Sports Trader September 2016

Southern Africa’s business-to-business magazine for the sport, outdoor and leisure industries • Vol 37 No 5 • September 2016

REEF SLAMMED ROVER

All the new summer sandal and watershoe styles How healthy is the fishing tackle market?

No medals for our team’s Olympic kit

Vol 37 Nr 5 September 2016 www.sportstrader.co.za

Regulars

On the cover Reef Brazil, distributed by Because I Can clothing, is a global lifestyle brand that encourages your journey of discovery. Reef’s purpose is to provide premium, comfortable, and innovative products in a sustainable manner. Reef Swellular™ Technology footwear is built around three layers of innovative material: a super-soft, contoured foam deck for instant comfort, a medium-density midsole for long-lasting support, and a high-density rubber outsole for traction, protection and durability. For more info contact Brenton 031 3128968 or email enquiries@reefsa. co.za

Publisher: Nicol du Toit Editor: Carin Hardisty Managing editor: Trudi du Toit Proofreader: Liz Milburn Features: Carin Hardisty, Chilton Mellem, Linza de Jager, Rhianah Rhode, Trudi du Toit Design: Carin Hardisty, Trudi du Toit Photography: Nicol du Toit Advertising: Nicol du Toit Subscriptions: Carin Hardisty Printing: Novus Print Solutions 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: sasportstrader.wordpress.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.

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People on the move

Highlights:

News about people in the industry.

Must have camping accessories

Brands on the move

Summer is for sandals

News about brand activity in the industry.

Company results

News about companies’ financial performances

Shop Talk: Weskus Sport

Specialisation contributed to their success.

Trade show news News about trade and industry shows.

PHL = new era for hockey

Sport

38

40 43

Swimming: where are the women?

For many years our gold medal winning female swimmers set the pace, but no SA woman qualified to swim indoors in Rio. Why?

Hockey gets premier league

What will the impact of the new PHL be on the hockey market?

New in hockey ranges

Several hockey stick manufacturers have introduced interesting new technologies.

Their Chinese team kit gave our athletes an unfair disadvantage at the Rio Olympics p36

Industry

14 26 34 36 63

Brian Pollock says goodbye

Former Jordan & Co CEO retires after 47 years

Brand relationships with consumers

Why will consumers pay so much more for certain brands and not others?

Responsible use of materials

Industry members can help prevent hazardous environmental pollution.

Our Rio athletes disadvantaged

SA athletes performed superbly against rivals kitted out with the latest technology

What and who are retail disruptors?

Should you be concerned about the Disruptors people are now talking about?

Clothing & footwear

18 22

29 46

Sandals for summer

A cash injection and new premier league heralds a new era for senior hockey p40

Outdoor

48

50

Trends from the OutDoor Show

Industry leaders identified some of the outdoor products they expect to become trend setters.

Camping accessories

55 59 60

The must have camping gear that fly off shelves.

State of the fishing tackle market

Will the new products introduced at the annual tackle trade show help repeat the 2015 growth?.

Global winning tackle products

Many of the brands that won product categories at international shows are available locally.

Why Huntex is so successful

The hunting market is booming, with benefits for outdoor as well.

The latest trends and styles available in summer sandals.

Stylish water shoes

Elsewhere fashion designers have their hands on water shoes, but locally we’re deeply focused on function.

All you need to know to sell caps

Tips from some experts about how to make the most of cap sales.

Selling tips: trail running shoes

What retailers can expect from new team boot ranges.

The fishing trade shows healthy growth p55

021 706 2074 info@thekartal.com

p2 :: Industry

People on New faces at Sports Trader

Shane now runs OBO SA alone After twenty years as director in the family business, Wayne Schonegevel has sold his shares in OBO SA to his brother Shane, and took to exploring the country on an extended holiday with his wife. Shane, who joined the Kimberley wholesale business seventeen years ago, will continue distributing Gryphon and Voodoo hockey equipment and Aero and OBO cricket and hockey protective gear.

Both Wayne and Shane were trained as teachers and both have provincial colours in cricket and hockey. Shane is also a former goalkeeper for the SA national hockey team. Their father, Des, who had founded the Desnic retail business with his partner Nic Fourie about fifty years ago, played hockey and cricket for the Free State and Griquas.

Wayne joined the company about twenty years ago to manage the wholesale division, and Shane joined him in 1999. Prior to that he managed Radical Sport in Port Elizabeth, which they ran as a branch, until the mall was revamped and they decided to close the store.

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

administrative intern and he has been in contact with many of our readers to update their details on our mailing lists and to welcome them as new subscribers. Before joining us, Germaine had been working as an admin assistant in his family’s business.

Bonang is new Girl from Ipanema Bonang Matheba is the new brand ambassador for Ipanema footwear, locally distributed by Intershu Distributors.

Matheba, also known as Queen B*, has made a name for herself as a media maven, MC, TV and radio presenter, fashionista and TV producer.

Ipanema’s latest photoshoot saw Matheba take to the streets of Brazil, proudly showing off her love for her Ipanema sandals, set against vibrant and iconic backgrounds. Ipanema, immortalized in the song, The Girl from Ipanema, is, after all proud of its Brazilian heritage.

The brand, named for a neighbourhood in the south of Rio de Janeiro that showcases the Brazilian spirit, has previously partnered with Gisele Bündchen as its spokesperson. Now, in Matheba, it has found a South African to bring its celebration of vibrant colours, natu-

ral beauty, and easy-going footwear closer to home.

A member of the Hi-Tec SA-supported Martin Dreyer RMB Change a Life MTB team, Ndumiso “Maza” Dontso (middle), pulled off his first win in his home province, Eastern Cape, at the JBay Wind Farm Clas-

sic in Jeffreys Bay. He beat local favourite, Jason Meaton (left), and co RMB rider, Luvuyo “Thando” Siyasi to win the 125km mountain bike race. The Change a Life Academy trains underprivileged young athletes.

Photo: Mariana Vianna

Johan Steyn (above) has been appointed Financial and General Manager of Genuine Connection Promotions. He will be heading up all manufacturing operations, as well as the dayto-day management of the business. Owner Lionel Gericke has assisted him with the transition for the last twelve months. Gericke will now focus on marketing and sales for the company, including opening new export markets.

Steyn is a keen sportsman who matriculated at Paarl Gymnasium and studied at Maties before completing his BCompt degree at UNISA.

Sports Trader stalwart Rhianah Rhode (middle) is on maternity leave as of August, before which she had been training Chilton Mellem (right) to take over her duties until she returns at the start of next year.

Before joining Sports Trader Mellem had obtained a diploma in journalism from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, and learnt the ropes as an intern at Tygerburger and Highbury Safika Media. He then became responsible for the website and social media pages of Senhor Cabo, aimed at the Portugese Community.

Germaine Koopman (left) has joined us as an

Industry :: p3

the move

Skechers, distributed by Brand Folio LLC, has appointed two new agents.

Andy Williams (above right), who has more than 30 years’ experience as an agent, will be representing Skechers in the Western Cape. He boasts an impressive resume having represented Jaguar Shoes, Studio Shoes, and PUMA’s footwear in Cape Town and environs, including Namibia.

Gerhard Vorster (above left) is the brand’s new agent for Northern Cape, Limpopo, North West, Pretoria and Johannesburg, where he also represents Jonathan D and Cutty Footwear. He already has three years’ experience as an agent in these regions, which he used to cover previously for Reebok and Rockport.

Andrew Wentzel Senior (right) welcomes Bertus Basson on board at W.E.T. Sports.

Basson takes care of certain admin functions and in-house sales.

Ledlenser, which forms part of the Leatherman Tool Group, appointed Thomas Willing (right) in the newly created position of president early August.

All Ledlenser managers worldwide will report to Willing, who will report directly to Ben Rivera, CEO and president of The Leatherman Tool Group.

Willing’s sound knowledge of the industry and experience makes him the ideal candidate for the position, says Rivera Previously, Willing was the managing director at Ledlenser for two years, responsible for projects such as repositioning the brand in the outdoor and sport sectors. He has also held previous positions such as CEO of Zett Light Lightining GmbH and Avery Dennison Central Europe GmbH, and senior positions in sales and marketing in other

companies situated in both the United States and Germany.

2016 September :: Sports Trader

Brands on the move

p4 :: Industry

New Craghoppers and Discovery clothing range A NEW PARTNERSHIP between Craghoppers and Discovery Consumer Products* has resulted in a new line of outdoor lifestyle clothing that will also be available to South African retailers.

The clothing range, designed to appeal to consumers who love to explore the outside world, has products for men, women and children and has the capability to withstand all environmental conditions. It consists of AquaDry jackets in stretch and ripstop fabrics, Climaplus jackets and vests in softshell and fleece, as well as ripstop shirts, trousers, shorts and t-shirts.

The clothing will be branded with Discovery Adventures, which draws its inspiration from the clothing worn by the Discovery channel’s production crews. Discovery has a 3-decade long history of delivering content that embraces the spirit of adventure: the Discovery Adventures lifestyle brand is a further embodiment of these values.

It will be available in South Africa early- to mid-2017, and will be available from Outdoor Sports, local distributor of Craghoppers. * Discovery Consumer Products is the licensing arm of Discovery Communications.

Hi-Tec keeps them walking HI-TEC SA’S NEW Comfortable Anywhere campaign showcases the brand’s philosophy on the outdoors: “it’s all about unwinding, finding true release, getting closer to those around you, and getting in touch with your true self.”

The campaign, which launched 1 September, features “the modern consumer wearing Hi-Tec shoes in a relaxed, active context, both in urban and trail environments,” they explain. It supports new products specifically engineered to keep consumers comfortable in any outdoor environment.

“From high-level performance shoes, to light outdoor urban shoes, Hi-Tec will have them covered for a fun outdoorsy kind of summer.”

Globally, Hi-Tec recently celebrated their title sponsorship of the world’s largest walking event, the Vierdaagse Walk of the World, by designing a special event walking shoe: the V-Lite SpHike Nijmegen Low Gladiola i. It has all the features the participants walking 30-50km per day could have asked for: an i-shield protective layer repels water and dirt, a lightweight and breathable OrthoLite insole provides good cushioning and improves support, the V-Lite design makes it as lightweight as possible, without compromising its performance, and a heel crash pad reduces impact on the foot.

Adidas partners with celebs

PUMA is the New York City Ballet official off-stage active wear partner. The alliance furthers the brand’s commitment to, and efforts within, the women’s training category as well as in the arts and culture arena. As part of the deal, PUMA will supply the company with stylish and functional active wear for the dancers and gear for their activities both inside and outside the studio.

Photo: David Salafia

Totalsports was the retail partner for the Cell C Day of Races in collaboration with Reebok, which took place 28 August in Johannesburg and 11 September in Cape Town. The event’s theme, find your fit, encouraged participants to choose between six waves, depending on where they fit in best: Pretty Fast for women, Young, Fast and Free for under 18-year-olds, Pace Makers for those over 50, Sole Mates for pairs, Anything Goes (an open wave), and Elite Race for invited athletes.

The 5km event supports the Unogwaja Charitable Trust, which aims to empower those who are trying to better themselves.

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

THE ADIDAS + KANYE WEST adidas CMO Eric Liedtke and Kanye West collaboration is an expansion of their long-term collaboration under YEEZY into performance products.

Till recently YEEZY has only been available under adidas Originals, but it now also caters for all genders across both street and sport wear, in footwear, apparel and accessories.“Recognizing the influence, success and global brand power that began almost two years ago with YEEZY for adidas Originals, the new alliance makes history as the most significant partnership yet between a non-athlete and an athletic brand,” adidas writes in a press release. “It will redefine the future, uniting adidas’ technical, innovative expertise and capabilities with the visionary imagination of West.”

Karlie Kloss, model and sports woman, is the new face for adidas by Stella McCartney. “Kloss pushes the boundaries in her career as a model and in sports where she demonstrates her broad athletic skills,” says adidas in a statement. “She encourages a generation of women worldwide to accomplish more through her impressive list of talents, including modelling, sport and philanthropy. With her values and ethos in line with the brand’s, the 23-year-old inspires athletic women everywhere by showcasing her natural sporting ability in the collection’s key looks.” The new adidas by Stella McCartney collection “pushes the boundaries of sportswear to its limit, encouraging today’s strong, multi-faceted women to break the barrier and achieve the most from every workout.” Their collaboration is the perfect intersection of style and function, resulting in a collection that empowers women to feel strong and confident, adds Kloss.

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Brands on the move

p6 :: Industry

First PUMA Sundowns kit in over two decades

Tradition is strong in new Pirates jerseys

PUMA IS Mamelodi Sundowns’ new official kit partner — the biggest soccer kit deal yet for both PUMA SA and seven-times Premier Soccer League champion Mamelodi Sundowns.

As of 1 July, PUMA supplies the playing and training kit for all of the club’s teams, and has acquired licensing rights to develop other Mamelodi Sundowns branded merchandise.

