TFG is also expanding its online store to cater for mobile shoppers. The mobile sites are due to launch in a few months. “Currently less than 5% of all online transactions in South Africa are completed on mobile devices so we have timed this enhancement for when we felt it most appropriate,” Cooke says. * Footwear Trading was the Skechers distributor in South Africa for more than two decades, but Brand Folio took over the distribution in February this year (see p10) ** The Centre for Retail Research undertakes surveys to predict retail and consumer trends, and to analyse the main drivers behind retail change.

summer 2017 will be brighter and more vibrant and will remain inspired by nature, says Nora Kuehner, the group’s Munich-based design consultant. Classic blue, white and red are reinterpreted by fabrics with interesting structures.

"Through the interplay of light and shade, colours appear richer on new more textured outer surfaces than they did on previous smoother fabrics,” explains the fashion design consultant.

In women’s apparel, berry tones continue to trend. They will also be joined by chalky colours, such as aqua, sand and vanilla.

The new trend colour for 2017 might be chartreuse — a fresh yellow-green, the IDEAS group agree with WGSN. When it comes to men’s outdoor clothing, the designers recommend classic blue and also brown with khaki nuances.

Modern consumers are not just looking for functionality and protective characteristics, but also for fashion aspects, such as a good fit, pleasant fabrics and colourways suitable for everyday use, they say.

According to the IDEAS active sports Color Trend Book for autumn/winter 2017/18 the winter will be characterised by a Revolution of Light, with glowing metallic colours mixing with earthy greens, browns, oranges and blues. Alternatively, there will be the risk takers who can’t wait to make it happen with bold red, turqoise, orange and green plaids and colour combinations.

The new IDEAS activewear trend book is aptly named R´evolution“ 2017/18.

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Sh

op

The stylish and spacious interior of The Vault in Wynberg, Cape Town, offers a pleasant lifestyle shopping experience.

The latest clothing, footwear and headwear designs are either displayed per brand, or per category.

Bottom left: The new American Clothing store, opened in a former bank building, is aptly named The Vault.

A good news retail story The right brands and owning their own building made American Clothing successful, even in tough times

I

n these days of economic gloom, a good-news retail story is an inspiration for all.

With his fourth store, opened in December 2015 in Cape Town, Kamlesh Chagan has not only gone bigger, but also better.

The inspiration for the interior of The Vault by American Clothing comes from studying the current look of world class stores overseas and then employing a store designer who had been responsible for the look of top local fashion/ lifestyle stores to replicate the look and feel.

The stylish and spacious 360m2 store is further stocked with the

most sought-after brands: Nike, Vans, Converse, Superga, ASICS Tiger, Caterpillar, Levi’s, Jordan, Sebago ... even Timberland, to name but a few.

“This store will take [shopping in] Wynberg to a whole new level,” says Chagan of the store that would be at home in an upmarket shopping centre.

Yet, it serves the needs of the community he came to know so well since opening his first store in Wynberg more than 25 years ago.

The Chagan brothers — the youngest, Girish, oversees the day-to-day running of the new store until it is well established —

grew up in a retail environment in Retreat, where their father started a business 50 years ago.

When Kamlesh wanted to get married, he decided that he no longer wanted to work for a boss as dental technician, but that he wanted to run his own business.

Despite his father’s misgivings he opened a smaller store than the family store in Retreat at a higher rent in Station Road, Wynberg.

This store was so successful that he opened another store and bought a building in Main Road, where he opened another small 60m2 store. He bought the building next door and combined two

stores into one 300m2 main street store buzzing with customers seeking stylish shoes and clothing.

He subsequently bought an old bank building down the road, and started planning the flagship store that opened in December as the aptly-named The Vault. In addition, he has 800m2 warehouse space in a second storey and has moved his head office there.

“The other stores are volume driven, this store is lifestyle driven,” says Chagan.

It is as much about offering a pleasant shopping experience, browsing among the brand-filled displays, as about selling stock.

Reasons for their success • Chagan is personally involved in the running of his stores; • Brands attract customers, and he therefore aims to stock all brands his customers seek; • The Chagans understand the shopping needs of the local communities who have been supporting their family for more than 50 years; • They, in turn, support the local communities where they can.

2016 March :: Sports Trader

Ta lk

p30 :: Industry

Brand ID’s CEO Wayne Bebb believes their strong brand portfolio provides the solution for their retail customers.

The Performance Brands (Mizuno, Skins, Canterbury) division with (ltr around the tab Medcalf, Thando Siyenga, Shamiela Moideen, Pierre Zeeman, Paul Copson and Du T

For Brand ID 2015 was a year of growth that neccessitated expansion into bigger premises and of fine-tuning their holistic approach to supplying customers — retailers, schools, event organisers — with a portfolio of brands that are leaders across most sports disciplines and outdoor activities

Brand ID:

Offering a holistic

T

Steve and Susan Gallienne, responsible for the Dunslaz Division, which supplies D sought-after Karrimor school bags, Opro mouthguards and Swingball games.

brand solution

here is a saying in the industry that when times are tough, established brands do well because consumers trust them. It appears that Brand ID shares this belief. While many companies were looking at down scaling towards the end of last year, they moved into new, modern, roomier premises in Woodstock where there is ample space to display their numerous brands in the high-tech showrooms.

Despite the shaky economy making many retailers more cautious and risk averse, their brands traded well across all areas during 2015 and they managed to achieve double-digit growth. “It was like being on a treadmill with the speed increasing,” says CEO Wayne Bebb.

With a 33% drop in the value of the Rand over six months the holiday season was a test for all trade, but “the buy-in had been good and our anchor partners are strong,” he says.

“We have confidence in our business and retail partners going forward.”

The quotation from brand guru John Morgan’s book Brand the Machine on the wall in their meeting room explains their optimism: Branding is not just about being seen as better than the competitor. It’s about being seen as

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

the only solution to your audience’s problem.

Their solution had been to offer a portfolio of brands that dovetail together to provide customers with a one-stop head-to-toe shopping opportunity.

They had set benchmarks and tailored the ways in which they deal with all customers, solidifying partnerships to form more meaningful relationships, adds Bebb. In addition, they strive to align themselves with best in class teams, schools, or events.

Choose from brand portfolio This means that retailers — and schools and clubs in partnership with retailers — can find stock for just about every sport or activity from them. This strong portfolio consists of best in class brands, adds Bebb, covering cricket, cycling, fishing, fitness training, hiking, hockey, netball, rugby, running, soccer, swimming, squash, tennis, trail running, and just about the rest of the alphabet.

Canterbury, for example, has agreements with six of the top ten rugby schools to provide their first team uniforms, with the other teams purchasing their Canterbury kit from their retail partners.

But, Canterbury has grown into far more than a rugby brand. Although they are proud of their association with the Golden Lions, they now also provide clothing for most sporting codes, including the SA Netball teams and Mpumalanga Black Aces in soccer.

These activations also include the other brands in the Brand ID portfolio: the national netball team, for example, wear Mizuno shoes and Skins compression and train with SKLZ equipment.

Cater for all sports When signing partnerships with schools the whole Brand ID portfolio becomes involved: they can not only provide balls and uniforms for team sport (Canterbury), but also swimwear (Speedo), compression (Skins), fitness training (SKLZ) as well as cricket, hockey, tennis and squash (Dunlop and Slazenger). They provide gear for the first teams, while the other teams agree to buy through retail partners.

“We have proven ourselves as a reliable company to work with,” Bebb explains the success of this strategy.

This also translates into retail: at the Dunlop sales conference towards the end of last year, Brand ID was given a best practice global

Industry :: p31

ble) Elinor Johannes, Evert Ferrreira, Benno Swanepoel, James Toit Botes

The Columbia team enjoying their new showroom where the scope of the brand can be displayed. (ltr) Marc Borg, Laurine Grs (French Intern), Ricky Fielding, Eloise Ridgeway, Pierre Zeeman and Du Toit Botes.

Dunlop and Slazenger cricket and racket sport equipment, the

Deidre Scodeller, Speedo brand manager, and digital expert James Medcalfe, Brand ID Digital Manager.

award as the 1st runner up for Best Implementation at Retail. “Dunlop and Slazenger continue to do very well in their spaces and they have positioned the brands right in retail.”

Columbia trail and cycling Columbia, the newest brand to be added to the portfolio, is not only a major outdoor brand “with a strong ethic of excellence,” says Bebb, but also dominates the fishing clothing market with “a remarkable shirt” and has formed alliances in the cycling and trail running categories with sponsorship of the Cape Epic and the Ultra Trail Cape Town (UTCT) event run over Table Mountain.

“Columbia is the off-bike apparel sponsor at the Cape Epic,” he explains, “providing offbike gear to keep the cyclists warm and comfortable after the ride while camping.”

Apart from presenting itself as a brand providing all the clothing, footwear and gear the UTCT runners will need, Columbia also digitally engaged with the athletes and their supporters with tips and guidance about the event and enabling them to track runners along the route. “These events are very good activations for the brand,” says Bebb.

Trail running is seen by Columbia International as a big growth category for which they will be providing an extended and upgraded range of performance clothing, footwear and accessories under the new Columbia Montrail label, following the decision to realign the trail brand Montrail as a sub-brand of Columbia.

But, above all, Columbia is aimed at the outdoor enthusiasts and the retailers who cater for them. The brand has resurrected

the quirky, funny and memorable advertising campaign that helped place it on the map. It features Tough Mother Ma Boyle — the 92-year old chairwoman Gert Boyle — who forces her son (company CEO Tim) or new staff members to tough test Columbia gear in extreme conditions … like being buried under ice with a straw to breathe through or spending the night stuck on a ferris wheel in a snow storm.

Their solution had been to offer a portfolio of brands that dovetail together to provide a one-stop shopping trip for customers There has been a resurgence in swimming interest at key retailers, “but independents are still taking strain,” says Bebb. The problem that a brand like Speedo faces is that the growth of the sport is hampered by the lack of swimming facilities across the country.

But, their alliance with many open water swimming events, Learn to Swim and their sponsorship of the SA Schools U18 water polo team, also benefitted the brand as “these swimmers want to wear Speedo and our other brands in and out of the pool — tracksuit, tshirts, pants, etc.”

With the Olympics looming, he expects that there will be a resurging interest in swimming, as well as the Speedo suits worn by so many of the medal prospects.

Technical brands like Mizuno and Skins have a loyal following, because “once you get into them, you don’t want to buy anything else

again.” At schools most rugby players now wear Skins under their kit and forwards enjoy wearing the Mizuno rugby boots, which was the second most popular boot brand at the IRB World Cup (worn by 27% of the players).

But, it takes a long time to convince elite runners to switch to a new brand. “Paul (Copson, brand manager) has, however, been doing a lot of good work at running clubs and point of use,” says Bebb.

Challenges for 2016 While 2015 had been tough for all, the price increases that will become inevitable due to the exchange rate will exert even more pressure on consumers and retailers in the coming year. “Our challenge will be to help our customers achieve sales,” says Bebb.

He believes that while 50% of their job is to sell to the retail customer — especially as risk averse retailers will be thinking much harder before placing orders — the other 50% of their job is to help their customers empty their floors by giving consumers a reason to buy their brands.

This will include providing retailers with the necessary information to explain product technologies to consumers who will most likely enter the store armed with quite a bit of knowledge, interesting point-of-sale materials to sway his decision and by engaging with consumers on social media.

The new Golden Lions rugby jersey, for example, attracted more than 700 000 social media interactions. These chats about what people are wearing can drive sales in all sports codes, as what their peers are wearing often have more influence than TV adverts, believes Bebb.

2016 March :: Sports Trader

p32 :: Industry

More than 2 500 exhibitors exhibited at ISPO Munich 2016 held January in Germany. Image: www.ispo.com.

2016 ISPO award innovation Exceptional new sport and outdoor products that will set the trend for the year to come, received awards at this year’s ISPO Munich. Many of the brands that developed winning products are also available in South Africa

T

he most exceptional new products are awarded at the ISPO Product Awards each year during the ISPO trade show in Munich — the best of the best receiving the Product of the Year prize in each of the five segments evaluated by a jury of industry experts. This year, a GPS watch with an integrated music player, a trail running shoe that can withstand difficult conditions, a backpack that offers various hydration possibilities, and a travel mug that makes on-the-go drinking easier were among the winners.

The jury members award a top-of-class ISPO Gold to the best product in a category within one of the segments: Performance, Action, Outdoor, Ski or Health & Fitness. The Product of the Year in each category is selected from

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

among the Gold Award winners.

Other deserving new products receive a prestigious ISPO Award.

rate without the need for a chest belt. The device also tracks the user’s steps, distance, active minutes and calories burned 24/7.

TomTom wins in Performance

Gold award-winning products in the Performance category include brands that are distributed in South Africa, like the Salomon S/ Lab XA Alpine and Inov-8 AT/C Thermoshell HZ. The Salomon Alpine is a trail running shoe has been developed to withstand the most difficult terrains and conditions. It offers good protection, grip and features a Carbon chassis and a moulded EVA midsole.

The Inov-8 Thermoshell offers the wearer lightweight, packable warmth and a high level of breathability. It regulates runners’ core body temperature whether on the trails or in the mountains. It is locally distributed by ReTo p34 bel Elite Fitness.

The new TomTom Runner 2 Cardio won the Product of the Year title in the Performance category. It is a GPS watch with an integrated music player, which enables the user to listen to his favourite songs. It features a built-in monitor that allows him to keep track of his heart

TRAIN TO THE RHYTHM OF OVER 500 SONGS AND THE BEST OF YOUR HEART ON YOUR WRIST

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MEASURE YOUR HEART-RATE ON YOUR WRIST Track your heart-rate with the built-in heart-rate monitor.

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Switch mode to mix up your training. Run. Bike.

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WORKOUT WITH MUSIC, NOT YOUR PHONE Carry 500 songs without carrying your phone. That’s 3GB of music wrapped around your wrist. So you can listen to your favourite playlists straight from your watch. Wireless and phoneless.

RUNNING TRAX

BY MINISTRY OF SOUND Find your rhythm with exclusive preloaded Running Trax mix by Ministry of Sound. Train with a motivational, high energy mix of upbeat dance anthems from some of the world’s biggest DJ’s.

TRAIN IN 5 DIFFERENT HEARTRATE ZONES Maximise performance.

Improve fitness. Lose weight. Train in 5 different heart-rate zones to get results faster.

GET INSTANT AUDIO FEEDBACK AUTOMATICALLY TRACK YOUR SLEEP Know if you’re getting the sleep you need.

Stay motivated. Activate audio feedback on your performance as you workout.

RUNNER 2 GPS GPS WATCH WATCH TOMTOM.COM/RUNNING

AVAILABLE AT:

p34 :: Industry

ISPO awards innovative products cont. from p32 The Inov-8 Race Ultra Boa running pack also won an ISPO Award in the Performance Segment. This makes carrying fluid far more efficient than ever before.

PUMA won an award for their Thermo-R football jacket (left) with ergonomicallyplaced inserts that adapt and enhance football movement patterns for dynamic thermoregulation control.

The North Face Flight Series Fuse Jacket was another Award winner in the Performance segment. This rain jacket for runners has a perforated membrane that allows moisture management while keeping the body dry.

Outdoor division In the Outdoor division the Salomon S-Lab Peak 20 backpack, Merrell Capra Glacial Ice+ Mid Waterproof shoe and the Therm-A-Rest Neoair Camper Sv won Gold Awards.

The Salomon backpack offers varying hydration possibilities such as soft flask or bladder, features a top and bottom sensi load lifter to adapt and compress the pack. It also balances front and rear loads for quick access, and allows freedom of movement.

The new Vibram Arctic Grip outsole technology in the Merrell shoe (left) is designed to withstand the most extreme winter conditions, providing traction and stability when things get icy. Merrell is locally distributed by Medicus Shoes.

The Therm-A-Rest Neoair mattress, available from Outward Ventures,

inflates in a third of the time of mattresses with conventional valves. Its patent-pending auto reversing SpeedValve enables it to deflate almost instantly.

There are several locally distributed products that also won ISPO awards in the Outdoor category.

The Leatherman Tread, a lifestyle tool with a total of 29 different integrated tools, is as stylish as it is functional (right). It is locally available from Awesome Tools.

Camelbak Forge Vacuum is a travel mug for a better on-the-go drinking experience with a self-sealing cap for one handed drinking.

Petzl received awards for the Altitude, an ultra-lightweight mountaineering and ski harness, as well as Leopard LLF ultra-light crampons with Leverlock FIL binding, for ski touring and snow travel.

Action division winners In the Action Segment The North Face Access Pack won a gold award. It combines three patent-pending features in a sleek, modern design. It saves time and stress, and is ideal for explorers on the go. TNF is locally available from Slam Industries.

The Black Diamond Razor Carbon Pro Ski Pole won an Award in the Ski segment. It features an innovative break-away wrist strap with a lockable release function. Black Diamond is locally distributed by Ram Mountaineering.

New exhibit at ISPO Munich This year’s ISPO Munich, held 24-27 January, featured 2 645 exhibitors — 87% from outside Germany and 60 more than the previous year — on its 180 000m2 grounds spread across 16 exhibition halls.

This year’s show featured a new special exhibition area — the ISPO Retail Lab 4.0 — which showcased the latest in retail technology that supports, simplifies and improves retail transactions.

This was in addition to the ISPO BRANDNEW Village and Award Winner exhibition, as well as the regular nine main exhibition themes like Health & Fitness, Action Sports, ISPO Vision (sportswear), Sportstyle, Outdoor, Performance, Textrends, etc.

Next year, ISPO Munich will take place 5-8 February 2017.

Other interesting products Apart from the award winners, interesting products in the Wearable Technologies section, like a demo laceless smartshoe and kids wearable products also attracted attention.

The Digitsole — a smart insole that connects to the user’s smartphone via Bluetooth — measures his steps, distance covered and speed even more accurately than a pedometer. This designer also showcased the prototype of a laceless smartshoe, which is interactive, heated, shock absorbent and features automatic tightening that can be controlled from the user’s smartphone.

Suunto has collaborated with the Finnish children’s apparel brand Reima to develop their first children’s wearable technology called Reimago. It measures the user’s movement and rewards him for being active. Any recorded data can be downloaded on a free app.

Green manufacturing in the future In partnershIp with the NGO Parley for the Oceans, adidas has launched a 3D-printed Ocean Plastic shoe midsole, which demonstrates a way in which the industry can change its designs to help prevent ocean plastic pollution.

Another shoe features an upper and 3D printed midsole made from recycled polyester and gill net content (plastic found in the ocean). This concept shoe was launched at the COP21 climate conference in Paris last month.

“We have started taking action and creating new sustainable materials and innovations for athletes,” says Eric Liedtke, adidas Group Executive Board member. “The 3D-printed Ocean Plastic shoe midsole stands for how we can set new industry standards if we start questioning the reason-to-be of what we create. We want to bring everyone from the industry to the table and create sustainable solutions for big global problems.”

Adidas is the founding member of Parley for the Oceans and also supports a number of other initiatives aimed at ending plastic pollution of oceans.

These include running a comprehensive Ocean Plastic Program (A.I.R.Avoid, Intercept, and Redesign), phasing out the use of plastic bags in retail outlets, stopping the use of plastic micro beads in their body care products as well as the use of plastic bottles for meetings at their headquarters in Germany.

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

Apparel & Footwear :: p35

New wearable technologies delight athletes

The sports category winner in the Wearable Technologies World Cup.

Clothing that stimulate muscles was the clothing winner in the World Cup.

Electronic fitness trackers have almost become essential training equipment. But, the innovative world of wearable technologies are constantly introducing new inventions to astound and delight athletes

F

itness devices will dominate the Wearable Technology market until 2018, reports the Juniper Research company, which surveys and tracks consumer behaviour trends.

They expect fitness devices to remain the primary wearables until the end of 2019, when they will be used by approximately 110-m people.

Although smartwatches are expected to become less popular over the next three years, it will be used by more than 130-m people by the end of the same period.

Juniper Research’s Consumer Wearables Market Survey incidicates that fitness devices are popular because they are cheaper than smartwatches and have more obvious uses than the smartwatches currently available on the market.

The use of wearable fitness devices are becoming most prominent in sports, where they are becoming part of athletes’ regular training regimes. Juniper Research believes that the use of performance measuring devices will grow to the extent where it will become a standard part of hiring practices and even form part of players’ contractual obligations.

Category lines are becoming more and more blurred between smartphones and fitness wearables, which are now becoming capable of handling calls and performing other notification functions that used to only be associated with smartwatches, according to another

report by Juniper Research: Future Health & Fitness Wearables: Business Models, Forecasts & Vendor Share 2016-2020 highlights the fact.

App-enables fitness trackers also make the lines less visible.

Interesting new products The products that won categories at the 2016 Wearable Technologies Innovation World Cup showed just what these innovative electronic devices are capable of. The winners were announced at the Wearable Technologies Conference held to coincide with ISPO Munich in January this year.

The sports category winner, Run Up by Gait Up from Switzerland, is an advanced, high level, motion analyser. It analyses running mechanics in all environments to help athletes at all levels reach their peak performance. It also provides trainers and therapists with historic trends, which can help give injury warnings.

The Antelope Series clothing range by Antelope Club (Germany) won the Smart Clothing cup. This performance enhancing sportswear uses electro muscle stimulation (EMS) technology to strengthen the athlete’s muscle contraction, providing a more intense and effective workout. The compression textile with integrated electrodes is controlled by a smartphone-sized control unit and an app — creating a complete gym workout.

The other sports finalists are: • FIT Guard by Force Impact Technologies aims

•

•

•

•

to solve the problem of athletes returning to play when there is a high probability they have a head injury. The mouthguard visually displays the force of an impact and lights up in a certain colour if the force is higher than a set threshold.

Hykso wireless wrist sensors (Canada) are equipped with custom-built algorithms that are able to recognize the type of punch being thrown and the velocity of that punch, helping boxers to improve their performance.

TUNE by Kinematix (Portugal) are insoles with built-in sensors that connect with athletes as soon as they start running. It assesses form and combines that information with personal and GPS data to build a personalized running plan.

The Avanto diving suit by Aino Aarnio-Juurinen and Visa Kupias (Finland) increases the safety and comfort of the diver in coldwater by regulating his body heat. It consists of three separate pieces of clothing and a wireless battery module that function together.

D-Shirt by Cityzen Sciences (France), a company that specializes in smart fabrics, is a compressive sports shirt to improve an athlete’s condition and performance. They create fabric embedded with micro-sensors that monitor the wearer’s heart rate, speed, location, and acceleration. The shirt is worn by a professional Japanese rugby team, among others.

2016 March :: Sports Trader

p36 :: Sport

Who’ll be the next Rabada or Bavuma?

Kagiso Rabada bowling to Alex Hales in the first T20 match between South Africa and England in February.

Photo: Nicol du Toit

Associations help develop new WC stars The bigger the talent pool to choose from, the bigger chance you have of selecting excellent players for future World Cups. Is our cricket talent pool, and market, growing or shrinking? RHIANAH RHODE reports on what the associations are doing to promote interest in cricket across all communities

P

rovincial cricket organisations are not only helping to grow the talent pool of young players, but are also creating players that will be ripe for recruitment into national teams. Some programmes are also introducing the sport to people in disadvantaged areas who may not previously have had access to the sport, facilities, coaches, etc.

This is good news for the industry: by opening new markets and growing the number of players, cricket associations are also creating new opportunities for retailers and suppliers of clothing and equipment. This especially affects the schools market.

Interest in cricket among schools has increased over the last five years in most provinces, including Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West, say provincial associations.

Gauteng’s sustained interest shows cricket

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

Interest in cricket among schools has increased over the last five years in most provinces. remains one of the most popular sports for schools, says Andra Ferreira Nel, marketing and corporate communications manager for the Gauteng Cricket Board (GCB). Their December 2015 statistics indicate 270 schools are currently participating in leagues under the GCB - depending on the number of teams per school, there would be between 20 000 to 60 000 school age cricketers in the province.

In KwaZulu Natal there has been a steady increase amongst mainly black cricketers as a result of the province’s development programmes, says Pete De Wet of the KwaZulu Natal Cricket Union.

In Mpumalanga the numbers have gone up from approximately 300 schools to more than 400 Primary schools now participating in modified cricket or mini cricket, says Jaco Visagie of the Mpumalanga Cricket Union.

More schools playing KFC mini cricket, which introduces kids to the game, has increased player numbers in the North West Province as well, says Solomon Meki of North West Cricket.

Cricket South Africa’s (CSA’s) Hubs programme is also getting more U10-U13 and U15-U19 players from rural areas interested in hard ball cricket.

Free State schools’ foundation phase KFC mini cricket programme has yielded a 6% increase in the number of players annually. The hard ball programme in schools, on the other hand, has seen a decline due to a lack of facilities in disadvantaged areas and the lack of maintenance being done on existing facilities, says Chippa Selesho of the Free To p38

2016 March :: Sports Trader

p38 :: Sport

New Balance equipment boost CSA development CriCket South AfriCA (CSA) is nurturing young cricket talent through Regional Performance Centres (RPC) and HUBS, which are also supported by SRSA and the Department of Basic Education (DBE).

These players get a chance to display their talents during the annual CSA National Youth Cricket Weeks.

At the end of last year, thirty of these participants got an unexpected Christmas gift from the Proteas Technical partner, New Balance. Each of the selected players received a cricket bag containing their own New Balance bats, pads, gloves, thigh pads, arm guards, as well as cricket spikes … their first cricket equipment that were not hand-me-downs shared by a whole team.

“One of the challenges facing the talented kids we produce from our RPC and Hubs programme, is equipment,” said CSA GM: Cricket, Corrie van Zyl. “The quality of the equipment that we have received will go a long way in assisting these players perform to their potential and will make them feel proud to play the game and want to go out there and perform to their best.”

The fact that the recipients would be playing with their own kit, instead of having to share communal team kit, would make a huge difference to their performance, he added. “It will hopefully allow these players to perform at their finest during the national cricket weeks and further challenge for a place in their respective national age group teams.”

For New Balance, it was an opportunity to contribute to the future

of the sport by assisting young players who may become future captains or national team players, said New Balance’s Gavin Sparg as he handed each player a bag packed with new equipment.

This would become an annual donation, he also announced.

The kit recipients were playing in the CSA Boys U15, U17 and Girls U19 Youth Weeks.