“PUMA is excited to partner with Mamelodi Sundowns in supplying their official kit,” says Brett Bellinger, marketing director for PUMA SA. “It’s been 23 years since we've worked together and PUMA hopes to take them all the way, like we did when Sundowns won the league title back in ’93.”

The home kit (top right) is in the traditional yellow and green, but the away (right) is inspired by Bafana Ba Style.

The home jersey is lightweight, durable, made from 100% polyester and uses PUMA’s Dry Cell technology, which draws moisture away from the surface

THE NEW Orlando Pirates FC home and away jerseys for the 2016/17 season, available from adidas, have gone back to the club’s traditional colourways.

While the home jersey retains its traditional black colourway, the three stripes (typically in white) are now in light grey. The jersey also features a Mandarin collar, instead of a v-neck as before.

The away jersey, however, sees a dramatic colour change: now it’s available in its more traditional white instead of the red used in previous seasons, as requested by supporters, and has black stripes across the shoulders. This jersey sports a v-neck, instead of the home jersey’s Mandarin collar style.

While the aesthetics of the new kit is steeped in tradition, the technology is of today. ClimaCool technology provides a mixture of heat and moisture controlling materials, ventilation channels and 3D fabrics to improve air flow to the skin in key heat zones. This keeps the body comfortable, no matter if warm or cold.

“Orlando Pirates is a club steeped in great history, and as we approach our 80th Anniversary, we felt that it was important to honour certain elements of that history in the executions of our new jerseys,” says Tokoloho Moeketsi, Orlando Pirates Brand Activation Manager.

The home jersey was worn for the first time on the 24th of August against Golden Arrows at Orlando Stadium.

of the skin while playing.

The underarm mesh gusset provides optimal fit and comfort while chaffing is prevented with no seams under the arms. The ventilation fabric also helps to keep players cool and comfortable.

The navy blue away jersey, which has all the technical features of the home jersey, is inspired by Bafana Ba Style, a nickname that reflects the boldness and flair associated with a team that has won a record seven Premier Soccer League titles.

Both the new home and away shirts are manufactured in South Africa, highlighting PUMA’s commitment to supporting local businesses and manufacturing.

The Tshwane-based team wore their new home kit for the first time on 23 August in a CAF Champions League fixture.

Classic Ajax kit from adidas THE NEW ADIDAS Ajax Cape Town home kit pays tribute to the club’s rich history.

The home jersey maintains its classic style, which has become synonymous with the club, creating an iconic image that pays tribute to the club’s rich history.

The jersey design again features the red middle with white along

the side, a red v-neck collar and sleeve cuffs, and the three red stripes down the sides.

The away jersey is a powerful black with off-blue toned sleeves.

It also features the three stripes along the shoulders and sleeve trims in aqua.

“The kit also features adidas technologies to ensure that it not only evokes pride in the jersey but gives Ajax Cape Town Football Club players an edge on the pitch,” says adidas in a statement. “ClimaCool provides a mixture of heat and moisture controlling materials, ventilation channels and 3D fabrics to improve air flow to the skin in key heat zones — when the body heats up, ClimaCool ensures that the athlete remains cool.”

Ajax first wore the new kit on 23 August against Baroka FC.

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

Umbro’s kit sponsor for newest PSL franchise UMBRO IS the new official kit supplier for newly-reformed Cape Town City FC – the newest franchise in the PSL. The new jersey is blue with a thick yellow hoop, just below the chest, and was debuted in the club’s opening league game in August.

Umbro is confident that soccer fans from the area will be excited to wear their club’s jersey with pride. “The resurgence of the iconic Cape Town City FC is exciting news for South African soccer, and is a perfect fit for Umbro, which has been involved in soccer’s most iconic moments around the globe,” says Tristan Karakashian of Umbro SA. John Comitis bought Mpumalanga Black Aces earlier the year, which he has transformed in the Cape Town City FC. Comitis was also one of the founding members of Ajax Cape Town, but he and his brother sold their shares in the club following a power-struggle with the Efstathiou family, another large shareholder within the club.

One of the club’s aims is to unify 100 grassroots team that play in the SAFA leagues, to feed its academy that will potentially be based in Nyanga. “It was clear‚ if you don’t tap into the heart of the guy at the grassroots‚ you cannot succeed at the top. This is a club for the people‚” Comitis said following discussions around the project with SAFA Western Cape.

"There are five NFD clubs and one PSL club in the Cape. To have a healthy soccer environment in the city, it's imperative that we have another one or two at the highest level,” he adds.

Brands on the move

p8 :: Industry

New Harrows distributor knows brand well HARROWS DARTS TECHNOLOGY has announced the appointment of their new sole distributor for Southern Africa, with effect 1 September: CorSport, which also distributes ZOGGS and BOLA locally.

This appointment comes on the heels of CorSport being acknowledged by the ZOGGS brand as the distributor in the EMEA region who achieved the most growth during the past year.

CorSport owner, Colin Farrer, (right) has had a long relationship with the Harrows brand, which he first stocked in his retail stores and then acted as agent and distributor with previous partners.

The brand has been distributed throughout the world for over 43 years and currently has representation in over 100 countries.

“I am excited about the opportunity to distribute the leading darts brand,” says Farrer. “Customers, old and new, can look forward to a host of new product

Steve Adshade (Billabong), Kevin Lodge (Top Events) with survivor Brett Archibald.

Right Gary van Rooyen with Coreban’s youngest team rider Levi Mayes,

XOTB store with a difference

listings together with increased brand awareness initiatives. Improved stock levels will also be a key focus.”

“Harrows Darts Technology combines the highest level of precision darts equipment, manufactured in the UK, with a fantastic range of products to suit every level of darts enthusiast.”

XPRESSION ON THE BEACH (XOTB) in Muizenberg has re-opened with a fresh new three-in-one retail/lifestyle concept: in collaboration with Fresch Health & Lifestyle Café they offer healthy eating and their own blend of sports coffee; they teach newcomers to surf or SUP and they also offer an enhanced retail shopping experience.

Apart from surf and SUP brands like Coreban, they also offer store in store shopping experiences from brands like Under Armour, Hurley, Crocs and GoPro. The revamped and expanded beachfront experience store was opened with aplomb with a full house of friends, industry people and wellwishers attending. Brett Archibald, who survived 29 hours in the Indian Ocean after being swept overboard, was there to sign his best-selling book, Alone, in which he recounted how he survived the ordeal.

CIOVITA is in SA

New Levi’s summer footwear silhouettes

ANDREW GOLD, who has many years’ experience in the industry, is at the helm of the latest cycling brand to launch in South Africa: Ciovita.

The brand, which launched locally in June, focuses solely on cycling, especially custom-made team wear for clubs, corporates, stage races, etc.

Ciovita is a combination of the Latin word cio (to move) and the Italian word vita (life) and means life in motion, which summarises the brand’s ethos, explains Gold.

A large proportion of product is currently produced in South Africa, but not 100% yet, says Gold.

“We have our own sublimation and print machinery, and our own production facility.” Many of their materials are sourced from Italy and Gold finds that there is definitely a difference in terms of innovation and quality compared to other markets.

They are involved with some professional road cycling teams (Kargo Pro Cycling and Lights by Linea) to make sure they get proper feedback, he explains. They have also partnered with athletes like Matt Beers of Cannondale and Norwegian pro rider Marriane Bergli.

THIS SUMMER Levi’s Footwear introduces a new take on it’s basic style, called the TRUCKER. The TRUCKER was developed with the the consumer in mind, who wanted a cleaner, minimilst design and added comfort. For this style, Levi’s took their winning style, the DUNK, which has been a best seller for years, and cleaned it up. Aestetically the logo stamp on the lateral side has been removed and has been replaced with a trim on the heel counter with the renowened Levi’s red woven tab. “The consumer identifies this Levi’s red woven tab with the same tab found on a pair of Levi’s jeans, which represents the autehentisisty and heritage of the brand.” says Jonathan Chaimowitz, brand manager for Levi’s Footwear at Footwear Trading.

Levi’s discovered that consumers don’t always just want to look cool, they want a shoe that can also offer them comfort.

Another innovative addition to the TRUCKER is the removable super COMFORT TECH insole, which adds to the comfort Above: RYDER and experience of Right: JOURNEY wearing a pair of Levi’s footwear. The new insole is an important addition to all basic as well as fashion styles.

New exciting fashion sillhouttes will also be launching this summer.

“Thanks to a combination of denim uppers with a lightweight construction the RYDER and JOURNEY styles were developed for the consumer who wants a sporty look, but with a more fashionable appeal,” says Chaimowitz. “It’s for the guy who needs a shoe that’ll take him through his day without stopping off for a footwear change.”

“RYDER and JOURNEY are perfect styles to be paired with the skinny jeans street style culture seen on so many digital communities and social media platforms,” he adds. “Over and above the lightweight construction of the outsole, Levi’s has included the COMFORT TECH insole, adding to the experience. Both these two styles are priced at R849, making these the best value for money in this lifestyle category.”

From top down: MD Andrew Gold, Freddie Enslin in charge of sales and marketing, and designer Karlien Spamer.

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

BAILEY

BAILEY VELCRO SHOE AVA I L A B L E I N W H I T E O R B L AC K M O N O

Brands move

p10 :: Industry

ASICS fuzeX: Run on Impulse “RUN LONG, short, and anywhere in between with the perfect combination of lightness and cushioning in fuzeGEL,” says ASICS. The technology in the footwear offers extra stability, lightweight protection, as well as a two-foam technology.

FuzeGEL is a new lightweight combination of GEL technology infused foam that absorbs shock and bounces back.

This all adds up to making your customers “want it more”.

Soccer boots at the Speed of Light

ADIDAS’ SPEED OF LIGHT soccer boots series is inspired by the colours created by the refraction of light during light speed experiments. Designed for the fastest players in the world, the x16.1 is blazed with a Solar Red colour to represent the ultimate in speed. Featuring a state-of-the-art Purecut Sock System and Sprintframe outsole for the ultimate fit, this is adidas’ lightest and most aerodynamic shoe. In its striking Solar Yellow colour, the Ace 16.1, is “one of the most innovative boots in the industry,” adidas writes in a statement.

Allowing for close ball control, the Primeknit

upper and Non Stop Grip(NSG) technology delivers in all playing conditions.

Inspired by the world’s best player, the Messi* 16.1 has been given the Shock Blue treatment. The boot features an innovative Sprintframe and agility knit material designed to provide stability and traction in the lightest possible weight.

“The Speed of Light pack is the most vibrant range of boots adidas has ever launched, designed to assist players dominate on the pitch,” says Adrian de Souza, head of Football at adidas South Africa. “Led by the fastest boot we’ve ever built, the most agile boot we’ve ever built, and the boot that takes ball control to another level, our new Speed of Light range will be integral to deciding some of the biggest games this season between the PSL’s best players”. * Messi and his manager-father are appealing their jail sentences for tax evasion, but even if the appeal fails, it is highly unlikely that they will serve jail time as Spanish law makes provision that a tax prison sentence under two years can be served under probation. His club, Barcelona, issued a statement in support of their star player, who maintains his innocence and claims that they were following legal advice when setting up off-shore companies.

PUMA evoTOUCH is for playmakers PUMA’S LEATHER evoTOUCH is designed to offer playmakers like Cesc Fàbregas, Marco Verratti and Santi Cazorla good control and exceptional touch on-pitch.

This boot offers a lighter and faster solution for players who are looking for a lightweight and innovative boot combined with the benefits of the classic leather material. Its unique construction tackles the concept of touch from the inside out, rather than from the moment of contact with the ball.

The evoTOUCH features a super soft, ultra-thin and lightweight leather upper, which brings the foot closer to the ball and allows for exceptional touch in all conditions. Its integrated evoKNIT knitted sock provides a snug fit, and the anti-slip GripTex arrows inside the sock lock down the foot to prevent slipping and ensure stability for the foot. The outsole also features a SPEEDTRACK spine.

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

ASICS FlyteFoam midsole helps you run lighter and further than ever before After three years of development and over 300 prototypes later, ASICS launched FlyteFoam technology — the most advanced cushioning technology ever created.

Reinforcement fibers allow FlyteFoam to beat the challenge of lightweight vs. cushioning with 55% lighter than industry standard EVA material that bounces back to its original shape after each step.

Just like you, FlyteFoam is resilient — pushing through, going faster and taking off until you aren’t just running,

you’re flying.

FlyteFoam was originally introduced in the elite, highend MetaRun at the end of 2015 and is being incorporated in a wide-range of ASICS models including the recently launched DynaFlyte and the all-new GEL-Kayano 23, available in retail September 2016.

Experience the lightness of flight in ASICS DynaFlyte and Kayano 23 at leading sport retailers nationwide.

Lightweight Ride

Continuous Cushioning

Soft Landing

FlyteFoam™ is the lightest cushioning material ASICS has ever made, 55% lighter than the industry standard (EVA).

Reinforced fibers allow the FlyteFoam™ material to bounce back to its original shape after every run.

FlyteFoam™ technology offers unmatched cushioning making it feel like you're not even touching the ground.

Follow Twitter | Instagram @asics_za

Trade enquiries: ASICS SA Tel: 021 300 7710 kiera.powell@asics.com

Brands move

p12 :: Industry

Mitre signs top PSL clubs LEGACY SPORT AND LEISURE, local distributor of Mitre, has teamed with Papadi Integrated Marketing to further promote the Mitre brand locally.

Grant Nicholls of Papadi Integrated Marketing has a rich background in sport, especially the soccer market, where he has a strong history of securing sponsorships for teams and events.

Recently, Mitre signed three year sponsorships with PSL clubs Bloemfontein Celtic, Platinum Stars, and Maritzburg United, as well as with JVW FC — a top ladies SASOL league team — to be their official ball supplier. The sponsorships encompass the clubs as well as their youth divisions.

As part of the deal, the PSL teams will play with the Delta Promax Hyperseam ball and JVW with the Mitre Unido and Delta V12.

“The Delta Promax Hyperseam is the most advanced FIFA Pro quality match ball ever made, and also the official choice of the English Football League, Capital One Cup and Scottish League,” says Nicolls.

“We acquired the Mitre brand in 2014 and immediately decided to re-focus on the football market where the inherent strength of the brand lies,” says Grant Stephens of Legacy Sport and Leisure. “We were really impressed

Grant Stephens of Legacy Sport and Leisure and Grant Nicholls of Papadi Integrated Marketing.

with all our teams and their vision for the future and are delighted to have come to an agreement that will see our latest Hyperseam ball being used for all their home matches.”

“The Mitre Delta Hyperseam possesses the accuracy, speed and power of a stitched football whilst retaining the control and consistency of a bonded football.”

Next season, retailers can also expect to see soccer kit from Mitre, he adds. The kit is being developed and manufactured locally and will feature the same top quality you’re used to from Mitre.

Adidas off-bike apparel partner for Wines2Whales

Photo: Tobias Ginsberg.

ADIDAS SA has become the new official off-bike apparel partner of the FNB Wines2Whales (W2W) three-day stage MTB events.

Each entrant will receive an adidas jacket and adidas will have a space in the exhibitors’ area in the Race Village, as will Duesouth — the official retail partner of the FNB W2W MTB events.

“We are proud to be the official off-bike apparel partner of the FNB W2W MTB events,” says Roddy van Breda, MD of adidas South Africa. “As a global sports brand, adidas strives to constantly create new platforms to interact with our consumer. This partner-

ship offers an ideal space for us to expose our technical outdoor product range, while we at adidas benefit from the product feedback we receive from the FNB W2W MTB community. Therefore, we are excited to align with an event that shares our passion for the outdoors and look forward to an exciting event this summer.”

This year’s three FNB W2W events will take place 4-6 November (MTB Adventure), 7-9 November (MTB Ride), and 11-13 November (MTB Race) — all starting in the Somerset West region and ending within sight of the famous whales of Hermanus.

Dawgs sues Crocs USA Dawgs, a family-owned footwear company, is suing 18 Crocs directors and officers in the US for allegedly fraudulently enforcing patents.

They claim this allowed Crocs to set, fix and charge uncompetitive prices for clog footwear, resulting in American consumers overpaying

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

more than $1-bn.

In a related case Dawgs is accusing Crocs founder Scott Seaman of false advertising and requesting that Crocs’ cornerstone patents be declared invalid and unenforceable.

The US Patent Office has already twice rejected Crocs’ design patent this year.

Industry :: p13

Mixed results for companies SALES HAVE improved for many sports and outdoor companies like Columbia during the second quarter ended 30 June. International footwear companies have reported uneven results for the quarter, with the adidas group reporting 25% growth, while others’ sales decreased.

Columbia Sportswear Company Columbia Sportswear Company reported net sales increased 2% in currency-neutral (cn) terms to $388.8-m compared to the same period last year. The company consists of the Columbia, Mountain Hardwear, Prana, and Sorel brands.

In the EMEA region net sales dropped 1% (2% cn) to $59.1-m, and saw a low double-digit percentage decline in net sales to distributors. This, however, was balanced by high teen percentage growth in the company’s Europedirect business.

Globally, Columbia and Prana’s net sales increased 3% (2% cn) and 23% (23% cn) respectively. Sorel and Mountain Hardwear, however, saw declines in net sales: 19% (16% cn) and 20% (20% cn) respectively.

Net sales in the global apparel, accessories and equipment divisions increased 4% to $321.5-m, while footwear net sales dropped 4% to $67.3-m.

The company expects mid-single-digit percentage growth in 2016 net sales with approximately 1% point negative effect due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates on the base of $2.33-bn net sales of 2015.

Adidas sales up 25% The adidas Group — which consists of adidas, Reebok and Taylormade-adidas Golf — has seen a considerably strong growth over the second quarter, resulting in 25% gain on a currencyneutral basis by the adidas brand.

Growth was so unexpectedly high that they had to adjust their full-year guidance three times in the first half of the year. Adidas and Reebok both kept a strong ongoing momentum of a 25% and 7% increase respectively. This resulted in a 21% cn increase.

Currency neutral sales in MEAA grew 14%, driven by double-digit growth rates in South Korea, Turkey, Australia, South Africa, and Thailand.

ASICS’ sales down, but lifestyle grows Overall, ASICS Corp had a tough first half of 2016, with sales and operating and net income down. Its lifestyle division, however, reports almost 30% growth.

ASICS Corp reported a 5% drop in sales to ¥210.7-b for the first half of 2016 (ending 30 June). Operating income saw a drop of 8.8% to ¥19.4-bn, while the net income went down by 18.4% to ¥11.8-b.

ASICS, however, reported strong growth in its lifestyle division, specifically with its ASICS Tiger brand, which increased by 29.3% across the AAG (ASICS America Group). Adding to the success in sales was the Gel-Lyte III, Gel-Kayano Trainer and a new model of the 2016 Gel-Classic.

Due to the weaker performances of their outdoor wear under the Haglöfs brand, they saw a decrease in their other business segment sales by 18.5% to ¥4.1-bn. The foreign exchange rates added to the weaker performance, despite strong sales of their outdoor shoes under the same brand.

In the year ahead, ASICS expects a sales decline of 6% to ¥403-bn, and a drop in operating income of 16.2% to ¥23-m. Net profits are expected to rise by 31.9%, to ¥13.5-bn.

Mizuno’s decline in sales Mizuno Corp reported a 0.8% decline in revenue to ¥48.4-bn in their fiscal first quarter, which ended on 3 August.

Operating profits saw a decrease of 46.2% to ¥409-m and net income declined to ¥640-m, compared to the same period the previous year.

EMEA sales were down 5% to ¥3.8-bn. In Mizuno’s home market of Japan, sales saw an increase of 5.4% to ¥31.3-bn, but in the Americas sales were down 16.5% to ¥7.6-bn. In Asia/ Oceania, sales were flat at ¥5.5-bn.

Crocs sales decrease Crocs Inc has seen a 6.3% decrease in sales in the second quarter of 2016 in comparison to the previous year. Sales of $323.8-m were recorded in the quarter, which contributed to a 21.1% increase in net income.

Crocs Inc is expecting to pull in sales of $245.0-m to $255.0-m for the third quarter, which is lower than the $274.1-m in the third quarter of 2015.

SA economy biggest in Africa SOUTH AFRICA once again has the biggest economy on the African continent, reclaiming the position from Nigeria. This after South Africa saw a spike in the strength of the Rand.

Rankings are calculated based on the size of the gross domestic product (GDP), which is measured in the domestic currency of the country and then converted at the exchange rate at the time into a common international currency.

Based upon the GDP at the end of 2015, published by the International Monetary Fund, Bloomberg reports that our economy size is $301-bn and Nigeria’s $296-bn.

The rand has gained more than 16% against the US currency since the beginning of the year. On the contrary, Nigeria’s naira lost more than a third of its value.

The media agency, however, pointed out that both Nigeria and South Africa are facing the risk of a recession: Nigeria’s economy saw a decrease of 0.4%, while South Africa’s GDP saw a drop of 0.2%.

Feeding a positive sentiment back into the South African markets was the recent municipal elections. The South Africa Reserve Bank, however, forecasts zero growth for 2016 and unemployment remains above 26%.

2016 September :: Sports Trader

FOOTWEAR

p14 :: Industry

Passion for footwear strong after 47 years Former Jordan & Co MD Brian Pollock fondly looks back on nearly half a century in the footwear industry as he says goodbye. He believes it is a wonderful industry to work in — as long as you are passionate, reports TRUDI DU TOIT. Photo NICOL DU TOIT

A

fter 47 years in the footwear industry Brian Pollock is just as passionate about his job as when he ran the 40-odd kilometres from his home in George to work at Watson Shoes in Groot Brak as a 20-year old in the early 1970’s.

“I was so passionate about Patrick, I was very passionate about Olympic, and when Bronx came onto the scene I was very passionate about Bronx as well. In a nutshell, I am just so passionate about footwear,” he summarises his career.

Although he officially retired as Jordan & Co MD in 2014 when he turned 65, Pollock stayed on for another two years to help new brand managers bed down. But, just before his 67th birthday in August this year, he bid the industry he loves so much farewell and permanently

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

I wouldn’t hesitate to come into the footwear industry if I was a youngster. But, you must be passionate, you must live eat and sleep your product relocated to his house in Greyton, where he has been spending most weekends for the past two years.

In a way his career has come full circle. He started in the footwear industry in 1969 at Watson Shoes, part of Bolton Footwear. They became the new Jordan & Co owners two years ago, just as Pollock term as MD came to an end and Noel Whitehead took over from him.

He started at Watsons in sales and sourcing.

After more than ten years, he was given the responsibility to run the Patrick boot brand, which became an overnight phenomenon amongst school boys after Springbok rugby captain and hero Morne du Plessis became involved with the selling.

“I’ve never seen a success story like Patrick,” says Pollock. “If you were a school boy and not wearing Patrick, it was as if you were playing barefoot, because nobody noticed your boots.”

Pollock ran the Comrades in Patrick running shoes, which he also wore on his twice-daily training runs between George and Groot Brak … with sometimes a detour to Knysna or Mossel Bay to add interest.

Until he finally retired, he was still running to work, although the distance from home to To p16 the gym for a 6am workout and

INTRODUCING…

T

Advertorial :: p15

our NEW logo

he Bronx consumer is evolving into a modern, contemporary, urban man who is confident in his choices and style, and knows and values quality above all else.

Jordan & Co, local distributor of Bronx, has therefore created additional product ranges to cater for this new modern Bronx man.

We will continue to offer the Bronx man product that is authentic, reliable, great quality and fashionable.

We want the Bronx man to feel the reward of genuine quality.

Our new logo is bold and confident; it is unapologetic and authentic in its appearance as well as in its execution.

It's seeing the inner workings, understanding that everything matters in the sum of the part, and asking What are you made of?

Our creative will reinforce the message of ‘genuine leather’, ‘quality’ and ‘made to last’.

Advertising concepts

We will mainly focus on digital and print advertising this season.

Selected product from our new range

For more trade enquiries, contact Marc Lailvaux of Jordan & Co on 021 590 7000.

2016 September :: Sports Trader

p16 :: Industry

Brian Pollock cont. from p14 from there to the office in Maitland was slightly shorter than the Garden Route distance.

The ‘70’s and ‘80’s were the heydays of local shoe manufacturing. Pollock recalls that they sometimes had to ask the agents to cancel orders because the factory was simply too full to handle the numbers they were selling.

“We would tell them: ‘you’ve sold 75 000 pairs, please go and reduce them to 50 000, the factory can’t cope.’” Now, you have to do a hard sell just to keep the factory going, he says wryly.

After Conshu bought Jordan Shoes and the Sportshoe factory in 1989, they started manufacturing boots for brands like adidas, Nike, PUMA etc. Pollock accepted MD Rob Jordan’s offer to head up this flourishing sports division that on some days manufactured as many as 3 000-4 000 pairs per day.

After 21 years with Watson Shoes in the Southern Cape he and his family relocated to Cape Town.

Going Olympic At Jordan his portfolio included managing their own Olympic brand, which Pollock again managed during the recent transition period, completing another career circle.

A new brand manager has been appointed, who will take the brand forward from September this year.

They are confident that Olympic will regain its former glory when it was worn by the likes of Springbok rugby players like Morne du Plessis and Peter Whipp.

“It is a very good brand,” says Pollock, who explains that they will concentrate on technical sports like cycling, netball, soccer and athletic spikes, and not necessarily focus on the very competitive road running market.