Last year CSA, SRSA and DBE signed an agreement that cricket development will be fast-tracked at schools. They would do this by getting 58 cricket Hubs, as well as RPCs and provincial academies operational to develop cricket talent; and they would run cluster leagues to develop players to participate in the School Sport Programme. Talent scouts, mentors and Sport Science Programmes would be on the lookout for possible elite cricketers.

“With the RPC and Hubs program into its second full year, we are starting to see success stories emerging from around the country,” says van Zyl of the programme that costs CSA R20-m per year.

Some of the successes of this programme are: • 640 talented KFC mini-cricket players were identified and re-directed to the various HUBS/RPC; • 117 U14 players from HUBS/RPC took part in the SA Schools National Championships in 2015; • 123 players from HUBS/RPC were selected for the respective CSA provincial age groups; CSA also formed a partnership with educational TV experts, MINDSET, to produce and air cricket coaching programmes.

Growing the cricket market cont. from p36 State Cricket Union. The decrease in male coaches and less commitment from municipal districts to establish and maintain facilities are also part of the problem, he explains.

But, in the Eastern and Western Cape interest is declining rather than growing, say provincial associations.

“In 2003, during the World Cup (played in South Africa), there were 25 000 school kids playing hard ball cricket in the Western Cape, there are now only approximately 17 000 to 18 500 playing the game,” says Nabeal Dien, CEO of the Western Province Cricket Association and Western Cape Cricket.

Also, in the 2003/4 season 1.2-m people from 40 schools participated in cricket in the Mitchells Plain area, but due to socio-economic and societal reasons only four schools were participating in the sport 18 months ago. Parents struggling to pay for the bare necessities cannot afford to pay for cricket equipment, schools with dwindling numbers of fee payers cannot afford to pay coaches, and vandalism and neglect made several cricket fields unplayable.

Dien believes factors like kids having more

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

options to participate in other activities and lack of infrastructure in outlying and disadvantaged areas are perpetuating this declining interest in cricket. But, this has contributed to a decline in participation in all sporting codes at school level, except netball.

“Municipalities and public works, etc. need to come on board to help create facilities,” explains Dien.

Cricket South Africa does not provide facilities at schools and therefore funding is required — the Western Province association currently receives R40 000 from the province, but need as much as R600 000 to host events and cricket festivals, etc.

The lack of facilities in formerly disadvantaged areas and low interest from parents and teachers, are also causing a lull in interest in the province, says Addney Coltman from Eastern Province Cricket. “Kids do not play cricket in streets or parks any longer as we did when I was growing up.”

Ensuring all forms of play As a way of ensuring cricketers are able to handle and play all forms of the game most

provincial associations try and promote a number of game formats. Throughout the provinces players are encouraged to play T20, T30, T40, 50 overs and timed cricket.

“It is important for cricket in the province and in South Africa that we develop cricketers who can play all formats, despite the fact that they may specialise in one format over another,” says De Wet. With T20, 50 overs and time cricket, players learn and adapt to different types of formats, explains Coltman.

Although shorter formats are more appealing because it is less time consuming, longer formats are also crucially important to develop all-round performers,” says Ferreira Nel. In Limpopo the tendency is to play T20, but high schools play 50 overs, says Feizal Kimmie of Limpopo Impala Cricket.

The Mpumalanga Cricket Union usually lets younger players play shorter formats and as they get older and progress they will play longer formats of the game. In this province time and availability from players also play a role in the format played, says Visagie.

In the North West school level To p40

2016 March :: Sports Trader

p40 :: Sport

cont. from p38

focus is on the 50 overs format, but CSA’s Hubs programme — which aims to grow the sport at grassroots level and give the majority of South Africans access to cricket — promotes the T20 format and the association introduces players to club cricket as well. These Hubs bridge the gap for players from schools in disadvantaged areas that are unable to afford access to facilities, quality coaching and life skills programmes and helps get them on par with players from more affluent areas.

In the Western Province players are only introduced to limited and 20 overs from 13 years upward. They also have knockout camps for the different age groups, says Dien.

Developing programmes for players Provincial associations have — and are — introducing a number of different programmes, academies, leagues, etc. aimed at growing future star cricketers. These programmes either introduce new players to the game or identify talented youngsters and give them coaching, sport bursaries or other forms of support to help them succeed in the sport.

The Eastern Cape, Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and Western Cape subscribe to CSA’s Hubs and Regional Performance Centre programmes, which provide access to facilities, coaching and life skills programmes for budding cricketers, mainly from disadvantaged areas. The institutions are designed to improve player numbers as well as the quality of their game.

The Free State Cricket Union is also currently using a multi-system programme to develop players at different levels. Children are introduced to the sport via mini cricket, “which provides a platform for fun, enjoyment, but also learning the foundation skills of the game,” explains Selesho. From U10 to U18 the players are then introduced to structured forms of the game in a school set-up.

Thereafter players are drawn for leagues to compete against one another and after school they move onto clubs, which further improve their playing skills.

North West Cricket also runs other development programmes like the U16 Toro Ya Africa Development tournament, which features eight schools playing against each other in a T20 league format and the Senwes Spinners Farm School Development Tournament, which teaches the children of farm workers the game. This tournament attracts 130 children from ten schools annually and offers the best cricket and academic student a bursary each to further their studies. The association also hosts a Cubs programme that selects the best U14/15/17 and 19 players of colour and assists them with practice and coaching sessions to prepare them for entry into provincial leagues.

Eastern Province Cricket additionally runs a KFC mini cricket program for kids between

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

Independent programmes There are a number of independent projects that are getting youngsters involved in cricket, helping grow their talent and turning them into players — or even the stars — of tomorrow.

In 2015 South African cricketer JP Duminy (right) launched the JP 21 project, a cricket league that focuses on primary school level learners from Mitchell’s Plain and Strandfontein in the Western Cape. Apart from aiming to keep kids off the street and away from the temptations of alcohol abuse, drugs and gangsterism, it is also committed to improving the state of cricket in schools. They do this through courses for teachers to become coaches, umpires and scorers. The project also provides schools with equipment, run holiday and fundraising programmes. It currently gives back to 23 schools, which will include six high schools next year and plans to be active in 40 schools by the 2017/18 season.

The Newlands Cricket School opened in Sahara Park Newlands, Cape Town, last year with Gr8 and Gr9 learners with potential who showed above average ability to play cricket.

It follows the curriculum and requirements of the Western Cape Education Department and aims to enable players to pursue their

five and nine years and KFC has also come on board with monthly local coaching clinics in different areas in the province, which further identifies talent and introduces the sport to non-playing schools and kids, says Coltman.

Furthermore, they are also working on a High Performance Program for top cricketers, who will get specialist coaching in all categories of the game. The association will also host a KFC T20 U13 Tournament featuring 100 schools from across the province, adds Coltman.

As part of his own intervention he is trying to grow a love for the game through the mini cricket programme in the Western Cape, says Dien. He believes that every primary school should introduce kids to the game and ensure facilities that allow more play to get more kids interested in playing.

They are currently also sending black coaches to rural areas to introduce players to the game and also get girls interested in playing cricket, in an effort to renew interest among girls, explains Dien.

sporting career while having a fall-back plan should it end abruptly. While at the school players are exposed to a number of programmes, workshops, practice sessions and all game formats including 15 overs, 20 overs 35 overs, 50 overs and even two day cricket. The Newlands Cricket School plans to become a fully-fledged high school within the next five years and plans to eventually cater for girls as well. Since opening 26 boys have made 11 provincial sides.

Another South African cricketer, Alviro Petersen, runs the Alviro Petersen Cricket School in Johannesburg, which aims to help cricketers between 5-18 years old reach their full potential.

The school offers various levels of cricket through an academy structure, which includes an annual High Performance Camp, one-on-one coaching sessions, as well as Winter and Summer Academies.

It also offers a number of coaching camps for children at venues across the country throughout the year, which give players an introduction to the game and focuses on core areas of the game like throwing, bowling, batting, fielding and catching.

JP Duminy Photo: Nicol du Toit

Cricket growth

Limpopo Impala Cricket has also envisaged an academy, bursary scheme and regional academies to improve hubs and pathways for top players, says Kimmie.

In Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal associations are looking into other programmes to progress their players.

Gauteng’s cricket leagues and KFC mini cricket programme continue to promote cricket as the school team sport of choice, says Ferreira Nel. Other initiatives include a winter programme, area festivals that nurture sport interest and they are looking into elite coaching for individuals and focusing attention on talented young cricketers.

Sponsored programmes like KFC Mini Cricket and the Department of Sport and Recreation and Sunfoil’s Township Cricket programme in KwaZulu Natal ensure the reach and frequency of kids who play cricket is always high, says De Wet.

Retaining players Most associations’ players stay to play for their province after their junior years, To p42

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p42 :: Sport

Cricket opportunities cont. from p40 but to ensure they remain interested, some have created systems that help players move onto the next phase of their careers.

Because many players leave at the age of 18 to study elsewhere, the Free State Cricket Union identifies players from the annual U19 Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week and offers them bursaries to pursue academic careers while continuing to play for the province, says Selesho.

The KwaZulu Natal Cricket Union creates meaningful opportunities for players to stay, but there are always instances where players move to other provinces, says De Wet. A good relationship with North West University enables players to play and attend Uni-

versity locally. “In the last two to three years we’ve been retaining approximately 20 players from high school to University level, says Meki.

The Western Province Cricket Association creates a pipeline from U17 level up, which then get managed by a high performance manager that gets them to partake in post school programmes and through the system. Despite this there are still a few players who do leave though, says Dien.

The Eastern Province, Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga associations find players leave rather than stay.

Some move on to find better opportunities to play at the highest level, says Coltman.

Gauteng has a balance between players staying and leaving, but the fact that they produce so many talented players means they tend to lose more players because they tend to go where the opportunities lie, explains Ferreira Nel. There are, after all, only so many places in the provincial teams.

Most players from Limpopo leave due to poor post matric facilities for studying available in the province, says Kimmie.

The bulk of Mpumalanga’s players also leave to study in other provinces and therefore end up playing cricket there, says Visagie. In one or two cases players leave due to teams recruiting them and then there are others who come back home to play after completing their studies or being away.

Rabada keeps cool with adidas Kagiso Rabada will be keeping his cool in the Indian heat during the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 by wearing adidas Climachill off the field. The exciting young Protea bowling star signed an endorsement agreement with adidas shortly before the World Cup to wear their cricket boots and Climachill garments. As the name suggests, the technical Climachill fabric keeps an athlete cool even in an Indian summer, through strategically placed small aluminium silver dots woven in the material that pull the heat away from the skin, providing a cool, refreshing, touch. Combined with mesh-like microfibres, it forms a SubZero flat yarn. The Climachill dots are applied in the areas where the athlete needs the most breathability and cooling down, like the back and forearms. The microfibres let the moisture escape as soon as it forms.

News from cricket suppliers Cricket apparel from BRT BRT’S LATEST range of cricket apparel features a classic cricket profile combined with technology that will benefit the player while in play. The clothing, distributed by Kevro, will keep your cricket customer dry and comfortable thanks to the X-tech superior quick dry moisture management finish.

To keep players looking good for longer, the clothing also features a high quality finish.

With its elastic waistband and draw cord, the 100% polyester and pocket-free Infield Pants will keep the fielder comfortable. It is available in bottle green, navy and black, and is perfect for indoor cricket, limited overs cricket, and school night leagues cricket.

The Teamster Cricket range features a shirt, pants and pullover.

The shirt features Raglan short sleeves, mesh inserts, a

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

self-fabric collar, rubber buttons, and is made from a combination of polytech and mesh fabric.

Featuring reinforced side pockets, an elastic waistband with a draw cord, mesh inserts on the back yoke, and an unstitched hem for easy length adjustment, the pants is all about comfortability and practicality.

Teamster Cricket’s sports knit pullover features a ribbed V-neck collar and armholes, mesh inserts, and binding on the bottom hem.

Dukes balls stay innovative Dukes cricket balls may be more than 250 years old, but the balls made in Tonbridge, Kent, stay on top of the game with the very latest in available technology. Only the very best raw materials are used to to make the balls used at every level of play, including as the exclusive ball for all UK test matches and all First Class County Cricket games.

They, for example, use new advanced tech-

nology to produce a long lasting surface white and brightly coloured balls for ODIs and day/night test matches. Another major breakthrough is an exclusive process that ensures very good shape retention whilst retaining the right feel on the bat.

More power, less weight from G&M Gunn & Moore’s latest cricket bats, Paragon and Mana, are engineered to offer the player a lighter swing weight and more power, respectively.

Mana features substantial F4.5 edges at the drive zone and a shortened blade design for a dynamic sweet spot. The bat also has a Powerarc bow, engineered power at the drive zone, a concaved back profile and a flatter toe design.

Paragon features substantial To

p44

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p44 :: Sport

New in cricket ranges cont. from p42 F4.5 contoured edges with a high swell position and an extensive swell profile. It has been engineered to offer a lighter swing weight, as well as a full concave profile and toe.

Both also feature the new Dynamic grip, which allows the player to swap the grip around, to better suit his dominant hand and get the most grip where he needs it.

For 2016, the brand has introduced more colour into its softs range. Both the Original LE glove and pad feature the Poron XRD Extreme Impact Protection technology. On the batting gloves, the first two fingers of the bottom hand have overflaps featuring this technology.