Olympic cycling shoes, which they again began distributing in the beginning of the year, is very well regarded because it is a good quality technical shoe at an affordable price. Interestingly, despite the current tight economy, their top end cycling shoe sells very well.

After Pollock joined, Jordan & Co also got the license to distribute Asics and later on

brands like Bronx and Anton Fabi also became part of his division. Until the appointment of Marc Lailvaux as Bronx men’s and ladies brand manager in June, Pollock was also standing in as Bronx manager.

Young people in market He waxes lyrical about Lailvaux’s passion for the brand and his family history steeped in footwear, in particular Bronx, for which his father Antoine had been the KwaZulu Natal agent when Marc was growing up. “All he has known from his baby days is Bronx,” says Pollock. “He’s Bronx verskrik and has such a lot to contribute, he just loves the brand. It is rare to find a young man with so much passion for a footwear brand. He’s going to be very, very strong.”

Pollock himself inspired his son Brennon to share his passion for footwear from a young age. He is currently the Cape Town agent for Jordan, Bronx and Anton Fabi. “When he was

I’ve never seen a success story like Patrick. If you were a school boy and not wearing Patrick, it was as if you were playing barefoot, because nobody noticed your boots. a little pik, he used to come to work with me and sit on the floor, packing all the samples in a row.”

A workaholic who worked double-digit hour days, Pollock says he always loved his job and looked forward to Monday mornings so that he could start working again.

But, he’s also a people’s person who loves his customers and made very good friends in all facets of the industry. “It was always such a pleasure to walk into the factory, there are so many lovely people,” he says.

He was therefore feeling sad and apprehensive about saying goodbye to all the people in the company who had almost become family

members.

In the almost half a century that he has been involved in the footwear industry there had been many changes.

A positive development over the past few years have been that the Jordan factory now does a lot of import replacement — about 70% of the top end stitched leather Bronx shoes that used to be imported are now made in the local factory.

But, local manufacturing still comes at a price point towards the top end of the triangle and they therefore don’t make the big volumes of the past.

Industry changes He misses the old SASGAM days when they could sell 30 000 pairs of shoes during the trade show — and also the camaraderie that was part of the show culture. Friendships that were forged lasted decades. Nowadays, relationships are much more business-like and short-lived as many chains seem to have such a fast personnel turnover.

“Those days we had fun,” he reminisces.

“Now business is much more cut-throat.”

While the chain buyers on the retail side seem to be getting younger, he is concerned that there are not enough young people entering the industry on the manufacturing side. If only they had more passionate youngsters such as Marc Lailvaux entering the industry, he says whimsically.

“But, there are a lot of very young designers coming through and they’re going to be very good,” he adds. There are also many professional people on the import side, including young people, who are performing very well.

“I wouldn’t hesitate to come into the footwear industry if I was a youngster,” he adds.

“But, you must be passionate, you must live eat and sleep your product.

“I wouldn’t hesitate to encourage young people to go into own manufacturing. For a young person it’s a great way to see the world You have to travel a lot when sourcing, for example to shoe fares and to China.”

But, own manufacturing is not limited to youngsters. “I would love to do own manufacturing,” says Pollock. “I believe I still have a lot to contribute.”

Food grows Massmart sales MASSMART SALES increased by 8.7% to R42.3bn, an increase of 6.4% for comparable sales, for the 26 week period ending 26 June 2016.

This is generally due to food sales.

“Consumers are delaying purchases, trading down and reducing spending on durable goods to support spending on semi- and nondurables,” says Massmart CEO Guy Hayward.

“This has meant general merchandise sales have softened while food sales have been stronger.”

Massmart consists of Massdiscounters (including Game), Masswarehouse (including Makro), Massbuild, and Masscash.

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

Massdiscounters saw a total sales increase of 7.6% for the period and comparative sales growing 2.4% with product inflation of 4.4%. This is mainly due to strong food sales in South Africa, as well as by Game sales outside of South Africa, where the store’s total Rand sales increased by 25.7% (20.1% in local currencies).

Total Masswarehouse sales increased by 9.2% (7.2% in comparative sales with 5.5% product inflation). “Given the dynamics of the consumer environment, sales growth in food and liquor was higher than these figures while growth in general merchandise was lower,” says Massmart in a statement. “Makro Carni-

val, opened in April, is the Group’s first store to make use of renewable energy, and is trading well.”

Online is growing and expanding for the group. “Makro online remains profitable with first half sales growth of 100%, while DionWired achieved 38% growth in online sales,” says Hayward.

Measured Sub-Saharan African expansion remains a priority for the group, and in the next two years they anticipate opening five new stores in Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Zambia — representing a growth of about 12% in its African space.

Advertorial :: p17

The Jordan range has evolved into a young fashion forward style.

You will find trendy, fashionable snea kers in the range, aimed at the young individual who is looking for a sneaker that is on-trend and looks the part, but is also, most impo rtantly, affordable.

Jordan empowers you with the confi dence to own the streets

Jordan gives you the confidence to own your style on the streets. It gives you street cred .

New logo and design

Advertising concepts

When we re-looked at the positioning of the brand and its creative, we naturally needed to update the logo to something that is young and vibrant, but that will remain fresh overtime … something that will translate well in terms of the product, advertising, packaging and in retail stores.

The chosen cursive handwriting style gives the sense of youthfulness, vibrancy and playfulness we were looking for.

The Creative concept follows the brand positioning and where the product styling is heading towards. It is all about street cred, being confident, showing your individual style … it’s about owing the streets.

Our target market is active in the digital space and this is where we will concentrate our marketing effort, focusing on these key channels with a bit of print media.

Selected product from our new range

For trade enquiries, contact Jody Henry of Jordan & Co on 021 590 7005.

2016 September :: Sports Trader

p18 :: Apparel & Footwear Sandal styles trending at the 2016 GDS Shoe Fair in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Photo: Messe Düsseldorf/ctillmann

New in spring/summer 2017 sandals and water shoes The latest sandal and water shoe styles will include something for all your customers, reports RHIANAH RHODE

W

armer months signal a change in wardrobe, with clothing becoming lighter and the feet, similarly, being released from the confines of closed winter footwear. Have you decided what footwear you’ll be offering consumers for next year’s summer?

The decision becomes complicated when you take into account all the various footwear options: do you offer sandals or water shoes, or both? Even within each of those types of footwear there are choices to be made: should you opt for adventure sandals or for water shoes that take on the form of a sandal, for example?

Colourful sandals No matter the style of sandal, judging by

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

trends seen globally, it looks like we can expect a summer of colourful feet.

Your female customers can look forward to poolside-style sandals that feature bold prints and sporty detailing, have multi-strap uppers with vibrant primary colours and graphic geometric patterns, as well as sandals with flat or blocked sandwich soles.

Gladiator sandals will also be colourful, and feature handcrafted details like knotted materials, dyed raffia and intricate woven patterns.

Tie-up details will be another prominent trend in women’s sandals: think ankle ties in leather, suede wrapped laces, satin ribbons, drawstring cord, tassels, and ribbons.

The men can look forward to luxury trims and fabrications as well as decorative cut-outs that will uplift simple strap styles.

To make your life as a retail buyer a little easier, suppliers told us what you can expect in their ranges for spring/summer 2017 - and, importantly, what makes them different.

Products available locally offer consumers even more, for example the eco-conscious trend continues with sandals made from recyclable and recycled materials, those made from the latest technologies to keep feet happy throughout summer, durable footwear that are made to keep feet safe and comfortable at the same time, etc. to name but a few.

Grendene Flexpand, which Grendene uses to manufacture its Grendha, Ipanema and Rider sandals, is a 100% recyclable plastic. It is soft and durable, and good for the environment. To p20

p20 :: Apparel & Footwear

Sandals and water shoes cont. from p18 All their shoes are made in Brazil, and, overall, 99% of all Grendene’s factory waste is either recycled or reused.

“The combination of fashion with comfortable unique upper and sole shapes, produced with sustainable materials (recyclable plastic), makes Grendene’s products stand out from other products on the shelf,” says Philip Fouche on behalf of local distributor, Intershu Distributors.

“Grendene brands carry a very wide range of products. There is literally something for everyone who enjoys spring/summer.”

Grendha — which caters for ladies, girls and infants — offers stylish sandals for a casual lifestyle.

Highlighted styles for the season include ankle strap sandals, thongs, wedges, as well as styles with a woven look, or with tassels.

Ipanema, with its beach lifestyle and city glamour sandals, caters for ladies, men, girls, boys and infants. The latest collection will feature new archetypes on uppers, ankle straps, metallic colours, as well as ethnic and animal prints.

It also features a new face: Bonang Matheba is the new brand ambassador for Ipanema.

Matheba, also known as Queen B*, has made a name for herself as a media maven, MC, TV and radio presenter, fashionista and TV producer.

Ipanema’s latest photoshoot saw Matheba take to the streets of Brazil, proudly showing off her love for her Ipanema sandals, set against vibrant and iconic backgrounds. Ipanema, immortalized in the song, The Girl from Ipanema is, after all proud of its Brazilian heritage.

“Inspired by the famous Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Ipanema sandals have the perfect blend of a relaxed seaside lifestyle with the sophistication of city glamour,” says Fouche. “Ipanema sandals are fun, chic, colourful, durable, yet accessible.”

The brand, which showcases the Brazilian spirit, has previously partnered with Gisele Bündchen as its spokesperson. Now, in Matheba, it has found a South African to bring its celebration of vibrant colours, natural beauty, and easy-going footwear closer to home. “We were looking for a local celebrity/brand ambassador who could replace Gisele Bündchen in South Africa and still translate correctly the image of the Girl of Ipanema,” explains Fouche.

“Bonang impressed us with her beauty, elSports Trader :: 2016 September

egance, charisma and ability to communicate to all types of publics.”

The Rider range offers comfortable outdoor lifestyle sandals for men, boys and infants.

In Brazil, the 30-year old brand has such a following that it has become a noun, with Brazilians saying they’re going to put on their Riders (instead of sandals).

“Rider’s existence is driven by a culture that celebrates an active, outdoor lifestyle and a spirit of freedom and self-expression,” writes the brand. “Riders aren't just a flip flop or a slide. They're an attitude, a reflection of a more laid-back way of life, and proof that you're unwilling to settle for less.“ The 2017 summer season range will feature a number of lifestyle, slide and thong options, says Fouche.

Hi-Tec “Hi-Tec is renowned for producing functional and comfortable sandals and this season we see beautiful colour updates in our best seller categories like the Savannas and Tortola’s and innovation in the likes of the Lagoon Shandal,” says Joanne Esterhuizen of Hi-Tec SA. Lagoon features specially designed and constructed materials like a durable suede and mesh upper, which offer wearers long lasting comfort and support. Its protective toe-cap improves durability, the bungy lacing cord and toggle provides a quick and secure fit, and the removable EVA sock liner, compression moulded EVA midsole and rubber outsole further increase comfort. The women’s Shore II is designed to walk on pebbly or rocky terrain and help keep the wearer’s feet safe while enjoying summer activities. Its synthetic upper provides comfort, durability and breathability, the shock cord and heel adjustment enable a versatile fit and its EVA midsole and foot bed provides added cushioning for wearers to enjoy those longer walks on the beach, says HiTec SA product manager Gordon Stokes.

The brand’s Savanna outdoor sandal (below) for ladies is now available in a fresh navy/turquoise colourway. It features fully adjustable straps on the heel area and an ergonomic EVA midsole that ensures maximum comfort.“It is perfect for women who love going away on fun weekend trips and enjoy all summer outdoor activities in the most comfortable and fashionable way possible,” says Stokes. “It is also a superb after-sport sandal to relax in after a long day of sporting events.”

The on-trend sandal features feminine details in addition to the all-important tech features like a synthetic quick drying web upper that provides a better fit and is also perfect around any body of water, including those unexpected

Hi-Tec Savanna

summer rains. The multiple straps give the foot support and guidance, its moulded EVA foot bed/midsole provides instant comfort and its durable rubber outsole helps make adventures safer and more comfortable by providing good traction and walking performance.

The men’s and ladies’ Oasis Web is a fun summer sandal, says Stokes. The sandal ticks all the boxes like durability, strength, comfort and functionality. “With just three fullyadjustable velcro straps this sandal is strong enough to sustain any outdoor summer activity,” says Stokes. It is versatile and is built to take you the wearer from mountain to coast, comfortably, he explains.

The shoe is designed using a neutral colour palette with detailed patterns on the strap. It features an ergonomic EVA midsole for longlasting cushioning, and a carbon rubber outsole that provides traction and durability.

Jeep The Jeep footwear spring/ Jeep Violet summer 2016 sandal collection offers an exciting range of both functional and lifestyle product for the fashion and the outdoor enthusiast, says Lynton Picker, Jeep Footwear brand manager at local distributor Footwear Trading.