On the batting pads, it’s incorporated into the knee roll.

These are locally available in both the Mana and Paragon cosmetics, says Anne Vilas of local Gunn & Moore distributor, Opal Sports.

The Original LE batting gloves also have Pittards Amortan palms and feature Microban antimicrobial protection, which inhibits the growth of stain and odour-causing bacteria.

These soft gloves offer the wearer a contoured fit against the hand.

In the ICC T20 World Cup 2016, Gunn & Moore will be represented among the Proteas by exciting players such as Quinton de Kock, Farhaan Behardien, and Kyle Abott. Ross Tay-

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

lor, Nathan McCullum and Corey Anderson are Gunn & Moore’s players among the Black Caps.

Kookaburra – a bat for every player Kookaburra is excited about the launch of their 2016/17 range. Kookaburra is without doubt the world’s most exciting cricket brand, with expertise in product and design that ensures their products are consistently of higher quality and specifications than other products on the market, says Nicola Ludlow of local distributor JRT Crampton.

Kookaburra will be bringing in a number of new bats to ensure they have a bat to suit all cricket customers.

The Dynasty is a lightweight model with a traditional profile, which is ideal for the touch player who relies on timing, rather than strength.The Ghost’s giant profile with minimal scalloping is great for players looking beyond the boundary, like Chris Morris. The Onyx has a bold profile, featuring weight distribution technology, which minimises weight without

compromising power.

The Storm features a full profile, equally at home in test, ODI or T20 games, which allows for a wide range of shots from the classical cover drive to the deft ramp. It is the choice of Rilee Rossouw.

And then there is the iconic Kahuna with the brand’s classic shape, developed with input from AB de Villiers, and fine-tuned to meet the demands of his 2016 game.

“The potential performance of every Kookaburra hand-made bat is evaluated constantly throughout the manufacturing process by our Master Bat Makers,” says Ludlow.

Kookaburra uses a number of technologies and techniques to help produce quality cricket companions.

Their bats are hand-crafted so each cleft is different, which makes it possible to maximise the performance of each cleft, explains Ludlow.

More than 50 different processes go into the production of each bat.They are produced with the maximum sized sweet spot by optimising the edge, spine and scallop profiles. They also have a slightly angled toe, which allows the bat to sit comfortably in the

Sport :: p45 stance and promote the preferred hand position of being slightly ahead of the blade.

The increased edge profiles minimise the power loss of off centre strikes. “Kookaburra bat edges measure up to 40mm (depending on the weight and profile of the bat) — so you can be sure you’ll lose little, when it doesn’t come out of the middle,” says Ludlow.

The Flat Face Profile levels out the striking area and allows more mass to be retained in the back and edges of the bat. By maximising the amount of Willow behind the striking area, the bat gains a larger profile and produces more power. The Rounded Face profile, on the other hand, “is generally favoured by the more traditional player,” explains Ludlow.

Kookaburra’s Super Spine measures up to 68mm (depending on the weight and profile of the bat) and generates maximum power. It is ideal for players who want their bats to look as big as possible and the spine to be as high as it can be. Despite being big, Kookaburra master bat makers use all their skills to produce big bats which are also lightweight — the holy grail for all players, adds Ludlow. “We continue to believe that although the game has moved on tremendously over the past 20 odd years, the desire of players for quality and consistency in the products they use has not.”

Slazenger profiles fit players Slazenger has made it easier for retailers to ensure that a cricketer is fitted with the right

type of bat, by pairing the profile of their bat series with a specific player profile.

The brand new V1000, for example, was made for the aggressive stroke player at home in all forms of the modern game. The new full profile performs equally well in a test, ODI or T20 match, as the great pick up and balance promote a wide range of shots.

Balance is ensured by the full back profile, with a dual spine that helps concentrate weight within the mid-blade sweet spot. The Indian style bow further enhance the balanced pick-up to deliver increased power and control.

The Xtreme Edge profile and super concaved spine ensure that the edges remain big and bold during those power hits.

A semi-oval 12-piece handle made from specially selected cane, delivers an excellent combination of power, control and flexibility.

Players who enjoy the short ball and demand a light bat with impressive profiling will enjoy this new bat hand-crafted by Slazenger’s master bat makers.

After it was first Introduced in 2015 the V800 soon became a bestseller, and it has now been re-introduced with a new vibrant look. The V800 mid-blade profile and impressive swell combine with thick edges and a sharp spine to deliver explosive power for the dominating stroke player.

It is the ideal bat for an all-rounder. The light, balanced, pick up gives the batsman the confidence and power to perform everywhere

against any attack.

A player who prefers a power bat with good playability will enjoy the V800. The Low Blade profile with a super sized driving zone and sharp spine is designerd to provide effortless power and control over shots.

The Contoured Edge Profile is crafted towards the middle and edges to deliver an extended sweet spot. A subtly bowed Standard bow blade generates a wellbalanced pick up to deliver increased power and control. Other features include a semi-oval 12-piece cane handle and a square toe that ensures a good stance position to allow more power and greater control.

The iconic V100, which has been spearheading the Slazenger range for years, now has a new profile and striking graphics that will appeal to the modern all-round stroke player. Its powerfull profile, good balance and ultra light weight will enable him to score all around the wicket.

Its improved Low-Mid Blade profile has a concave crafted spine that ensures maximum edge thickness and an Xtreme Edge profile to ensure maximum power and improved bat performance.

The subtle Standard bow generates a wellbalanced pick up to deliver increased power and control.

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p46 :: Sport

Young riders from the songo.info cycling charity participated in the mountain bike race in their new Olympic shirts.

Jordan & Co cyclists, CEO Noel Whitehead (right) and COO Thomas Cawood, participate in Olympic clothing and shoes.

Olympic’s active cycling launch

O

lympic International cycling shoes have always been popular with cyclists seeking a quality product at a good price. The latest cycling range was recently introduced during an active launch at the Nitida Wine Estate, where cyclists could test the newly introduced lightweight Olympic International kit and expanded, much more technical, shoe range in a mountain bike race through the vineyards.

Noel Whitehead, CEO of Olympic International’s owner, Jordan & Co, is a keen cyclist who is very excited by the fact that the cycling shoe range will now also be marketed and distributed in-house by Olympic International itself. He has always worn Olympic International shoes in the cycling races he participated in — notably the legendary Attakwas, dubbed South Africa’s toughest extreme one-day mountain bike race, where he is a regular participant. He will also now be racing in the new lightweight technical Olympic International cycling shorts, shirts and bibs.

He was joined in the Olympic International launch ride by Jordan & Co COO Thomas Cawood, several other cyclists, including Sipho Madolo, who will be partnering 5-time Cape Epic winner and world marathon mountain bike champion Christoph Sauser in the 2016 Cape Epic, as well as a group of teenagers from the songo.info charity cofounded by Sauser in Kayamandi, close to Stellenbosch.

The young riders from songo.info are now also supported by Olympic International, which gave them new shirts and some shoes.

The six new Olympic cycling shoes take a step up with technical and functional features like lightweight, waterproof fabrics and highgrip soles, explains Olympic International range developer Gordon Gassert.

Designed for riders who are likely to spend a lot of time on the bike, the range provides

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

all-day cycling comfort for the feet of cyclists at every level: from the ultra-lightweight (292gm) top end Racing Road with futuristic design lines, to the Crank entry-level mountain bike shoe, as well as all riders in between.

The Racing Road features a GINIA–Tech KPU injection frame that offers a seamless and lightweight upper, consisting of breathable mesh and easy to clean PU. The ATOP dial speed lacing system offers good pressure distribution along the foot, while the anti-slip lining in the heel area ensures a snugger fit and less foot movement.

The toe box has a reinforcing cape for added toe protection and the removable inner sock can easily be replaced.

The rigid nylon rubber sole with aeration holes and mesh to assist with moisture wicking, offers lateral support. The SPD (spinning)compatible shoe will fit most pedals.

Also at the top end and tried and tested in all conditions (left), the futuristiclooking Tread (406gm) is a mountain bike shoe with all the technical bells and whistles like a GINIA–Tech KPU injection frame, seamless lightweight PU upper, ATOP dial speed lacing system, anti-slip lining in the heel area, a reinforcing cape in the toe box and removable inner sock. It is spinning-compatible and will fit most other pedals.

At the other end, the 445gm Crank mountain bike shoe (left) has a triple Velcro closure system to ensure a snug and com-

fortable fit, and a reinforced toe box and head to offer protection and support. The breathable mesh/PU upper ensures a quick drying and easy to clean shoe. A padded collar enhances comfort and ankle protection, and the inner sock is removable for easy replacement. The rigid rubber sole is both SPD and flat pedal compatible.

The rugged, yet stylish, Traction mountain bike shoe (427gm) has all the technology that the serious rider will appreciate: a fastening system that consists of two Velcro straps and a moulded ratchet strap that can easily be replaced and removed for cleaning; a reinforced toe box and moulded back reinforcement that offer good toe protection and heel support, and an anti-slip lining in the heel area to reduce foot movement, among others.

The lightweight (298gm) and stylish Shifter mesh road shoe has plenty of features to ensure a good performance: a triple Velcro frontal closure system for a snug and comfortable fit, and a breathable mesh/PU upper for quick drying. It is also easy to clean.

The moulded heel guard with aeration portal offers both heel protection and breathability and the inner sock is removable for easy replacement. It will fit most pedals.

The good looking Spin indoor shoe (448gm) is designed specifically for indoor training. This unisex shoe has a dual Velcro frontal closure system to ensure a snug and comfortable fit, a breathable mesh/PU upper, padded collar, removable inner sock and rigid rubber sole, which is both SPD and flat pedal compatible.

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Visit Sports Trader’s website for more product knowledge: www.sportstrader.co.za

Kitting out a triathlete

I

t is often said that triathlon is one of the fastest growing sporting codes in the world. In South Africa alone there are 53 triathlon clubs, according to Triathlon South Africa. With a continuous stream of new participants, sport retailers can’t afford to ignore this sport or its members’ needs.

With the three disciplines in triathlons — swimming, cycling and running, participated in in that order — participants and retailers alike have to keep their focus when it comes to the kit the consumer would need, and that which he might not be allowed to use.

The first discipline is swimming, for which your customer naturally needs something to swim in. Not too complicated … that is, until you have to recommend and explain the choice between a swimsuit, trisuit or a wetsuit.

Tri- vs wetsuit • Trisuit: designed to be worn during all three disciplines in a triathlon. It is made of a thin moisture wicking material, and is ideal for reducing time during transitions (no time wasted on changing clothing after the swim). During the swimming stage, a trisuit can be worn either on its own or under a wetsuit for added warmth.

The trisuit is designed to be a tight, yet comfortable, fit and comes in a one- or two-piece (shirt and shorts) design — deciding which to wear comes down to personal choice.

For the cycling stage, the bottom features a more lightweight pad (to accommodate a more comfortable swim and run) that also dries quickly. The pad isn’t as thick as a normal cycling short’s, however, and some consumers might prefer the comfort of a thicker protection.

• Wetsuit: designed to keep the wearer warm in cold water. The material may not be thicker than 5mm, and if the wetsuit consists of overlapping items, these may not combine to be thicker than 5mm.

A wetsuit helps increase the wearer’s buoyancy, reduces drag, and, of course, protects the wearer if the temperature is very low. A triathlon-specific wetsuit is lighter, more efficient and gives less resistance while swimming than normal.

There is a downside to wearing a wetsuit, however: changing clothing between stages will add to the participant’s time.

Some events restrict the use of wetsuits,

Our cut-out-and-keep series to assist retailers with product knowledge Words: Carin Hardisty. Compiled with the help of Deidre Scodeller of Brand ID, Colin Farrer of CorSport, Mike Roscoe of SBR Sport, and websites www.active. com, fusionmultisport.com.au, www. ironman.com, www.justracinguk.com, www.livestrong.com, www.redshiftsports.com, www.rei.com, www.triathloncoach.ca, triathlon.competitor.com, and www.triathlon.org.

wetsuit, the following is also not allowed: o Clothing that covers the arms below the shoulder or the legs below the knee. These may be worn after the swim stage. o Clothing may not be made of a rubberized material, for example polyurethane or neoprene. Swimwear must be made of natural and/or synthetic yarns that are knitted, woven, and/or braided. o Swimwear may not cover the neck and may not contain a zipper.

Swimming accessories • Swimming caps are useful to keep hair out of the way, goggle straps in place (if worn under the cap), and to reduce water resistance. They are also, however, often provided by race organisers.

• Swimmers are allowed to wear swim goggles, the curved lenses of which enhance peripheral vision and filter UV rays. Your customer will also benefit from an antifog solution for the goggles.

• Ear and nose plugs can be used to keep water out.

Running and cycling stages During the cycling and running stages, participants must cover their torsos at all times.

Footwear should benefit your customer’s transition times. It is possible to cycle in running shoes (to reduce transition time between the stages), but cycling shoes will assist the wearer better during cycling.

• The stiff soles on cycling shoes offer a greater power transfer from push to the pedal.

• Racing flat shoes are fine for shorter triathlons, but training shoes are best for the longer distances.

• Shoes that close with one or two hook-andloop straps, allow faster changing.

• A loop at the heel helps the participant pull on the shoe easier.

Elastic laces and toggles on the laces help shorten the transition period when putting on and changing footwear. depending on the water temperature and age group your customer is participating in.