The collection includes a range of trail, adventure and lifestyle product, featuring top grade leather/suede materials and lightweight comfort soles with emphasise placed on design and durability. These are available in both men's and ladies.

New features added to this collection include lightweight EVA midsoles, supportive cushioned innersoles, versatile lacing systems and top quality uppers.

Certain silhouettes have become generic styles, which will be available all year round. Selected men’s styles will be available up to size UK13 and ladies up to UK8.

Jeep ladies offers an adventure, as well as a fashionable lifestyle leather thong collection, combining materials and colurs at affordable prices.

The Spring/Summer collection will be supported with an integrated marketing campaign, such as an in-store experience, media, digital and social media, as well as PR.

Reef Brazil For the coming summer season, lifestyle sandal brand Reef Brazil will once again build off the momentum created from its Swellular technology platform and has expanded its Rover Collection, says Brenton Jessop of local distributor Because I can Clothing.

The Swellular technology is built around three layers of innovative material: a soft, contoured foam deck for instant comfort, a medium-density midsole for long-lasting support, and a high-density rubber To p22

p22 :: Apparel & Footwear

Sandals and water shoes cont. from p20

outsole for traction, protection and durability. It’s available in Reef Brazil’s men’s fashion sandals, to offer the global traveller both fashion and function, he says.

The new sleek men’s Slammed Rover LE sandal combines a premium full grain leather upper with a soft padded jersey liner, the Swellular footbed, and a grippy rubber outsole.

It also features a cork insert in the full grain leather upper strap, which adds to its sophistication as an all time winner for the coming summer, says Jessop.

Instead of the cork/leather upper combination, the Slammed Rover features a water-friendly synthetic nubuck strap, which offers even more versatile options.

The Reef Drive (right) has a classic leather style, but the sandal has a waterfriendly, synthetic (vegan) leather upper and footbed which differentiates it from regular leather sandals. The Drive is offered in a classic leather look in brown or

Ultra Comfort in Jeep Walk Lite WALK LITE, a casual walking shoe range, is the latest addition to Jeep’s footwear.

“This is one of the most comfortable lightweight slip-ons available in the market,” says Lynton Picker of distributor Footwear Trading. “Every man deserves a high quality, super comfortable slip-on walking shoe that he can be proud to own.”

“Jeep footwear is known for excellent styling, comfort and superior quality,” he adds.

“This super lightweight slip-on shoe has a breathable upper with genuine suede leather trims. Its removable Ultra Comfort foam tech padded innersole offers superior memory cushioning, ensuring the best in comfort and fit, and its unique, super light, shock absorbing midsole and flexible outsole material ensure amazing comfort and feel.”

The new collection will be available instore from the end of September in the two most commercial colours: black mono and navy/white. “Priced at only R849 retail, this product range is the best value for money and will be available for replenishments.”

The range will be supported by in-store display material and national advertising campaigns.”

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

black. Adding to its stylishness are stitch detailing and metal logo accents on the upper, a highly abrasion-resistant outsole, and comfortable EVA midsole, which make it a durable sandal. “This is a great piece for daily wear, but also durable enough be worn in adverse weather conditions,” says Jessop.

The Reef Modern men’s sandal is also new to the range. It features a synthetic nubuck upper, padded jersey liner, a soft compression moulded foot bed, firm EVA midsole with arch support, and a rubber outsole. It combines classic styling with unbelievable comfort, making it the perfect sandal for the modern dad who is energetic and out there showing his support on the side-lines of his kids’ sporting activities on any given weekend, explains Jessop.

Reef Brazil prides itself on a fit, quality and comfort story to its customers and that is exactly the premise behind its Fanning sandal, says Jessop.

“Fanning is an ever-popular standout in terms of innovative comfort and functionality features suited for the most discerning customer.” It has a water-friendly synthetic nubuck upper and a contoured compression moulded EVA footbed with built-in anatomical arch support that contributes to the overall comfort. It

also features a full 360 degree heel airbag enclosed in soft polyurethane, a grippy rubber outsole that is ideal for use on wet slippery surfaces and includes a handy church key bottle opener.

The women’s Reef Cushion Tide Break is also a new a versatile sandal, which combines function and fashion with its soft vegan leather upper that has a semi-gloss finish. It features adjustable velcro closures an elastic core on the medial forefront, and heel straps for a better fit. It also has a soft, slim EVA outsole with a rubber sponge for flexibility.

“It is the mom’s equivalent for a weekend’s comfortable, but fashionable, outing wear,” adds Jessop. “Its styling has a more global feel with a lot of attention to detail. The fusion of fashion and technology continues to excite us because it delivers such versatile products.”

Rocky Rocky’s latest range of thong sandals are designed for comfort.

The Nova comfort thong features a comfortable PU upper and EVA midsole. It is made for everyday comfort, says Vivienne van Biljon from local distributor Crown Footwear.

Another model in the range is Ram, a high quality brushed EVA contoured thong, which is made to be both durable and comfortable.

Stylish water shoes

adidas’ Terrex water shoes feature drainage EVEN WATER SHOES are pores in the outsoles. not hidden from the The Stealth rubber eyes of fashion dedrainage outsole enasigners: one team recently created an bles the wearer to espadrille-hybrid declimb and grab onto wet, adidas Climacool Boat Sleek rocky surfaces. Other features sign, and another created a sneaker-hybrid for their customers to in the range includes a stretchable heel inwear as fashion items. sert for optimal heel fit, an EVA midsole, thin Fortunately for South African outdoor con- breathable EVA tongue for added comfort and sumers, the water shoes available locally are a Traxion outsole that offers a good combinastill made with their original purpose in mind. tion of stability and grip.

Adidas

AquaLine

The adidas Terrex range of water shoes features one of the brand’s top technologies: Climacool. This is developed to provide moisture management and ventilation, which in turn reduces unnecessary heat build-up inside the shoe, creates constant air flow that lowers the temperature inside the shoe, and the highly breathable mesh ventilates and wicks sweat away from the skin.

In addition to the Climacool technology,

AquaLine, locally distributed by De Wet Sports, offers your customers a variety of water shoe options that are ideal for water or outdoor activities. There is even a pair specifically for kids.

All the models feature padded mesh uppers, black rubberised soles that provide grip in any underfoot conditions, and each style has its own fastening method that helps improve its fit on the wearer’s feet.

To p24

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p24 :: Apparel & Footwear

Water shoes cont. from p22 Hydro Tech uses an adjustable toggle, for example. The shoe is available in two colour options: navy blue with royal blue mesh, or black with grey mesh.

Hydro Glow (below), on the other hand, makes use of a velco strap.

It too is available in two colour options: neon pink or neon blue, both with a black trim.

Hydro Cross, availAquaLine able in black/grey Hydro Glow with royal blue trim, makes use of elastic laces for a snug fit.

For the youngsters, AquaLine has its Hydro

Kidz water shoe, which keeps their feet safe on the beach, rocky areas, along the poolside, etc. It’s available in royal blue with a yellow mesh or in neon pink with a pink mesh, and also offers the padded mesh uppers and rubberised sole that the adult shoes do.

Hi-Tec Hi-Tec’s Wolf River range has shown tremendous success in the market and is a style that has been uniquely adapted for South Africa’s water-based recreational activities, says Stokes.

“This great-looking design has a lot of versatile technical features and

on-trend colour palettes, making this style both fashionable and functional.”

The water shoe, available in a men’s (bottom left) and ladies’ style, has an upper that is exceptionally durable, breathable, and is quick to dry. Its durable rubber outsole features built-in drainage holes for optimum performance in and around the water, and the shandal has an elastic toggle lacing system, lightweight design, and a stoballed EVA footbed for cushioning.

“It’s easy to slip on and off, encompasses the entire foot and provides exceptional protection,” says Stokes. “The shoe was developed for the outdoor enthusiast. It’s for someone who wants a hassle-free option for all their water adventures, from boating to kloofing.”

Skechers amazes retailers — again Brand Folio LLC general manager Overwhelming and I’m coming Archana Das — have a prominent back tomorrow to make a final place in the presentation. choice, were a few of the comBrand Folio LLC is supporting rements overheard from retailers viewing the full Skechers global tailers selling Skechers with a R30range of 1 800 SKU’s displayed in m advertising campaign on TV, billthe V&A Waterfront, Cape Town. boards and magazines. Ads featuring Filling the length of The Lookout US Olympic medal hopeful Meb Keevents venue, the Skechers presflezighi and distance runner Kara Goucher re-affirm the message that entation is the size of a mini trade the GoRun 4 is a serious performance show, hence the need for some running shoe. retailers to return to make their After a soft launch in July on youth final choices. In Johannesburg, the channels Vuzu and Mzanzi Magic, tarrange was presented at the new offices of local distributor Brand geting the emerging LSM 5-8 black The latest Skechers range is displayed on two floors of their new offices in Folio in Melrose Arch, filling two Johannesburg. Below is one of their advertising billboards. youth market, 1 500 TV ads are befloors. ing screened on channels where the The samples on show represoccer-mad South African audiences are likely to see them. Building wraps sented the global range that will and billboards in Cape Town, Johanbe in-store by January-February next year, with lots of furry boots, nesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth and style, comfort features and bright Bloemfontein reinforce the message. colours. But, beneath the pretty Skechers is also in the process of uppers, there are stacks of performance feasigning young South African celebrities, tures that contributed to Skechers becoming midsole, which is lighter and more flexible who’ll be promoting the brand to their lothan before, feature in all performance styles cal social media followers, re-enforcing the the #2 footwear brand in the US. As the pull-up banners around the room an- — from the entry level GoRun 400 running shoe message from global celebrities like Demi nounce, the brand is all about those technol- to the Editor’s Choice GoRun 4 worn by the Lovato and Meghan Trainor.

Globally, strong growth in overseas marogies that provide comfort and enhance per- likes of marathon maestro Meb Keflezighi. It formance: flex, memory foam, cushioning, also features in their very light training shoes, kets has been credited with Skechers’ 9.7% breathability, rebound and lightness. These the Go Golf shoe range, introduced by PGA sales growth (to $877.8-m) in the second are found across the ranges, whether in a Tour veteran Matt Kuchar in a series of amus- quarter of 2016. Sales by their international trendy shoe that will appeal to the young, ing ads, and the latest edition to the range, subsidiary and joint venture businesses — of or a top end performance running or walking soccer boots. For the first time Skechers also which Brand Folio LLC is one of the biggest — provide soccer boots suitable for soft- and increased 34.6% in the quarter. shoe that will feature in the Rio Olympics.

The Burst, for example, has an air-cooled hardground, astro and indoor players.

Businesses outside the US comprised 42% of The brand caters for the whole family — total sales for the second quarter. For the six memory foam footbed for breathability, and the lightweight, low density, compound in the mom, dad, teens and kids, whether they are months ended June 30, 2016, Skechers’ net midsole provides shock absorption and cush- active or just walk around the mall (40% sales sales of $1.86-bn was 18.5% higher than the ioning, yet the seamless flat-knit upper is so to women and 30% to men and kids each). comparable period the previous year.

Their interactive kids shoes — described as In the US their iconic GoWalk range enattractive that it could be a fashion shoe.

The latest 5Gen (5th generation) Resalyte “shoes you play in and games you wear,” by sured them the #1 spot as a walking shoe.

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

p26 :: Industry

Identity

Fulfillment 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

adidas H&M

Levi's

Louis New Nike Vuitton Balance

PUMA Ralph The Under Lauren North Armour Face

Fulfillment and Identity are two of the archetypes used to measure a brand’s intimacy.

50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

adidas H&M

Levi's

Above left: Fulfillment indicates if a brand exceeds consumers’ expectations regarding service, quality, and efficacy

Louis New Nike Vuitton Balance

PUMA Ralph The Under Lauren North Armour Face

Above right: Identity reflects if the brand has an aspirational image or admired values and beliefs that resonate deeply with consumers.

Just how intimate are consumers with your brand?

The way a consumer feels about a clothing brand drives his choices when making purchasing decisions, and will determine how much he is willing to pay to own a product carrying the brand name

T

he extent to which consumers have a relationship with a brand, as well as the strength of the relationship, can influence a numberof things — even their willingness to pay more to buy a specific brand.

The Brand Intimacy 2015 report by MBLM, conducted online among 6 000 consumers in the US, Mexico and UAE, explores these relationships. It tracked 400 brands across nine industries (see more p28).

Consumers who are fully engaged with a brand represent on average “23% higher share of wallet, profitability, revenue, and relationship growth over the average consumer,” analytics company Gallup reported in their 2014 State of the American Consumer: Insights for Business Leaders report.

“The same study showed that companies that engage both their employees and their

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

Men and women have a similar level of intimacy with brands, but the types of brands that they identify with differ customers gain a 240% boost in performancerelated business outcomes,” writes Mario Natarelli, MBLM managing partner, in the Brand Intimacy 2015 report. “These impressive figures echo our results that show top-ranked intimate brands outperform major financial indices revenue and profit over the long term.”

The way a consumer feels about a brand drives his choices when making purchasing decisions. Intimate brands (indicating the relationship between consumers and the brand) demonstrate greater price resilience with con-

sumers, says Natarelli. On average, more than a third of those most intimate with a brand are willing to pay 20% more.

All categories and countries When looking at the top four intimate brands across all categories and regions, Levi’s is the only sport, outdoor or fashion brand to feature, and even then it only features for the 4554 year old age group. “Those under 35 tend to have more emotional relationships with technology, retail, and entertainment brands, whereas those 35+ have stronger connections with consumer packaged goods brands,” MBLM’s researchers found.

Men and women have a similar level of intimacy with brands, but the types of brands that they identify with differ. “Men have more emotional relationships with automotive brands and women more with con- To p28

p28 :: Industry

Brand intimacy

Nostalgia 60

cont from p26

50

sumer packaged goods brands.”

The report also noted that “as income increases, so does the likelihood to have emotional relationships in travel & leisure, technology & telecommunications, apparel, automotive, and financial services”.

When looking at brand results per country, Nike is the only brand from our industry to feature in the top 10 of all the most intimate brands among Mexican respondents. Mexicans also resonate closest with the indulgence archetype (see About the Brand Intimacy 2015 report below), while the US and UAE both have fulfilment as the top archetype. UAE’s top 10 most intimate brands don’t feature any brand within our industry.

30

US results It is estimated that in the US apparel has a market value of $331-bn, which accounts for 28% of the global apparel market value.

The archetype most associated with the apparel category is indulgence. See About the Brand Intimacy 2015 report below for an explanation of archetypes, quotients and stages.

Among the top ten intimate apparel brands, Nike scored the highest quotient (42), and is tied with Under Armour on the fusing stage (6) Both brands scored the highest in the fulfilment archetype. While Nike has a relatively

40 20 10 0

adidas H&M

Levi's

Louis New Nike Vuitton Balance

PUMA Ralph The Under Lauren North Armour Face

Above: the Nostalgia archetype focuses on memories of the past and the warm, poignant feelings associated with them. Brands that do well in this section are often brands a consumer has grown up with.

On average, more than a third of the consumers most intimate with a brand are willing to pay 20% more for it even spread among the archetypes, a brand like Under Armour can benefit from working on its nostalgia (9) and enhancement (28) archetypes. However, given the fact that Under Armour is a newer brand than Nike, the report notes that it’s understandable that it scores lower in nostalgia.

Nike also has a higher percentage of consumers who are willing to pay 20% more for its products, because they have such an intimate

connection with the brand. Almost a quarter (23.2%) will pay more for Nike, while only 14.6% will pay more to buy Under Armour.

Looking further at the top ten apparel brands, we find that Levi’s holds second (37) place, followed closely by Under Armour (35) and adidas (33).

The first time a high fashion luxury brand appears among the top ten apparel brands is in position number five (Louis Vuitton, quotient of 29).

H&M and PUMA have similar quotients, both rounded to 28, and The North Face has 26.

Among women, The North Face is the top apparel brand, while men have a higher intimacy with Levi’s.

In the younger age group, 18-34 year olds, Nike and Under Armour are the two most intimate brands.

About the Brand Intimacy 2015 report The Brand Intimacy Model consists of five key areas that contribute to building intimate brand relationships, culminating in a Brand Intimacy Quotient (see point 5): 1. User: someone who has used the brand within the past 12 months and is between 18-64 years old. “You cannot be intimate with a brand you have not engaged with or repeatedly tried,” explains the author.

2. Strong emotional connection: this is the foundation of intimacy – the greater the emotional connection between brand and consumer, the more powerful the relationship. “A strong emotional connection is determined by the degree of overall positive feelings a consumer has towards a brand and the extent to which a person associates the brand with key attributes.”

3. Archetype (character of bonds): fulfilment, identity, enhancement, ritual, nostalgia, and indulgence are consistently present, in part or in whole, among intimate brands. a. Fulfilment: exceeds expectations, delivering superior service, quality, and efficacy. b. Identity: reflects an aspirational image or admired values and beliefs that resonate deeply. c. Enhancement: becoming better

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

through use of the brand — smarter, more capable, and more connected. d. Ritual: ingraining a brand into daily actions — more than habitual behaviour. The brand becomes a vitally important part of daily existence. e. Nostalgia: focuses on memories of the past and the warm, poignant feelings associated with them. These are often brands a consumer has grown up with. f. Indulgence: creates a close relationship centered around moments of pampering and gratification that can be either occasional or frequent.

4. Stages (strength of bonds): the depth and degree of the intensity of an intimate brand relationship. a. Sharing: the person and the brand engage and interact, where knowledge is shared and the person is informed about what the brand is about, and vice versa. Attraction is through reciprocity and assurance. b. Bonding: an attachment is created and the relationship between person and brand becomes more significant and committed — acceptance and trust is established. c. Fusing: a person and brand are inexo-

rably linked and co-identified. “In this stage, the identities of the person and the brand begin to merge and become a form of mutual realisation and expression,” states the report.

5. Brand Intimacy Quotient: a score between 1-100, based on prevalence (% of users who are intimate) and intensity (the relationship on the spectrum of the above three stages). “It is a shorthand score that demonstrates how a brand is performing relative to its ability to create intimate brand relationships, and it enables comparisons to other brands in the same category, or to the industry average.”

Research for the Brand Intimacy 2015 report was conducted online in partnership with Praxis among 6 000 consumers between the ages of 18-64: 3 000 in the US (estimated to be the largest consumer market), 2 000 in Mexico (an anchor and presence in Latin America) and 1 000 in UAE (a new upand-coming player in a growing region). Respondents have an annual income of at least $35 000 (US) or fall within the A, B, or C socioeconomic levels. It tracked 400 brands across nine industries (apparel, automotive, consumer packaged goods, entertainment, financial services, health & beauty, retail, tech & telecom, and travel & leisure).

Apparel & Footwear :: p29

If the cap fits There is more than meets the eye when it comes to caps, writes CHILTON MELLEM, who investigated which are the most popular and what you should remember when using caps as promotional products

M

ost people do not think twice about slapping on their cap before heading out the door. It has become such an integral part of our lives that the versatility of caps often get overlooked.

But There is so much more to the headwear than meets the eye and you can help your customers make the right selection by spending a little time with them. Talk to them about the different cap styles and which best reflects them, and advise them on the right material for comfort and functionality.

Because there is such a variety in styles, shapes, and materials, choosing a cap can be a process.

Styles of Caps For many, image is everything and wearing a cap can be a big part of that. But, what style will appeal most to your customers? Like they say, different strokes for different folks and the cap is no exception with a style to suit any gender and age.

A curve peak cap is a winner for among men and the adjustable six panel curve peak is a favourite among women, says Monty Montanari from The Kartal Distribution, supplier of various cap brands, including Flexfit.

Baseball caps are popular among both men and women, agrees Dave Turnbull of distribu-

A cap stands out more than any other apparel or accessory item, because people engage with each other face-to-face tor Colab Industries and promotional company Headwear 24. He adds, however, that men also like the flatbill cap, while women also like the visor style.

It’s only among the teenage to 20 year old boys where the baseball cap style doesn’t currently hold favour – instead the flatbill style has found an appeal among this group.

The six panel snapback flatbill has been really big among boys, agrees Montanari, who adds that their top selling product for the last nine years has been the Original curve peak six panel cap.

“I think the younger generation is still much drawn towards the flatbill, but the older consumer still prefers his baseball cap,” says Turnbull. When it comes to translating into sales “parents will generally buy one or two caps for their kids for functionality, whereas the older consumer will buy for fashion and style along with functionality”.

When looking at the popularity of cap styles across all ages, “flatbill caps have been a huge

trend for the last few years,” adds Montanari.

“Over the last few months, however, the curve peak has begun to make a huge come back, as can also be seen in international headwear trends.”

The snapback cap has till recently drawn the attention of the youth recently and gained its popularity through youth culture and pop fashion. In Britain, it is known as a flatpeak and in other areas as a flat cap, because of the flat bill. The dome of the cap also consists of five panels stitched together, which gives it a similar look to the trucker cap.

Adjusting the snapback cap leaves the wearer with one of two options, firstly with a Velcro back, or a strap back fitted with a belt-like-strap (more common option in recent years).

Truckers and branding The trucker cap is another popular variant of the cap and owes its popularity to various celebrities who have worn them. This cap has become unanimous with American youth and saw its climb in popularity in the early 2000s.

It is similar in design to the baseball cap, with a bill that can either be bent or worn straight. It has a foam insert in the front of the cap above the bill, unlike the baseball cap which just has cotton, and the back of the cap is made of a breathable plastic To p30

2016 September :: Sports Trader

p30 :: Apparel & Footwear

All about caps cont. from p29 mesh. This allows the wearer to keep cool during sweltering seasons and weather.

This cap started out as a marketing tool and was given to farmers, truck drivers and rural workers by feeding and supply companies. This promotional give-away is what coined the nickname gimme cap (give me). Initially these caps were branded with company logos on the front, either patch sewn or printed. Today these caps are still used as marketing tools, but they also come in purely fashionable designs.

Brands also apply their own branding in the form of stickers. The question is, should the sticker be kept on the cap’s peak after purchase?

“The reason behind the sticker is to show authenticity, and keeping it on the peak has become a fashion statement among the youth,” says Turnbull “I also know a lot of people who have (to the horror of the wearer) ripped it off and said, you left the sticker on your cap.”

While there are both adjustable and nonadjustable cap options on the market, caps that offer a way of adjusting the size are much more popular, says Turnbull. “Head sizes vary so much between men and women, and even within the same gender. People want a comfortable fit.”

Flexfit, however, has taken a different approach: certain caps have stretch in them, so they can cater to a few different head sizes with one size cap. “We have a OSFA (One Size Fits All) cap that will fit most adult size heads,” says Montanari. “Our adjustable snapbacks, however, are also really popular.”

Materials and Technologies Cotton twill is their bestselling fabric, says Montanari. This is a lighter material than brushed cotton and is sturdier, with a slight sheen to it. “We use this in our adjustables like the 6245CM Dads cap, our classic truck-

ers and snapbacks, as well as in our Flexfit curve peak caps. Cotton is really popular as it’s breathable, soft and durable.”

One of the cottons that they use is even free of pesticides and fertilizer — it forms part of their BIO movement for a better earth.

Each customer’s taste is individual and so the material they supply the material that the customer wants, says Turnbull.

Corporate Branding When it comes to corporate branding, many have found that the cap is a useful tool. “A cap is the perfect functional gift to give away as it is something that will generally be used time and time again, and it allows for perfect branding,” explains Turnbull. “The wearer be-

The question is, should the sticker be kept on the cap’s peak after purchase? comes a walking billboard for the brand.”

“It is a relatively inexpensive way of promoting a brand,” Alan Joffe of SA Cap Manufacturers points out, who adds that a good quality cap will last for many years, and is therefore a good value promotional product.

Because it is reasonably priced, a company can get a lot of volume as opposed to using a banner, adds Gavin Field from Top Cap, a local embroidery printer and manufacturer.

Additionally, a cap stands out more than any other apparel or accessory item, because people engage with each other face-to-face and this is where our attention falls, explains Montanari. “The first thing a sportsman does when he has an interview is put on the sponsor’s cap. The face is always the focus and hence the head is always a great advertising point for

any headwear.”

Debating whether to emblaze a company’s name, logo or slogan on a cap might seem like a no-brainer to some, but whether to embroider or print, can sometimes prove to be a bit of a head scratcher.

It all depends on the customer’s budget, says Turnbull. “Heat transfer is cheaper than embroidery, but especially 3D embroidery will give a better look and feel at the end of the day.”

“We recommend embroidery on most of our headwear,” says Montanari. “On our classic snapbacks, truckers and Flexfit 6 panels we have a hard fused buckrum (the panel above the peak) that results in a much cleaner and better quality embroidery.”

These caps, however, also work well with screenprinting.

“We also have a glow in the dark embroidery that adds a great point of difference, and 3D embroidery is really popular and stands out above flat embroidery.”

“We always encourage embroidery, because it reflects quality, which most companies like to be associated with, “says Joffe. “Screen printing, however, has its place and is a lot cheaper than embroidery in certain instances.

For example, a large one colour screen print will be much cheaper than embroidery.”

One of the most popular style caps is the 6-panel baseball cap, which has a seam running down the middle of the cap. “You cannot screen print over the seam and therefore embroidery is the better option,” he explains.

When branding on a soft, foam front cap, or when using multiple colours or shades, where there is fine detail, Montanari recommends opting for a screenprint.

The same applies to text, because it must easily readable for maximum branding opportunity, explains Turnbull.

For this reason, it is sometimes necessary to increase the size of very small letters in a logo, says Joffe.