It’s recommended that your customer first investigates any possible restrictions before deciding to opt for a wetsuit. If the event rules state that the athlete may not wear a

Many triathletes run and cycle without socks, to lower the time used during transition. Recommend to your customer that he not try this for the first time during his event, as he will likely end up with raw skin and blood on his shoes and blisters on his feet from the heat, moisture and friction — he should To p48

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Kitting a triathlete cont from p47 try it a few times during practice first.

• If he goes sockless, recommend he adds powder or lubricant to potential hotspots inside the shoes.

• If he wants to wear socks during the triathlon, recommend he wears a pair with moisture wicking qualities, preferably made from synthetics or merino wool. Cotton socks will get (and stay) wet.

A race belt will also help shave off seconds — instead of worrying about safety pins during transition, the participant can pin his race number to the belt and just put the belt on.

Wearing sunglasses is very important while running and cycling. Not only does it protect from the sun, it stops bugs, dirt, etc. from entering the eyes.

The sunglasses should be lightweight and fit comfortably. It shouldn’t be able to fall off: grippy nose pads and temple ends will help keep the sunglasses in place.

Sport lenses with the following qualities can benefit the wearer: • Impact resistant: your customer needs strong lenses so that they don’t break when coming into contact with debris; • Polycarbonate lenses: impact-resistant and won’t shatter if hit by a sharp or hard object; • Polarized lenses: reduce glare, which is especially useful when on shiny asphalt or if the stage takes part within eyesight of water.

It can, however, make it difficult to see road irregularities in shady areas and may not be the best solution for the cyclist in an aggressive position, where he’ll look through the lenses at an angle.

• Photochromic lenses: these automatically adjust to changing light intensities and conditions (darker in bright, and lighter in dark light). The process, however, isn’t instant and takes longer in cold conditions.

• While most sunglasses these days provide UVA and UVB protection, it’s important to make sure when recommending a pair.

The colour of the lenses affect the amount of light that reaches the eyes, how well the wearer will see other colours, as well as how he sees contrasts.

• Dark colours (brown, grey, green): cut through glare and reduce eyestrain in moderate-to-bright conditions. Grey and green won’t distort colours, but brown might.

These colours are good for most outdoor activities.

• Light colours (yellow, gold, amber, rose, vermillion): excellent for moderate-to-low light conditions, providing great depth perception and letting the surroundings appear brighter.

Lens coatings: • Anti-fog: prevents sweat from fogging up the lenses.

• Anti-scratch: improves the durability of the lens.

• Hydophobic: repels water.

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

• Mirrored: a reflective film on the outside surface of the lens that reduces glare by reflecting light away. These coatings make objects appear darker, so should be paired with a lighter tint to compensate.

Some sunglasses have frames, while others are frameless.

• In an aggressive position, a cyclist might find that a frame across the top of the lenses obstructs his view, and would prefer a frameless pair of sunglasses.

• If you customer prefers to be able to change his lenses he’ll need a pair of sunglasses with a frame. o Interchangeable lenses allow the wearer to adjust for changing light conditions.

Larger lenses and a frame that wraps around the eyes and face will offer the wearer more protection.

Cycling During the cycling stage triathletes are required to wear a helmet. It must be approved and may not be altered (including the chin strap).

• A road helmet typically has a lightweight and ergonomic construction, with ventilation to allow the head to stay cool.

• A mountain bike helmet features visors and coverage on the back of the head for added protection, as well as airvents.

Recommending a bicycle: The bicycle must conform to the following: • Length: max 2m; • Width: max 75cm; • Ground to the center of the chain wheel axle: at least 24cm; • Saddle: the front may not be more than 5cm in front, or more than 15cm behind, the center of the chain wheel axle. The saddle must also not be able to be adjusted beyond these limits; • Front-to-center distance (distance between the center of the chain wheel axle and the center of the front axle): min 54cm; o Min 50cm, if the distance between the center of the chain wheel axle and the top of the saddle (measured 14cm behind the front point of the saddle) is less than 71cm; o Max: the greater size between 65cm or 7/8 of the distance between the center of the chain wheel axle and the top of the saddle (measured 14cm behind the front point of the saddle); • Wheels: o Front wheel: spoke construction and may not be solid. o Rear wheel: spoke or solid construction. o Wheel covers only allowed on the rear wheel, o Wheels may be of different diameters.

• Handlebar ends must be plugged, to lessen the possibility of injury.

• One working brake on each wheel.

• May not use fairings.

There are different bicycle styles to choose from: • Tri bike: built specifically for participating in triathlons and for maximum speed. It is more expensive, and not all brands offer a tri-option. If you customer is planning to be a regular triathlete competitor, however, he should consider this type of bicycle. The specialist features are: o Aerodynamic: it is designed in such a way that the racer is positioned more forward over the front wheel, which improves aerodynamics. o Good for legs: works hamstrings more efficiently, which helps the legs in the next phase (running). o It's more difficult to manoeuvre, has no drop handlebars, braking is not as convenient as general riding bicycles, and it can be uncomfortable for long rides.

• Road bike: for the customer who wants a bike for general-purpose riding, as well as for use in triathlons. It can be customised to make it better for triathlons by adding components such as aero bars, bullhorns or disc wheels.

• Mountain bike: use for a triathlon only if it’ll take place on trails.

Cycling gloves are a matter of personal comfort and whether the participant wants to spend the time putting them on.

A spare tube and a repair kit could mean the difference between finishing the race or not.

Other accessories Don’t forget about other useful extras such as: • Carry aids: as your customer has to get the gear to the race, remind him to consider a bag. A tri gear bag has pockets specifically designed for certain items, e.g. helmet or shoes, and provides easy access to gear, which means a shorter transition time.

• First-aid: items to treat minor cuts, blisters and crashes, such as blister treatment, bandages, etc.

• Fitness monitor: the race is timed and recorded, but a fitness monitor will help your customer gain immediate information to assess his race strategy on-the-go.

• Hydration: races usually have stations, but participants can carry their own hydration with them as well in a hydration pack, belt, or in a water bottle on his bicycle.

• Lube: for added comfort in a race longer than a sprint, participants lube the body with anti-chafing. o Swim stage: lube from elbows to wrists, knees to ankles and on the feet will help a wetsuit go on easier. o Cycling stage: chamois cream on the skin or shorts will provide some relief from friction. o Run stage: lube sensitive areas such as nipples and bra lines. o If running and/or cycling sockless, lube the shoes and feet.

• Sunscreen, preferably waterproof and SPF 30 or higher.

2016 March :: Sports Trader

p50 :: Outdoor

The long and short of

windproof & waterproof fabrics

Softshell jackets introduced a new concept into the outdoor industry: durable water repellent (DWR) treatments that repel water and dirt from the outside of the fabric. Consumers love the benefits of fabrics that prevent clothing, footwear, and gear from becoming waterlogged and soggy — but these chemicals are harming the environment and pose a threat to human and animal health, reports GERRIE VAN EEDEN Greenpeace wore gear from Páramo, which uses PFC-free Nikwax treated fabrics, in some of their expeditions.

Photo: Nikwax

P

utting on a windproof and waterrepellent softshell jacket or waterproof boots is a simple act for most consumers. Staying dry in adverse weather conditions is top priority, and with waterproof wear and gear that don’t absorb water readily available, consumers think more about what the products look like, than how it’s made.

But, environmental groups and researchers are calling for the discontinuation of certain chemicals used to make the fabric used in softshell jackets, outdoor footwear, backpacks, tents etc. waterproof without becoming waterlogged.

The outdoor industry has taken note and the elimination of harmful chemicals was a hot topic at the recent ISPO Munich show, where SWEREA (Swedish Research Institute for Industrial Renewal and Sustainable Growth) and the European Outdoor Group gave feedback at a session titled State of play for DWRs: Current and future (legal) challenges.

Some brands are eliminating this specific chemical from their manufacturing process completely, while others have opted for similar, yet less harmful alternatives.

The outdoor industry uses polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) to make fabrics water– and dirt repellent. The advantages to using a product like this are quite apparent. For technical outdoor gear worn in adverse and changing weather conditions, something that can keep you dry in a quick shower or a blizzard is quite

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

handy — especially if it doesn’t hamper your activities by becoming heavy and clingy when wet. The dirt-repellent nature also means that they don’t have to be washed as often. All in all, this technology increases wearer comfort and the longevity of the product — something that consumers value quite highly.

But with the good comes the bad. And this case the bad guys are long and short-chain PFCs.

C6 is not proven to be safe, but rather less research has been done to show that it is dangerous Causing harm In 2012, Greenpeace released a two-part report that claimed that fabric finishes used on outdoor products contain chemicals that are hazardous to the environment and human health. Studies have linked the chemicals to birth deformities in animals in the wild.

Subsequent Greenpeace reports showed just how widespread these chemicals had been released into the environment — traces were even found in human breastmilk and polar bear blood and water 1 000 metres below the ocean surface — and how long the contamination lasts. These findings resulted in a campaign by the organisation for the elimination of the use of PFCs. Last year more than 200 scientists from 38

countries signed the Madrid Statement, which calls for the elimination of all PFCs from the production of all consumer goods. While the FluoroCouncil, which represents companies making PFCs, said PFCs were “critical to modern life” and phasing them out was unrealistic, several outdoor manufacturers said they were looking at alternatives and planned on phasing them out.

Long-chain PFCs (C8 – which contains 8 fluorinated carbons) are considered more harmful to the environment than short-chain PFCs (C6 or C4). It seems that short-chain PFCs are the obvious choice. But, to quote Dorris Lessing, things are not as simple as black and white.

Bigger is better, right?

The durable water repellent (DWR) that was until recently found in most materials used for the outdoor gear we know and love, has perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a so-called longchain PFC, in its makeup. This chemical repels water and dirt excellently, but if and when it’s deposited into the environment through washing off or scuffing against trees, rocks or other abrasives, it takes a lot longer to break down and become harmless.

“C8 technology is the strongest chemical bond and is considered a persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic (PBT) substance and has since been detected around the world in the food chain, drinking water, animals and human blood,” Alice Davies wrote in a 1994 report on durable water-repellency based on To p52

2016 March :: Sports Trader

p52 :: Outdoor

DWR and safety cont. from p50 Nikwax founder Nick Brown said no to PFC water repellents when he started producing the range of fabric treatment products four decades ago.

Photo: Nikwax.

What’s different about Nikwax?

Páramo was one of the smaller PFC-free outdoor brands that Greenpeace tested during one of their eight expeditions to determine the extent of PFC pollution in remote areas (see opposite page). Páramo was the first brand to use Nikwax Fleece and Nikwax Windproof fabrics for their garments.

Nikwax prides itself that it has never used PFCs in their waterproof technology and that they are the only after-care brand to achieve this. Their use of environmentally safe waterproofing technology has earned the brand a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development in 2014 — the first British brand to receive this accolade.

Its founder and current MD, Nick Brown, is an outdoor enthusiast who is keenly aware that in order to enjoy the benefits of nature, we have to protect the environment. He is currently vice-president of the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA), which Nikwax joined when it was founded in 2006. “A key part of our philosophy is to measure and understand our footprint so that we can hold ourselves to account,” says Nikwax. “From CO2 emissions down to the chemicals which make up our products, we want to know what we are putting out there, and what its impact is likely to be.”

They say they constantly monitor the performance of the products in their vast range, the safety of the raw ingredients they use in manufacturing, and the energy and waste efficiency of their production processes, so that back up any claims they make.

Nikwax only uses ingredients that are known to be safe, and avoid chemicals that are harmful to human and environmental health. Because they manufacture all their products in the UK, their use of chemicals is regulated by the European REACH Legislation. But, they have gone further, and their own scientists adopted an even stricter list of restricted chemicals as a precautionary approach, based on independent studies.

Tested fabrics Their Nikwax Fleece and Nikwax Windproof fabrics were, for example, tested by Greenpeace. On its own, the Fleece offers protection against mist and humidity, whilst remaining cool because of their high air permeability and breathability. Depending on their activity level, and the wind, adventurers will feel comfortable at a temperature range below zero to + 15 degrees C. The Nikwax Windproof Fabrics will cut out a gale force wind, and can be used on their own with a base layer to protect against summer showers and squalls. But, when worn together, the truth of the saying in unity lies strength, is proven: the combination gives full waterproof protection for up to five hours of heavy rainfall (rain room tested) and extends the temperature range to -10 to +15 degrees C. “All of this is achieved with a pair of jackets that together weigh less than a kilo,” adds Nikwax.

“I have used it in both the Himalayas and the Andes, where climbing 2,000 metres can change the ambient temperature from 25 to zero degrees, in one day,” says Nikwax MD Brown. “However, I also use it for low level walks in spring and autumn, when I know that the weather is going to be unpredictable and I want to be able to stay cool, yet have real weather protection when I need it.”

All original water-repellent treatments, whether PFC or otherwise, wear off through abrasion or wash away through use, and have to be replaced.

This is where Nikwax makes its impact. Customers can waterproof their own breathable jackets at home without applying heat by using Nikwax TX.Direct instead of normal detergent in a wash — even in a washing machine.

It is locally available from Ram Mountaineering.

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

a study she did in cooperation with the School of Fashion and Textiles De Montfort University, Leicester.

Following this, international legislation is starting the clamp down on C8 PFCs. Most notably some European countries have banned the use of C8 PFC altogether in a first step to prohibit the use of the chemical internationally.

Shorter chain PFCs are considered to be just as effective at repelling water and dirt, but it also tends to wash out of and rub off materials much quicker, which adversely affects the durability of a garment. The more you need to wash it, the shorter the lifespan.

Short-chain PFCs do, however, tend to break down easier in the environment making it less harmful.

Consumers seem to be largely unaware of the issues raised over PFC-based DWRs. In another study conducted by Montfort University (“Outdoor Jackets with Durable Water Repellent Finish: A Consumer & Brand Perspective on Product Features, Usability & Product Aftercare”) as many as 77% of survey respondents answered that they were not aware of any environmental or health implications of using these products. In the same survey, customers constantly scored the durability of products high, even though manufacturers indicated that the use of DWRs could make them less durable.

Brand responses It may be surprising to hear that Nikwax after-care waterproofing have been entirely free of these chemicals for decades (see story left). “When we were developing our waterproofing technology,

the PFC-based finishes consistently performed better than the free ones the owner (Nikwax founder Nick Brown) looked into them and just made the decision then and there that there was too much of a risk,” says Heidi Allen, marketing director for Nikwax.

“The PFC problem has not been solved by the introduction of C6 PFCs as an alternative to C8s. C6 is not proven to be safe, but rather less research has been done to show that it is dangerous,” says Nikwax in a press release. “As an industry we need to start making a genuine change.”

Athletic brands with outdoor clothing ranges, like PUMA and adidas, have adopted ambitious elimination targets for PFCs, Greenpeace reports. They have also found several small European outdoor brands (not locally available) that use PFC-free fabrics.

For other manufacturers short-chain PFCs are a viable alternative, and others have looked further afield. In fact, they have to.

Governments around the globe have now required chemical companies to stop making C8 DWR. C6 or better is what you get.

Vaude, The North Face and Jack Wolfskin have announced that they aim to eliminate the use of PFCs from all their products by 2010. “All our hard shell jackets are made with PFCs. Only our midlayers, t-shirts, shirts and underwear are PFC free,” Mammut responded to a Greenpeace survey conducted at the end of last year, asking brands when they intend stop using PFCs. Gore-Tex announced in January 2014 that it had eliminated longchain perfluorocarbons from its universally used fabrics and linings and had moved to short-chain chemicals. “The biggest challenge certainly with a new DWR is the durability of the water repellency,” said Bernhard Kiehl, leader of the Gore-Tex fabrics division sustainability team.

Their research showed that outdoor products made with nonfluorinated DWR technology can result in more toxins being released into the environment because consumers must wash and reapply such finishes more often than PFC-based DWRs to maintain water repellency. As part of their third Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Gore-Tex assessed jackets with different DWR To p53

Outdoor :: p53

How does DWR work?

The appeal of Durable Water Repellent (DWR) technology is that it causes water drops to bead on top of a fabric and then roll off. This means that a waterproof jacket or hiking boot doesn’t become wet, clingy and heavy, even in heavy rain, which in turn ensures that the garment continues to breathe.

The water beads are formed by a chemical applied to the face of the fabric that creates microscopic spikes on the outer surface.

These spikes increase the “contact angle” of water on the textile, encouraging the droplets to band together and become rounder.

The rounder the droplet, the easier it rolls off the fabric - while flatter water splashes cling to the fabric, and eventually seep in.

The DWR coats individual fibres in the fabric and therefore doesn’t affect the fabric’s breathability. The coating also protects the

fabric against oil and dirt, and therefore helps keep garments or gear looking better for longer.

Traditionally, the fibers have been treated with coatings that contain long-chain fluorinated polymers, which often contain raw materials and long-chain perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) as impurities, which can be health hazards.

Not all DWR treatments are equally effective and the different technologies are rated, with a high score of 90. For example, indicating that water will roll off from about 90% of the fabric surface. Frequent washing, dirt and salt deposits can reduce the effectiveness of the DWR treatment and it is therefore recommended that garments and gear are regularly cleaned and treated with DWR replacement products.

The DWR debate cont. from p52 treatments. This showed that the currently available non-fluorinated DWR offering does not offer a better environmental profile than Gore’s current fluorocarbon-based DWR treatment. (W.L. Gore: Non-PFC DWRs Can Release More Chemicals — 2016).

That is the dilemma faced by most outdoor brands. The alternatives do not always promise moonshine and roses.

In the study she conducted, Davies sourced 29 different commercially available repellents across the spectrum of the seven different types of DWR available and observed that the PFC-based finishes (C8 and C6) consistently performed better than the free ones. The short-chain PFCs didn’t perform significantly worse than the long-chain variants.

No alternative could give both the same level of performance and durability that long-chain PFCs do, the Davies study concluded.

• Fluorine-free finishes do represent a drop in performance but can usually be considered acceptable in all but the harshest of conditions. The main variant in performance between fluorochemical and fluorine-free repellents is that the fluorine-free finishes do not provide any oil repellency (Alice Davies study), which means that it does not provide dirt protection.

• Paraffin or wax-based finishes were some of the earliest examples of water-repellent finishes; natural oils and resins were being

used to create waxed fabrics as early as the 18th century. These finishes don’t provide any oil repellency and laundering processes usually leaves them worse for wear. This is likely to increase the frequency of re-proofing treatments required compared to PFC finishes.

• The same can be said for silicones. They just don’t wash well and the waste water from the application process can also be toxic to fish. (Davies study) • Another alternative is dendrimer repellents, which can provide good water repellency and can also be combined with fluorocarbon polymers, forcing them into a more ordered and effective structure.

For the time being, PFCs still provide the form of durable water repelling, but increasingly strict legislation has left the industry in a catch 22. Moving over to the alternatives would represent a drop in performance for brands, but it will make them more environmentally friendly, which is after all, at the core of most outdoor brands.

Greenpeace, on the other hand, claim that they tested PFC-free products from small outdoor brands on eight global expeditions in harsh weather conditions. “All of our clothing withstood these conditions and all of it was PFC-free,” Chiara Campione, Detox Outdoor Corporate Lead with Greenpeace Italy, wrote in a blog titled You asked Outdoor brands if they use PFCs.

2016 March :: Sports Trader

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Distributed by: www.rammountain.co.za 2016 March :: Sports Trader

p54 :: Outdoor

Keeping water safe on the go Whether hiking, cycling, camping, rowing, travelling or doing any other activity where there is a need to collect and store water, customers could be risking their health. RHIANAH RHODE looked at the options for sports and outdoor customers who collect and carry possibly contaminated water

O

n average, adults should drink at least two litres of water per day, and even more when participating in activities that cause them to sweat, and lose more fluids than usual. In urban areas where clear, safe, chlorinated water is available at the turn of a tap, staying hydrated poses no problem.

But, access to clean, safe water is becoming a bigger problem across the country: not even all urban communities have this privilege and many in informal settlements have to share their water sources with animals ... or ablution facilities. In rural areas and even former pristine outdoor spots pollution have almost made the concept of a clear mountain stream obsolete.

Although water in streams, lakes, rivers, etc. may look clean and harmless, human and animal waste, chemicals, and other pollutants dumped in natural bodies of water can cause people to become severely ill.

Contaminated water can cause cholera, typhoid, polio, bilharzia and gastrointestinal diseases that the World Health Organisation say are responsible for about 5% of all deaths worldwide, and 1 in 9 of all child deaths. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention about 1.5-m people, mostly children, die from severe diarrhoea per year — and 88% of all diarrhoea — associated deaths are attributed to unsafe water.

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

Contaminated water is responsible for about 5% of all deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation This is a global problem, as many tourists experienced in countries where even drinking the tap water can spoil a holiday.

Untreated water can contain micro-organisms like bacteria (single-cell microscopic organisms like campylobacter, salmonella, shigella, E. coli), protozoa (parasites that can target the central nervous system) and viruses (infective parasites like hepatitis A, B, C, etc.), which can cause deadly diseases like hepatitis and meningitis in addition to gastrointestinal illnesses.

Clean, uncontaminated water is therefore not merely nice to have … it is a health essential.

In the outdoors, regardless of the activity, carrying a daily quota of at least two litres of water means two kilograms of additional weight that can be avoided if your customer has the means to make the available water safe. There are a number of treatment methods that your customers can use to protect themselves against any water-borne diseases.

Purify or filter There are two methods of treating unclean water: purifying or filtering. The latter also makes the water more palatable by removing sediment, grass and other impurities.

Purifying eliminates contaminants like bacteria, protozoa and viruses, but do not remove anything from the water. Therefore, if the water contains any insoluble impurities like silt, leaves, grass, etc., these would have to be filtered out of the water before it is purified. On the other hand, to make sure that the filtered water does not contain harmful viruses, purifying the water is recommended.

Purifiers are usually much smaller and lighter than filters and are therefore easier to carry when space and weight are issues.

The simplest and probably most cost-effective way to purify water is to boil it, but this method takes time to set up, and then you have to contain your thirst while waiting for water to boil and then cool down. This method may be suitable for campers who will be using stoves and cooking systems on their trips, but won’t be as practical for other activities like trail running, cycling, hiking, travelling, etc.

Ultraviolet radiation One method of treating the dangerous microorganisms like bacteria, protozoa and viruses is the use of ultraviolet light that stops them from reproducing, which causes the illnesses.

Outdoor :: p55

There are two methods of treating unclean water: purifying or filtering, which also makes the water more palatable by removing sediment, grass and other impurities

Photo by Anja Koehler, courtesy of Messe München, organisers of the OutDoor Show in Friedrichshafen.

The ultraviolet steriPEN is a small, ultralight, handheld, water purifier, which can at the push of a button sterilise a litre of water, says Deidre Pieters from local distributor Ram Mountaineering.

It is compact and therefore ideal for use when hiking, kayaking, bicycle touring or when travelling to places like India, most African countries, Asia, South America and even certain parts of South Africa, where the quality of tap water is doubtful. It is useful anywhere clean drinking water is hard to come by.

This purifying method can be used with any water source, but water should be filtered to get rid of any sediment first as it will not work if the water is too murky, which will block the light rays and prevent them from effectively reaching and destroying the microorganisms.

The fact that SteriPEN does not remove anything form the water, however, means no loss of minerals needed for hydration. It also does not leave any chemical aftertaste as is the case with some other purification methods.

This device will therefore work optimally for purifying clear water that does not contain biological, chemical or metal contaminants.

But, these ultraviolet zappers work with batteries, which can become quite costly if it needs constant replacement, and do not operate well in low temperatures, which could leave your customer stranded with no way of purifying his water at all.

The batteries are different for each product, says Pieters, but on average customers should be able to have 100 purification applications per set of batteries. Overall, SteriPEN lasts between 4000-8000 treatments, depending on the unit type. They also offer rechargeable options in the SteriPEN range.

In order to ensure the product has a long

lifespan, consumers should always replace the lamp cover after use to protect the lamp, she adds.

Chemical treatments Chemical treatments like chlorine and iodine, which come in liquid or tablet form, are other lightweight solutions for killing bacteria, protozoa and viruses. Because they are small, they can easily be transported when travelling lightly.

But, they leave a bad aftertaste and require a waiting period of approximately 30 minutes to four hours before being fully effective on different types of contaminants. Customers can, however, add flavouring to their water after treatment to remove any bad taste. The waiting period issue can also be resolved by carrying more than one container that allows the user to drink from one and use the other to treat their water without disrupting their ability to quench their thirst — but this will add weight and bulk.

Aqua Salveo is a water purifying liquid solution that requires only three drops per litre of water to kill fungi, parasites and improve its taste, says Andrew Taylor from local distributor Lite Optec. Just one such application will keep water pathogen-free for 24 months, which is good news for hydration pack users who don’t empty and clean their containers very often.

It contains copper, silver and zinc ions, which further helps to boost the immune system and the product has a five year shelf life.

This water purifier is ideal for a number of situations — including hiking, camping, mountain climbing, cycling, etc.— but one has to collect water from a flowing source that does not contain any toxic chemicals, which it can-

not remove, explains Taylor.

Because Aqua Salveo does not remove any solid matter from the water, it is advisable to use a pre-filter in conjunction with it, adds Taylor.

Using filters Filters come in various guises, from a simple filter cloth or paper to remove impurities, to hi-tech filter devices that mechanically remove chemicals, bacteria and protozoa through a straining system.

A brand like MSR, for example, provides a wide range of water filters, from high capacity water treatment, to the efficiency of gravity powered filtration, or compact pump-operated filters, which are ideal for use any time or place — from day hikes, to expeditions, family camping to large base camps — where you need clean water and there is a source available, explains Rob French from local distributor Outward Ventures.

These devices do not use reactive chemicals and therefore require no waiting period before drinking the filtered water. They are easy to use and to re-assemble after cleaning.

But, filters do not kill viruses.

The mechanical nature of these devices does mean they need some maintenance, but they are easy to clean and service. “MSR also just released the new Guardian filter, which filters 10 000l, offers full viral protection, filters bacteria, protozoa and particulates, and is the only filter on the market that is self-cleaning!” says French (see p55).

Depending on the filter being used, these products could only require a filter replacement after 2 000l of water has been filtered at a litre per minute.