Flexfit offers plenty One of the reasons that Flexfit is so successful is that it is a high quality headwear brand that is constantly worn, says Monty Montanari of local distributor The Kartal Distribution. “This offers the corporate brand customer better coverage.”

“Flexfit isn’t a cheap cap. We are a high quality headwear brand. We estimate that a Flexfit cap branded with the same corporate logo as a cheap promo cap will get worn many, many more times than any other cap. It becomes a point of pride, and not a cap that’s worn once and then thrown away.”

“The latest style that’s really picking up is the Dads cap, our 6245CM style. It’s an extra low profile 6 panel cap with an antique brass buckle closure, matching undervisor, and is unstructured for a classic, elegant style.”

“We also offer the classic snapback in a flat peak and our new 110 Fitted cap,” he adds.

“This is our Ferrarri of the adjustable cap world.

It has Flexfit technology inside and a stretch -

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

you won’t find a more comfortable snapback out there.”

Their adjustable caps fall under the Yupoong brand name, and the stretchable caps under the Flexfit.

Their Delta cap is made without any seams or stitches, which makes it even more lightweight. Some of its features include thermal regulating, anti-bacterial, moisture wicking and odour resistance. The 3-Layer tech sweatband has fast sweat absorption and a stain prevention layer, and it is also quick drying. The patent pending stain block technology diffuses sweat through the undervisor, which helps keep the cap’s crown looking fresh.

Flexfit caps feature a variety of technologies, of which Cool n Dry is one. “This technology wicks perspiration away from the body and keeps the wearer cool, dry and comfortable. It’s great for sportsmen and women.”

Another is Ultrafibre: these synthetic fibres are weaved to create an airmesh on the cap’s side and back, which creates a lightweight, robust, breathable, and wind and water resistant cap. “The fibres also have a natural shine that emanates strength,” says Montanari.

For those who find themselves in wet conditions, recommend a cap with SP Hybrid Coat: the coat can be applied to a variety of fabrics to give them water-repellent and –resistant properties.

As the name implies, the Ever-Fresh fibres are designed to block and resist odour.

021 706 2074 info@thekartal.com

p32 :: Advertorial

Built for Focus

adidas Launches New Category:

ATHLETICS

Redefining the future of gym-to-street style

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he world’s leading sportswear innovator has announced the launch of a brand new category devoted to the athlete’s mental game — adidas ATHLETICS. adidas believes that training isn’t confined to the gym or limited to the physical, it’s about getting your mind right, preparing mentally, finding vision and above all Focus.

The category will officially launch on pitch on Saturday 10th September with the adidas Z.N.E. Hoodie — the first product in the revolutionary new range.

For any athlete, maintaining concentration immediately before they take to the field or when they’re in the zone is vital to their performance. The adidas Z.N.E. Hoodie was designed with this need in mind, helping athletes stay mentally strong thanks to three key elements: reduced noise distraction, minimal visionary interference and protection from discomfort. It combines cutting-edge craftsmanship with luxe fabric and a striking aesthetic to make it a sportswear essential, whether for performance or leisure.

The over-sized hood combines double-layered side and front panels to eliminate outside distractions, keeping the athlete warm and focused. It is large enough to accommodate over-ear headphones, enabling the pre-game music rituals synonymous with elite athletes. The hoodie’s premium, heavyweight cotton/

polyester/elastane blend is designed for comfort: a Made 2 Move seam construction and dropped shoulder ensures the athlete can move freely and gives it a bold, modern look. Hidden zipper pockets are perfect for storing personal items when on-the-go. A discreet inner label carries a motivational message celebrating the mental strength and focus of athletes.

Brett Burgess, Business Unit Manager — Training Division at adidas South Africa commented: “The introduction of the new ATHLETICS category has been greatly welcomed by local athletes that adidas SA has worked with on this new campaign, such as current world record holder and world Olympic champion Wayde van Niekerk, sprinter Akani Simbine, Stormers’ flanker Sikhumbuzo Notshe and SA international cricketer, Kagiso Rabada. They are along with the likes of Gareth Bale, Tori Bowie, James Harden and Ana Ivanovic donning the hoodie, embracing the way adidas is redefining and elevating gym-to-street style.”

The adidas Z.N.E. Hoodie will be available at adidas ecomm and in major retail stores from 07th September, RRP (R1699).

To learn more, visit adidas.com/athletics_zne. Follow @adidasZA on Twitter and Instagram and use the hashtag #findfocus to join the conversation.

For trade enquiries, contact adidas South Africa on Tel: 021 442 6200.

Advertorial :: p33

Photo: Anja Koehler for Messe Friedrichshafen

p34 :: Industry

Responsible materials It is important to have a world that future outdoor-lovers will also be able to enjoy. Manufacturers and retailers can help reduce environmental and health hazards like plastic, micro-fibre and chemical pollution by cleaning up their act, reports CARIN HARDISTY

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ore than 8-m tons of plastic ends up in the ocean each year, the equivalent of a garbage truck-full per minute — and pieces can survive for hundreds of years. It’s believed that there’s about 165m tons of plastic in the ocean already.

It’s estimated that only 14% of plastic packaging is collected for recycling, compared to 58% of paper, and that almost a third of all plastic packaging doesn’t get collected at all and ends up in nature.

“Plastics have become the ubiquitous workhorse material of the modern economy — combining unrivalled functional properties with low cost,” states The New Plastics Economy — Rethinking the Future of Plastics report, which forms part of Project MainStream, an initiative between the World Economic Forum, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and analysts McKinsey & Company.

“Their use has increased twenty-fold in the past half-century and is expected to double again in the next 20 years. Today nearly everyone, everywhere, every day comes into contact with plastics — especially plastic packaging.

While delivering many benefits, the current plastics economy has drawbacks that are becoming more apparent by the day. After a short first-use cycle, 95% of plastic packaging material value, or $80-120-bn annually, is lost to the economy. A staggering 32% of plastic packaging

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

escapes collection systems, generating significant economic costs by reducing the productivity of vital natural systems such as the ocean and clogging urban infrastructure.”

Kick plastic “We have a bad habit,” states the brand Costa, locally distributed by Rapal VMC SA, on its website. “Humans throw out 200-bn plastic bottles per year, and far too much of it ends up in our oceans.”

“When we launched the Kick Plastic campaign last year, we knew we, as anglers, would be the ones leading the charge to help people understand how we can reduce the amount of plastic debris ending up in the ocean,” says Al Perkinson, VP marketing for Costa.

As part of its Kick Plastic campaign, Costa has promised to kick plastic by reducing packaging where possible, using more recycled materials and continuing to explore more improvements in the future.

It also encourages its consumers to use less plastic by using bottles and grocery bags that are re-usable and buying in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging required. By routinely changing fishing line, you can prevent it from stretching, breaking, and landing up in the ocean.

Adidas is another supplier who is concerned about pollution in the oceans. The brand teamed up with Parley for the Oceans to

launch the Ocean Plastic shoe, which features a 3D printed midsole made from, yes, plastic pollution found in the ocean. This concept shoe was launched at the COP21 climate conference in Paris at the end of last year.

“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, and stopping the use of plastic micro beads in their body care products and the use of plastic bottles for meetings at their headquarters in Germany.

But the oceans and their inhabitants do not only have to deal with plastic packaging.

Microfibre pollution Fleece and other synthetic apparel account for a significant portion of microfibre pollution in the world’s oceans — this was revealed in the

Industry :: p35 Microfibre Pollution and the Apparel Industry study that was conducted on behalf of Patagonia by researchers at the UC Santa Barbara’s Bren School of Environmental Science & Management.

The study compared four Patagonia jackets with one budget jacket of comparable material composition and function. It focused on microfibres from synthetic clothing and textiles, the most prominent of which are polyester, acrylic, nylon, and rayon. It showed that: • over the course of its lifetime, a low quality fleece will shed about 170% more than one of Patagonia’s fleeces; • jackets washed in a top loading washing machine will shed more than five times as many microfibres than in a front loader; • the older the product, the more it will shed; • organisms in the water consume microplastics and –fibres, directly and indirectly, which can have physical and chemical impacts, resulting in starvation and reproductive changes. Some of these organisms also form part of the human diet, but the impact on us is unknown. Microplastics and –fibres have also been found in abiotic ocean products like sea salt.

“Microplastic particles have been found on beaches and agricultural land, as well as in lakes and oceans across the globe, making this an international problem. While much research has been done to identify microplastics in lakes and oceans, little is known about their impacts on the ecosystems in which they are found,” the report states.

“Microfibres are released by synthetic clothing through regular wear and washing.

Although no current legislation related to microfibre pollution exists, the growing evidence that they are a hazardous issue could lead to future regulatory efforts.”

By 2014, the use of polyester in textile manufacturing had grown to two to three times that of all other fibres, data analyst company Technon OrbiChem revealed in a technical report. It is expected that polyester production will reach 84-m metric tons by 2025.

Clothing made through recycling Last year, Craghoppers (locally distributed

by OutdoorSport) introduced their recycled fleece that is made from recycled plastic bottles. This provide its eco-conscious customers with “a great performance product that lessens the impact on the planet, whilst maintaining its soft and comfort feel — and, importantly, its continually competitive price,” states the brand.

“Using recycled materials is a natural progression for any brand looking to continue evolving its approach to responsible production,” says Jim Mcnamara, MD of Craghoppers.

“The outdoors is our heritage and we all have a responsibility to care for and protect the environment.

“From the outset it was important to us that, in using renewable and sustainable materials, our fleeces continued to offer the same comfort and brilliant performance our customers know and love as well as maintaining their great price point. Creating a range that does all

of the above, while lessening the impact on the environment is a definite win-win in our eyes.”

Greenpeace Detox Catwalk Greenpeace’s Detox My Fashion campaign aims to address industrial pollution by manufacturers, “asking the textile industry to urgently take responsibility for its contribution to the problem, past and present.”

“Hazardous chemicals — including the 11 priority groups identified by Greenpeace — are commonly used for the manufacture of clothes by many well‐known brands,” states the company. The 11 groups are Alkylphenols (APEOs), Phthalates, Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants (BFRs, CFRs), Azo dyes, Organotin compounds, Per‐ and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), Chlorobenzenes, Chlorinated solvents, Chlorophenols, Short chain chlorinated paraffins, and Heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, mercury and chromium (VI).

“These chemicals were found in effluent from their supply chain manufacturers, in their products and in the environment, despite decades of regulation and corporate responsibility programmes. Legal limits on the use and discharge of these hazardous chemicals, where existing, allowed releases from a multitude of sources to build up in the environment and accumu-

The environmental and health impact from the manufacture of textiles is not limited to chemical use; impacts across the whole textile life cycle are amplified by the huge increase in the quantity of clothes sold and thrown away late over the years. For persistent, hazardous chemicals, there is no safe level.”

The campaign, which was launched in 2011, already has global commitment from 76 brands, retailers and suppliers — 19 of which are in the fashion and sportswear markets.

Not only has the campaign made an impression in the industry, it has also triggered policy changes, such as China reinforcing stricter wastewater standards and the EU banning the import of textiles that contain the hazardous chemicals nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), which should come into force in 2020.

Greenpeace’s Detox Catwalk assesses fashion brands that have made a Detox agreement with it. This edition, which is the third, focuses on implementation: brands are evaluated in terms of their progress towards meeting the Detox 2020 hazardous chemical elimination deadline in order to assess if they have the necessary tools to be ready.

Companies were assessed on their efforts in addressing three criteria — the Detox 2020 plan looks at the company’s chemical management system with a focus on its Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL), PFC elimi-

nation and substituting with safer alternatives, and transparency of suppliers and the hazardous chemicals they discharge — and then based on this assessment, they were divided into one of three groups: • Avant-Garde: a good performance on at least two criteria and no critical failure on any. Three of the companies are ahead of the curve and on track to meet their commitments. H&M is one of these.

• Evolution Mode: the majority (12) need to improve their performance in at least two of the three key assessment criteria. PUMA and adidas fall into this group.

• Faux Pas: critical failure on at least two criteria. Four have not yet accepted individual responsibility for their hazardous chemical pollution and implemented steps to achieve the goal. Nike is one of these companies.

“By successfully achieving their Detox Commitments companies are taking important steps to clean up the textile supply chain and prevent the release of hazardous chemicals throughout the environment,” states Greenpeace. “However, the increasing environmental and health impacts from the manufacture of textiles are not only due to chemical use; impacts across the whole textiles life cycle are amplified by the huge increase in the quantities of clothes that are sold and the rate that they are thrown away.”

This edition of the Detox Catwalk, therefore, introduces the issue of closing and slowing the loop for future editions: in the future the campaign will take a closer look at this issue and whether brands’ daily practices are moving towards closing and slowing their loop in order to tackle excessive use of resources.