The latest development in port- To p56

2016 March :: Sports Trader

p56 :: Outdoor

Photo by Anja Koehler

Carrying safe water cont. from p55 able water filters is a steel filtration device that uses a two-stage filtration process to remove bacteria, protozoa, cloudiness, bad tastes and odours.

The Lifestraw Steel won an ISPO Gold award in the Outdoor segment at the 2016 ISPO Munich show. It also reduces chemicals such as chlorine, pesticides and fertilisers and can filter up to 1 000l of water without the need for electrical power, batteries or chemicals. It has a BPA-free, durable

stainless steel body that makes it lightweight and portable. Lifestraw is locally distributed

by Adventure Inc.

How to carry collected water When it comes to water carriers customers are spoilt for choice as there are a number of water carrying options ranging from bottles, to hydration packs and vests. Many also have anti-microbial treatments to prevent the water being contaminated when stored for a long time.

Many bottle and hydration pack manufacturers have designed their products to accommodate purification or filtration devices, for example, with a wider mouth.

The wide-mouthed design of the GSI 1l and 750ml Dukjug, for example, allows the fitting of a SteriPEN pre-filter. The BPA-free, fully recyclable and crush-resistant water bottle made from polypropylene is locally distributed by Ram Mountaineering. It also features an integrated recessed area for storing up to 2m of emergency duct tape. “The silicone grip easily rolls over the wrapped tape to protect it,” explains Pieters.

When transporting water it is important to ensure that the carrier or container is properly cleaned in order to prevent any spread of possible bacteria that may remain from previous uses or those that could grow from leaving a wet bottle or hydration reservoir for days without cleaning.

• Recommend that customers clean and dry their water bottles and reservoirs properly after each use.

• If the containers are dishwasher safe it is advisable to place them in the machine regularly to prevent bacteria, which thrives in dark and moist environments, from forming.

• Hot water mixed with baking soda, bicarbonate or bleach can work to kill germs that develop in a water bottle or reservoir. Let the mixture stand for approximately 30 minutes before rinsing with warm water and soap. With reservoirs it is also suitable to let the mixture run through the drinking tube to cleanse it.

• Even after cleaning always allow carriers to air dry in order to prevent mould from forming due to moisture.

• Storing bottles and bladders in the freezer after cleaning will also further help kill bacteria.

News from local suppliers

Tried and tested filters from MSR MSR OFFERS a wide variety of water filters as well as tough storage and carrying solutions for up to 10l of filtered water. The brand applies the latest technologies and rigorous testing to assure your customers have safe water on any adventure — whether on a day hike, expedition or family camp trip, says Rob French from local distributor Outward Ventures.

MSR has a filter to suit every need. The latest model is the multiple award-winning selfcleaning Guardian filter, which offers full viral protection and also filters bacteria, protozoa and particulates (see p55 and image below).

This filter, which cleans 2.5l per minute, won just about every outdoor gear award in 2015 — including gold at OutDoor Friedrichshafen, Best new Gear at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Show, Gear of the Year by National Geographic Adventure, and was the Top Gear Pick by Gear Junkie … plus many more.

The Miniworks is their most popular filter and is ideal for everything from day hikes to expeditions, he explains.

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

The HyperFlow is their smallest and lightest model, the Autoflow uses gravity to do the work and the Sweetwater is ideal for when there may be chemical contamination or bad odour and taste in the water that will be consumed, explains French.

All the MSR filters — apart from the AutoFlow — come with a pre-filter that removes larger particles and are easy to self-service and maintain in the field.

Purify water safely with SteriPEN YOUR ACTIVE customer who’ll be collecting water from dubious sources would want to hear about the water purification devices and accessories in the SteriPEN range, locally available from Ram Mountaineering.

Their prize-winning ultra violet treatments improve the safety of drinking water without all the hassles of long waits or pumping.

The products are able to purify a litre of water in 90 seconds, and carry the Water Quality Association gold seal that certifies they kill up to 99.9% of bacteria, viruses and protozoa.

The range covers a variety of needs: from the easy to use value-priced Aqua, which can treat up to 3 000l of water in an emergency, to the new USB rechargeable Ultra (right), which received an ISPO award (2013) for its role in contributing to sustainability in the outdoors by reducing disposable plastic water bottles.

It purifies 0.5l of water in a mere 48 seconds and shows you the status of the water treatment and battery on an OLED (Organic Light

Emitting Diodes) display.

The lightweight Adventurer Opti won a Backpacker magazine Editor’s Choice award in 2011 and the 2012 Desnivel Award for being one of the 15 best new products. Its optical eye works as a water sensor, and also doubles as a LED flashlight, which can be helpful when trying to locate a water source in the dark. Its lightweight CR123 batteries will keep operating even in cold environments, which can affect other types of batteries.

In between are many other options, including the third generation of the Classic lamp that started SteriPEN’s success story back in 1999. The Classic 3 has a handy LED panel that enables the user to see the treatment size, and the status of the batteries and UV lamp.

It comes with a 40 Micron Pre-filter that fits on a 32-ounce wide-mouth bottle, which removes cloudiness and debris from the water before it is purified with ultra violet light. A replacement screen filter cartridge can be bought separately, which also works with the FitsAllFilter that fits any bottle openings.

As an added benefit, the Ultra, Classic 3 and Adventurer Opti models are also covered by the SteriPEN Premium Lamp Life Pledge, which promises a replacement product should consumers reach the 8 000 treatments these premium lamps offer — although this should only be over seven years of daily use, cautions SteriPEN.

Outdoor news

Outdoor :: p57

Drimac keeps dry in many guises

NORICA:

shooting brand strong at 99 years NEXT YEAR the NORICA shooting brand celebrates its centenary anniversary. Launched in 1917 and manufactured in Spain, its product range includes air rifles, pellets, scopes and other accessories.

The brand’s philosophy has always been focused on quality, innovation and maximum precision.

Today NORICA exports to 56 countries across the globe.

In South Africa, it is distributed by R&S Traders. The brand is also a regular exhibitor at top shows such as IWA and SHOT SHOW in Germany and the US respectively.

European manufacturing All of its components are manufactured by European steel mills, with machining, stamping, heat treatment, surface coatings and assem-

DRIMAC IS so well known in South Africa that the name has become a generic for lightweight rainwear. Yet, your customers may be surprised to learn the extent of the range and the colours that are available, including fashionable camo, feminine pink and white, or bright primary colours like yellow and red that will especially appeal to younger customers … and many others in between.

There is a choice of lined zippered jackets made waterproof by heat sealed seams, with ribbed cuffs, a hem drawstring and concealed hood for men, women and children. Add a waterproof elasticised pant to make a full rain suit, or a poncho for those who want freer arm movement.

bly in Spain.

Perfect for younger consumers, Titan is aimed at those who want to enter the shooting arena. It is a versatile gun, that is both accurate and has moderate power. The carbine has been designed specifically for youngsters.

The Shooter air rifle is also aimed at the younger age group. It is light, made of vaporized beech stock, and has checkering in the

NORICA TITAN 4.5MM

NORICA SHOOTER 4.5MM

R1 235*

FEATURES - ANTI SHOCK AMBIDEXTROUS FIBRE STOCK - vENTILATED RUBBER BUTT PLATE - AUTOMATIC SAFETY - FIBRE OPTIC REAR FRONT

R1 590*

SPECS - VELOCITY: 625FPS / 190MS - WEIGHT: 2.5KG - BARREL LENGTH: 454MM - OVERALL LENGTH: 1 050MM

NORICA Dragon 4.5MM

FEATURES - ANTI SHOCK AMBIDEXTROUS FIBRE STOCK - vENTILATED RUBBER BUTT PLATE - AUTOMATIC SAFETY - FIBRE OPTIC REAR FRONT

SPECS - VELOCITY: 625FPS / 190MS - WEIGHT: 2.6KG - BARREL LENGTH: 454MM - OVERALL LENGTH: 1 035MM

NORICA dREAM HUNTER 4.5MM

R1 580*

FEATURES - ANTI SHOCK AMBIDEXTROUS SYNTHETIC STOCK - CHECKERING IN THE GRIP & FINGERGRIP - vENTILATED RUBBER BUTT PLATE

pistol grip that offers a better grip.

Dragon, an anti-shock fiber stock air rifle, is a popular model among NORICA fans.

For long term reliability and accuracy, NORICA has designed the fixed barrel Dream Hunter air rifle. It features under lever cocking, and showcases NORICA’s high quality manufacturing and product design - without any gaps or mismatches.

R2 595*

SPECS - VELOCITY: 1 000FPS - WEIGHT: 2.9KG - BARREL LENGTH: 484MM - OVERALL LENGTH: 1 060MM

FEATURES - ANTI SHOCK AMBIDEXTROUS FIBRE STOCK - vENTILATED RUBBER BUTT PLATE - AUTOMATIC SAFETY - FIX BARREL & UNDERLEAVER COOKING

SPECS - VELOCITY: 820FPS / 250MS - WEIGHT: 3.2KG - BARREL LENGTH: 454MM - OVERALL LENGTH: 1 160MM

* ALL PRICES EXCLUDE vat

Tel: 011-918-6861

Cell: 082-837-5026

zubair@randstraders.co.za

fuad@randstrader.co.za

www.randstraders.co.za

The yo-yo Rand caused uncertain holiday trading

p58 :: Industry

The constant fear factor of price increases due to the steep drop in the Rand exchange rate, caused a pall over the December-January holiday trading period — although many pre-Christmas customers spent as if 9/12 and its aftermath didn’t happen, retailers report

W

hile retailers and suppliers in the industry walked around with calculators to make sure that they could still stay in business with the up-and-down Rand exchange rate after the Nenegate shock on December 9th last year, the drop in the value of the Rand did not have that big an impact on customer spending ... although retailers believe this will be the biggest challenge they’ll have to face in 2016.

Most (58%) of the retailers who responded to our annual survey on December-January trading (see opposite page) said that the currency drop did not motivate their customers to close their purses and spend less.

Although, one respondent commented that “trading went well until the firing of the Finance Minister and then levelled off.”

This influence of politics on trading was confirmed by another respondent, who commented that “because we were trading so well at the halfway mark, we were disappointed at the end of the month [December], but still slightly up.”

The December drop in the Rand value to more than R15.41 against the dollar (from R14.27 in November) came as a shock to most people in our import-based industry, as it instantly added almost R30 to the price of a $25 dollar product (see table right).

That was after the Rand had already been on a downward slide for most of last year.

Between February 2015 and January 2016 the Rand lost 30.93% value against the dollar. The cost of a $25 item would therefore increase R139.75 from R290.75 in February 2015 to R430.50 in January 2016, purely based on the exchange rate.

That is without taking other manufacturing and transport price increases into consideration, which brands across the world were pre-

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

R/$ impact on a $25 item The impact of the fluctuation in the R/$ exchange rate over the past few months can be seen in the monthly price difference of a $25 item between 10 September 2015 and February 2016. In January a $25 item would cost R89.75 more than in September, but, by end February, the same item would cost R50 less than in January.

10-Sep-15 10-Oct-15 10-Nov-15 10-Dec-15 10-Jan-16 10-Feb-16 24-Feb-16

Cost R340.75 R333.25 R356.75 R385.25 R430.50 R397.50 R380.50

R/$ rate (13.63) (13.33) (14.27) (15.41) (17.22) (15.90) (15.22)*

* Sports Trader had to go to print on 24 February, Budget Day, and it was therefore not possible to factor in the anticipated favourable impact of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s speech on the exchange rate.

Normal trading challenges like competition from other retailers, distributors selling direct to the public, top brands refusing to supply them or the impact of low-priced Chinese stores, received scant interest from respondents, with a low 12.5%, 8% and 4% respectively indicating these as major challenges they expect to face this year.

Interestingly, none of the respondents indicated that online trading would be a challenge this year. In previous years 7, 5 and 11 percent saw online sales as major threat.

In the previous three similar surveys most retailers did say that they believed the economy impacting on consumer spending was the main challenge, namely 39% (2014/15), 40% (2013/14) and 39% (2012/13). But, more competition from other retailers was identified as a major threat by about a quarter (2014/15), a third (2013/14) and a fifth (2012/13) of the respondents to previous surveys.

December still OK paring for.

Yet, only 42% of the retail respondents believed that the drop in the exchange rate influenced consumer behaviour over the December-January period. But, more than half (54%) believe this will be the biggest challenge they will have to face this year.

A further 17% believe that the worsening economy would pose the biggest trading challenge this year. This brings the number of respondents who are concerned that consumers will have less spending money this year due to the failing economy and rising prices, to more than 70%.

As one respondent pointed out, “the affect of the price increases [due to the exchange rate] were not yet reflected in our December prices.” The impact will be felt with future shipments, another retailer added.

In the latest survey, most of the respondents (50%) said their December 2015 sales were on par with what they expected. A small number (17%) said their sales in December were a pleasant surprise, but about a third expected to do better.

The respondents were about equally divided whether there were more, fewer, or about the same number of visitors to their stores. This is in sharp contrast to last year when 71% of the retail respondents reported that they had more feet through their doors.

Spending was, however, much more subdued than the same period a year ago. This time around very few respondents (only 8%) reported that their December sales were more than 20% higher than the previous year … compared to 39% respondents in December 2014/15 that reported more than 20% sales growth. A year

Industry :: p59

Brisk trading in the new American Clothing store, The Vault. Photo: Trudi du Toit.

ago 61% of the respondents reported that their December trade was much better than they expected.

This season retail customers bought more mid-priced items (say 46% of respondents) or functional, but more expensive items, like shoes or clothing (33%). Hardly any reported that customers mainly bought luxury items in the pre-Christmas period.

A year ago the picture looked decidedly more rosy: 63% said their customers mainly bought functional, but expensive, items and 41% reported that most customers bought luxury items.

January Rand drop January 2016 started badly for most of the industry. Just as most suppliers returned to work and retailers started preparing for the January 2016 back-to-school and back-to-work sales, the Rand took another dip to R17.22/$.

This time it was not directly linked to internal political factors, but had more to do with fears about the Chinese economy, a slow-down in their buying of our commodities, the economic woes of our BRICS partner Brazil, etc.

The fear that we would be downgraded to junk status following a less than 1% growth forecast by the World Bank, hovered like a dark, gloomy cloud.

Consumers were not unaffected, and 41% respondents reported that their January sales were lower than the previous year — nearly a fifth reported that sales were more than 20% down. On the other end of the spectrum, nearly a third of the respondents did grow their January sales, but most said it was just a little higher.

Last year’s January trading was much better: more than half (54%) of the respondents reported that their sales grew from the previous year — 35% saying that their sales had grown more than 20% compared to the period

Between February 2015 and January 2016 the Rand lost 30.93% value against the dollar. The cost of a $25 item would therefore increase R139.75 from R290.75 in 2015 to R430.50 in 2016, purely based on the exchange rate

About this survey For the past five years Sports Trader has asked Southern African sport, outdoor and lifestyle retailers to supply feedback on their December and January sales and expectations. The survey is conducted anonymously on Survey Monkey and unless respondents give their permission, we are unable to see the names of respondents. Respondents have the opportunity to leave comments.

the previous year. Only a fifth said that their Yet, the renewed confidence that the working groups the Finance Minister established sales were lower.

The fear of a depression was also reflected to bring the economy on track, measures to in the spending patterns of January shoppers: clamp down on corruption and anticipated A high 95% of respondents reported that cus- curtailing of unnecessary government spendtomers were buying either entry-level (30%) or ing, was evident in the run-up to the speech.

For the industry the recovery of the Rand bemid-priced (65%) items. None reported that their customers bought functional, yet high- fore the Budget Speech was indeed good news, priced items, and very few (4%) indicated that because that $25 item had already become R50 cheaper than in January, . customers were buying luxury items.

This is not good news for sport retailers who were looking forward 70 December sales and expectations to parents spending on quality sport equipment — which can be expen- 60 sive — for their children going back 50 to school.

Looking ahead Just as a week can be a lifetime in politics, a few weeks can make a vast difference to the economy and the exchange rate.

Sports Trader unfortunately had to go to print before new Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan delivered his much-anticipated Budget Speech and the anticipated affect on the exchange rate could be determined.

40 30 20 10 0

Better than expect

What expect

2015/16

2014/15

Worse than expect

2013/14

2016 March :: Sports Trader

Company results

p60 :: Industry

Single-digit revenue loss for Wolverine World Wide WOLVERINE WORLD WIDE INC. has reported a 2.5% decline in reveue and a 3.2% decline in gross profit for the year ended 3 January 2016. The company owns brands such as Cat Footwear, Hush Puppies, Merrell, Saucony, Sperry and Wolverine.

At the end of the year, revenue was $2 691.6-m and gross profit $1 051.7-m.

For the fourth quarter, all of the divisions except the Performance Group reported a decline in revenue, with the Performance Group growing revenue by 0.7% (3.5% currency neutral (CN)). Overall revenue declined by 7.1% (5.4% CN) in the fourth quarter and the Heritage Group experienced the biggest drop (15.5%; 13.8% CN).

Lifestyle Group revenue declined by 7.7% (6.7% CN) in the fourth quarter.

“We finished the year with both revenue and adjusted earnings per share in line with our expectations for the fourth quarter, highlighted by significant growth in adjusted earnings per share on a constant currency basis,” says Blake W. Krueger, Wolverine Worldwide’s Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President.

“Our ability to deliver strong

impacted many regions. We foreshadowed these challenging conditions in mid-September, and over the last few months we have been proactive to mitigate our short-term exposure and position the company to be even stronger in 2016.

earnings in a challenging global retail and consumer environment continues to validate the power of our diversified brand portfolio and disciplined operational execution. Looking back on the full year, we made significant progress against our strategic priorities, including investing in global organic growth for our key brands and eCommerce.”

“The company delivered solid fourth-quarter earnings despite a very tough environment, resulting from in-line revenue performance and continued discipline over operating expenses,” stated Mike Stornant, Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer.

“This last quarter was incredibly volatile for the whole industry as global economic pressures worsened, holiday sales were tepid and unseasonably warm weather

Since early September, we’ve made important leadership and organizational changes focused on fixing under-performing areas of the business. We are confident we are well-positioned to navigate the challenging global landscape in front of us.”

Amer Sports sales up 6% in Q4 AMER SPORTS reported a 6% net sales increase to €783.7-m for the fourth quarter — making it the company’s sixth consecutive year of profitable growth. Wilson (from The Golf Racket), Suunto (form Ultimo) and Salomon are some of their locally available brands.

The growth was driven by apparel (up 12%), footwear (up 8%), and sports instruments (up 18%). EMEA net sales improved 6% to €356.8-m and made up 46% of overall sales. Net sales in the Americas and Asia Pacific both increased 16% to €313.2-m and €113.7-m respectively.

The company’s outdoor category sales increased 10% to €501.9m, ball sports increased 21% to €165.7-m and fitness improved 4% to €116.1-m.

For the year ended 31 December, net sales increased 6% to

€2.5-bn, driven by apparel (up 15%), footwear (up 14%) and team sports (up 15%). EMEA sales grew 5% to €1 114.7-m for the year and made up 44% of overall sales. The Americas and Asia Pacific also experienced 22% (to €1 070.1-m) and 20% (to €349.6-m) growth respectively.

Amer Sports’ outdoor segment increased 12% (to €1 530.1-m), ball sports improved 21% (to €647-m) and fitness was up 11% (to €357.3-m).

ASICS sales grow, but profits drop ASICS CORP. has reported improved sales (up 10.5% to ¥428.5-bn) for the financial year that ended 31 December 2015, but profits dropped more than 50% (52.4%) to ¥10.2-bn due to weak currencies in especially the Americas and high retail expenses.

In the EMEA, sales grew 16% on a currencyneutral basis (10.7% real) as a result of good growth in the brand’s running, tennis and lifestyle (ASICS Tiger) categories. This growth is the brand’s highest growth rate in years (2014 saw a 13% growth, for example).

Key markets contributed to the growth in this region. South Africa saw triple-digit sales growth. Sweden, Norway, Denmark, France, Spain, Austria, Poland, Benelux and Russia reported double-digit growth. The UK and Germany reported a single-digit growth, while sales in ASICS’ own retail stores grew by 26%.

“Our 16% growth means we have more than doubled our business over the last five years,” says Alistair Cameron, CEO of ASICS EMEA. Even though the brand is already a powerhouse in the running market, NPD Sports

Sports Trader :: 2016 March

Tracking reports that ASICS is the fastest growing brand among female runners in Europe.

This is reflected in the running category sales, with footwear sales growing by 17% and women-specific footwear growing by 19%.

It’s not only in running that the brand experienced sales growth. In the tennis category, footwear sales improved 26% and apparel sales are up by 12%. It also remains the number one performance tennis footwear brand in Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

The strong performances from South African and Australian rugby teams wearing the brand at the Rugby World Cup 2015 contributed to triple-digit sales growth in rugby apparel.

ASICS Tiger also had triple-digit growth after re-launching early last year with a new look, reminiscent of the iconic 90’s ASICS running shoes like the Gel-Lyte III and Gel-LyteV look.

Good athletic shoe sales in Europe resulted in a 10.7% (15.7% on a currency-neutral basis) increase to ¥116-bn. The segment income also improved by 26.4% (32.1% on a currency-neutral basis) to ¥10.9-bn.

Strong running shoe sales in Australia and efforts to expand businesses in the South-East and South Asian area helped improve sales 20.8% (24.2% on a currency-neutral basis) to ¥22.5bn in the Oceania/South-East region. The segment income also improved 11.0% (14.9% on a currency-neutral basis) to ¥3.57-bn.

Strong running and Onitsuka Tiger shoe sales at its Chinese subsidiary and the effects of foreign exchange rates helped increase sales 33.2% (23.2% on a currency-neutral basis) to ¥41.9-bn in East Asia. The segment income also improved 99.4% (80% on a currency-neutral basis) to ¥4.64-bn.

Japan’s income increased 2% to ¥122.8-bn and operating income improved to ¥2.3-bn.

In the Americas sales grew 14.5% to ¥136.1bn, but only 0.6% on a currency-neutral basis due to the weakening Brazilian Real against the US dollar. The segment income was also affected by exchange rates resulting in increased purchasing costs and the increases in expenses, causing a 86.3% (87.9% on a currency-neutral basis) drop to ¥1.5-bn.

Trade show news

Trade shows :: IBC

Trade shows focusing on the retail trade THERE ARE several international trade shows aimed at retailers coming up, where everything from store design, online trading and other issues affecting retailers will be under the spotlight — or had recently taken place.

GlobalShop, the world’s largest annual show for retail design and shopper marketing, will feature an array of store fixture companies and in-store solutions. The show floor of the event, which takes place 23-25 March at the Mandalay Bay Convention Centre, Las Vegas, is divided into five divisions — the Store Fixturing Show, Visual Merchandising Show, Store Design and Operations, Digital Store and At-Retail Marketplace. Visitors can also look forward to insightful educational sessions, networking opportunities, and more.

The Ecommerce Show USA — previously known as Etail Show USA — aims to help retailers and etailers improve their understanding of customer behaviour and take advantage of social media commerce platforms available to them. It runs alongside the Retail Technology Show USA, which highlights retail strategy and technology, and advises visitors on how to create rich and personal experiences using technology to win over and retain old customers. Both shows take place from 30-31 March at the Atlanta Convention Centre at AmericasMart in Atlanta, US. C-Star: Visitor pre-registration for the Chinese retail trade show, C-Star, which takes place 18-20 May in Shanghai, China, is now open. Visitors can pre-register for free admission online through their website or via the C-star WeChat official account to receive a registration code that can be scanned at the venue to obtain their ticket.

EuroCIS: During February 380 international exhibitors from 24 countries showcased innovative technology solutions for retailers at the EuroCIS trade show in Germany. About 9 000 international visitors attended the exhibition. Amongst other activities, EuroCIS provided an overview of current strategies and solutions for better networking of all channels in both the specifically created Omnichannel Area and in the integrated Omnichannel Forum.

NRF Annual Convention & Expo: The US’ National Retail Federation (NRF)’s Annual Convention & EXPO, better known as Retail’s Big Show, took place from 17-20 January in New York. The exhibition, dubbed the one stop shopping for industry professionals, showcased innovative technologies to visitors, the vast majority (89%) of whom play a role in purchase decisions.

EFTTEX move to Budapest In 2017 the European Fishing Tackle Trade Expo (EFTTEX) will, once again, be held in Budapest, Hungary.

The city was a popular venue when EFTTEX was held there in 2009, with more than 7 000m2 floor space sold and more than 1 500 visitors and 233

exhibitors attending. The capital’s natural beauty, architecture and great nightlife gave it an advantage over other shortlist candidate cities like Leipzig (Germany), Riga (Latvia), Vienna (Austria) and Barcelona (Spain). The 2017 show will take place 29 June to 1 July.

OutDoor Show dates to change THIS YEAR’S OutDoor trade show taking place 13-16 July in Friedrichshafen, Germany, will feature more than 900 exhibitors from over 40 countries on its 85 000m2 grounds. The show’s supporting programme will include tried-and-tested favourites like the OutDoor Industry Award and a number of OutDoor Conferences.

From 2017, the show dates will be moved forward from July to mid-June. To allow more independent retailers to attend without sacrificing a day of trade, the show will be held from Sunday to Wednesday from 2017 (18-21 June).

The 2018 show will take place from 1720 June.

Global Sources Fashion Show VISITORS CAN now pre-register for free entry to the Global Sources Fashion show, which takes place 27-30 April in Hong Kong.

The latest trends in fashion items, including bags, scarves, accessories and more, will be showcased in 1 600 booths — 800 from new exhibitors.

The show will for the first time feature a standalone footwear pavilion.

Advertisers index adidas american man Sportswear BAS Brand ID BRT Cat Footwear Drimac Dukes Footwear Trading Gelvenor Textiles Gunn & Moore Intershu Jack Parcels

16, 17 2 44 37, 49 43 13 51 45 18, 19, 20 8 39 1 22

Jeep JFK Trading JRT Crampton K7 Katz Footwear Kevro Kookaburra Levi's Medicus Shoes Merrell New Balance Nikwax NORICA

19 22 41 23 9 43 41 18, 20 OFC, 13 OFC OBC 53 57

Opal Sports Pierre Cardin PUMA R&S Traders Ram Mountaineering Sedgars Sport Shoez Group Slazenger Speedo TK Sport TomTom Willow

39, 45 1 7 57 53 44 23 37 49 5 33 9

2016 March :: Sports Trader

Sports Trader :: 2016 March