Vaude, which only recently committed to the Greenpeace Detox challenge for 2020, has promised that it’s apparel collection will be free from fluorocarbons (PFCs) by the time it exhibits at the 2018 OutDoor show (the vast majority (95%) of its 2017 summer apparel collection is already PFC free). The brand is able to do this due to a PFC-free DWR alternative.

Committing to Greenpeace’s Manufacturing Restricted Substance List (MRSL), which regulates strict limits and bans the use of many chemical substances in the production process and in the finished product, is likely one of the biggest factors for companies taking part in its Detox challenge, because it not only relates to the finished product, but to all chemicals used in producing the product — and by all parties involved, not only by the brand that made the Detox commitment.

“For us this means that we need to bring all our suppliers on board and ensure that they build the relevant skills and awareness to avoid these chemicals,” says Hilke Patzwall, Vaude’s CSR manager. “This is a daunting task that goes far beyond the normal sphere of a mid-sized outdoor brand and that requires enormous human and financial resources. But we are convinced that we as a brand share responsibility for the components in our products and that this is the only way to progressively reduce their environmental impact.”

2016 September :: Sports Trader

No medals

for

Team SA Rio kit

Photo: Wessel Oosthuizen SASPA

p36 :: Sport

SA athletes again had to compete in ill-fitting clothes supplied by another Chinese brand with no presence in the country, says TRUDI DU TOIT

A

nd there SASCOC did it again: they again totally disregarded all the research that have produced advanced technologies in sportswear to help top athletes perform at their best.

They also disregarded the expertise available to them from local representatives of the brands at the forefront of technological developments in sportswear — the brands who provided the kit that helped our athletes qualify for the Olympics in the first place.

For example, as official supplier to Athletics SA, adidas could have given input into what comfort and performance features athletes like Wayde van Niekerk, Caster Semenya, Sunette Viljoen, Luvo Manyonga, etc. enjoy.

In the lead up to the Blitzbokke ending second on the log of the past two HSBC Sevens World Series, they became accustomed to playing in Springbok jerseys that were custom-designed for them in the ASICS Institute of Sport Science (ISS) in Kobe, Japan.

The players were able to give their input about the specific features they wanted in their jerseys that weighed only 180gm. For example, the technical fabric has a slippery feel and stretch quality so that players can’t be grabbed and held with ease. The ISS designers combined this with Silicone Super Grip dots placed where the players would be most comfortable gripping on to the ball, or fellow players.

SASCOC also disregarded the fact that all these brands providing sportswear to top teams dedicate staff to look after the athlete’s needs and provide them with the necessary equipment. The service they can provide to athletes — including on-time delivery — is often a factor when selecting a kit sponsor.

At the very least, they have to measure each

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

Compared to the stateof-the-art, snazzy, hi-tech garments some of their main competitors wore, South African athletes competed with an unfair disadvantage. athlete individually. Now, our athletes were given their off-the-peg performance wear at the last moment and at least one, Sunette Viljoen, had to pay out of her own pocket to have her kit altered.

SASCOC clearly disregarded the lessons from previous Olympics when hastily stitched deals with overseas suppliers resulted in embarrassment for our athletes: the other athletes in Beijing didn’t want to swop their tops for the unattractive South African shirts. This time, the ill-fitting retro tracksuits and performance clothing looked worse.

It is not clear if ignorance or unconcern for the athletes’ needs were behind SASCOC’s selection of the 361° brand as official clothing supplier of our Olympic athletes. It’s debatable which is worse.

Before they were selected as the clothing supplier of the Olympic ground staff and officials in Rio, few people outside China would have heard of 361°.

No presence in South Africa Described on their website as the second largest sports brand in China, this young brand began expanding internationally in 2013 with running, training, trail and lifestyle shoes, as well as a sports clothing collection.

Its first global expansion was to the US and Brazil and recently they entered some European markets. They opened a distributorship in the UK a few months ago.

They do not have a distributor or any other presence in South Africa. Any products supplied by 361° to our Olympic team therefore had to be sourced directly from China.

Our requests to SASCOC for information about the 361°clothing deal has so far gone unanswered.

We also asked them what happened to the R31.5-m deal they signed with another (then unrepresented in South Africa) Chinese brand, Erke, before the London Olympics. That would have made them the official clothing supplier for South African national teams until 2017.

The excellent performance of our team in Rio therefore deserve an extra round of applause: they succeeded despite having an unfair disadvantage.

Especially compared to the state-of-the-art, snazzy, hi-tech garments some of their main competitors wore.

Hi-tech competition Athletes like Australian gold medallist hurdler Sally Pearson certainly understands the importance of wearing gear that will help you to perform at your best. “Our sport is so competitive and the field so close that to have the confidence that my uniform has been developed using state of the art technology gives me the edge I need over my competitors,” she said before injury dashed her Rio medal hopes.

The Australians were competing in kit that adidas started developing eighteen months before the unveiling, with input from the top athletes. They produced more than 90 000

Sport :: p37

Skechers athletes in Rio Skechers’ GOrun running shoe won its high performance credentials by being worn by the American marathon champion Meb Keflezhighi (right).

Carlos Trujillo also ran in the Olympic marathon in Skechers, but in the colours of Guatemala. He is a former 10-km Pacific champion.

Clockwise from left: SA soccer players Janine van Wyk, Andile Dlamini and Mpumi Myandeni, Grenada athletic kit, Stella McCartney and Team GB, Australia, Bolt’s PUMA’ spikes, Nike AeroBlades, Team SA’s Werner Kok.

items of apparel and footwear for the 800 plus Australian athletes and officials who went to Rio. Their kit also featured the adidas Climachill technology to keep them comfortable in the Brazilian heat and humidity.

Climachill keeps an athlete’s body temperature at an optimum level and this technology has been fine-tuned in the climate chamber of the adidas research labs. Some of the innovations include industry-leading 3D aluminiumcooling spheres strategically located on the back and neck to correspond with the warmest areas of the body, providing an instant cooling sensation on contact.

Mesh-like micro fibres transport excess moisture away from the skin and the unique SubZero flat yarns, which contain titanium to maximise surface contact with the skin, transfer heat away from the body. The weight and fabric thickness of the garments differ between sports, depending on the athletes’ needs.

Stella McCartney again designed the Team Great Britain (GB) uniforms for adidas, this year featuring a specifically designed coat of arms on the garments in the red, blue and white colours of the Union flag. The garments were 10% lighter than the kit McCartney designed in 2012 and also featured adidas’ Clima technology.

The design team worked in close collaboration with GB athletes and governing bodies for two years to ensure that the garments meet the specific needs of the athletes hoping to win medals.

Developed in wind tunnels Nike supplied the uniforms of the two top performing teams — the US and China — as well as host nation Brazil and 5th placed Germany.

Croatia and Qatar also wore uniforms supplied

by Nike — as did the Russians who were not banned due to doping.

The ultra-light uniforms of the US team helped the athlete’s body cool down faster and in some cases improve aerodynamics. The sleek one-piece suits worn by sprinters featured triangular shapes, called AeroBlades, to channel air around the athlete and make him more aerodynamic. The sprintsuits were tested in wind tunnels. The top with the huge mesh holes Galen Rupp wore when he won bronze in the marathon was cool in every sense of the word.

Some countries opted to get brands with specific expertise on board for certain sporting codes, while other brands would be asked to supply alternative codes.

PUMA, for example, supplied the garments for the athletic teams of Jamaica, Cuba, Grenada, Dominican Republic and the Bahamas … and not only got wonderful golden exposure from the legendary superhero Usain Bolt, but also from all the other Caribbean athletes who won podium positions.

Their sprint suits had muscle compression in strategic places to help the world’s fastest athletes recover faster.

South Africans will always have a soft spot for Bolt after his break-away from a media interview to congratulate our golden boy Wayde van Niekerk in the stands after his recordbreaking win.

Several countries also opted for a rugby brand to supply the kit for their sevens teams, even though they had other teamwear suppliers — for example, the American sevens team played in BLK, even though their team uniform was supplied by Ralph Lauren and the track and field athletes performed in Nike.

Paulo Roberto de Almeida Paula (left) is another Skechers marathon athlete from host country Brazil, who came eighth in London 2012 and 34th in the Rio marathon.

Belgium triathlete Claire Michel was the 2014 and 2015 Belgian Triathlon Female Athlete of the Year and is also the 2016 Belgian sprint champion, but did not finish the triathlon in Rio. Moacir Zimmerman (below) is a Brazilian race walker who came 7th in Rio. Several Brazilian race walkers were wearing Skechers. Among them are fivetime Brazilian national race walking champion Cisiane Dutra Lopez, and José Alessandro Bernardo Bagio, who won gold for the 20km walk at the 2008 Ibero-American Championships in Chile.

US Pro golfer Matt Kuchar won bronze in Rio, wearing Skechers gold shoes.

When she is not performing in the pool, Brazilian-born Duane Da Rocha, who now swims for Spain, wears Skechers. She won gold in the 200m backstroke at the 2014 Euro Championships, but did not reach the final in Rio. Sixteen year old Canadian golf icon Brooke Henderson, who is also a Skechers athlete, came 7th in Rio.

Korean marathon champion Lim Kyung-Hee came 36th in Rio.

2016 September :: Sports Trader

p38 :: Sport

Swimming upstream!

A

t the 1996 Atlanta Olympics Penny Heyns made swimming history by winning gold in the 100m and 200m breaststroke in world and Olympic record times — and for good measure Marianne Kriel won gold in the 100m backstroke. After being named Female World Swimmer of the Year in 1996 and 1999, Heyns won bronze in the 100m breaststroke in Sydney in 2000. Natalie du Toit won 14 swimming gold medals at the Paralympic Games in 2004, 2008 and 2012.

South African women have been winning gold and glory in the pool as early as 1952 when Joan Harrison won gold in the 100m backstroke in Helsinki and teenager Karen Muir set 15 world records in the 100m and 200m backstroke over a five-year period during the 1960s.

Yet, in 2016, not one female swimmer qualified to swim in the Aquatics Stadium in Rio during the Olympics.

The problem does not lie with our girls, or with too little talent, or a lack of interest in swimming, says Rocco Meiring, who coaches swimming at the University of Pretoria hpc and serves on the Athlete Development Committee of Swimming South Africa.

Others agree that the interest is there.

The high performance squad at the Neptune Aquatics swimming club in Bloemfontein, for example, is about 80% female, says head coach Brent Holmes.

So, what is wrong?

“We’ve got too small a talent pool,” says Meiring. “South Africa has 7 000-9 000 swimmers, and this number includes men and women. Put this in perspective by comparing

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

Rio 2016 silver medalists and London 2012 gold medalists Cameron van der Burgh and Chad le Clos opted for the local training option, as did Natalie du Toit it with the number of swimmers in New South Wales in Australia where there are 60 000+ in one state alone. The number will range in the hundred thousand in the US. South Africa is actually doing very well; it is just that our talent pool is too small.”

We lose our up-and-coming female swimmers between the ages of 15-17, says Meiring.

The question is: Why? This question has not been answered, although there are many theories.

One of them is early drop-out. Girls mature much earlier than boys: they are about two years ahead of them. The fact that they leave the sport by the age of 15-16 ought to be a red light for the people developing talent in South Africa, warns Meiring.

“We identify a girl by the age of 12-14 and expose her at 15/16 to the next level of swimming; one for which she has not been equipped,” he says. “Within a period of 18-24 months she’s emotionally burnt out.

Few of the girls make it because they are exposed to something for which they are not emotionally and physically ready. Our problem is that we do not convert talent into performance effectively.”

To enable talented swimmers to excel internationally we need additional structures and finance, continues Meiring. “Take the example of a 14-year-old that is very talented. If she had been swimming for a club in Melbourne in Australia, the Victoria Institute of Sport would contact her coach and draw up support plans for her future. This is lacking here. As far as I know, no program is in place to address the problem with female swimmers.”

Not enough opportunities Women tend to drop out earlier due to the fact that there is little to keep them motivated to train for so many years,” says former world class freestyle swimmer Annette Cowley-Nel. She has a proposal to boost female swimmers. “In South Africa, where the pool of older women is relatively small, we need to ensure that we nurture that talent and exposure, giving them a few opportunities to qualify and be considered over a set period of time, and perhaps, like other countries that cannot qualify, consider using the B qualifying times to send a women’s team. Otherwise, the women will never get exposed to international competition and it will be a repetitive cycle going forward.

“It is very demotivating to train so hard for so long and get so close, and then not have the opportunity to compete at this level.”

Tatjana Schoenmaker was one split second away from qualifying for the Olympics this year and our backstrokers were very close to making the qualifying time, Cowley-Nel points out.

In addition, there are very few top class training facilities available for local swimmers, she continues.

Sport :: p39

The problem does not lie with our girls, or with too little talent, or a lack of interest in swimming. We’ve got too small a talent pool

Remember the good old days when Penny Heyns and Natalie du Toit won medals at the Olympic Games? This year things look different, with not one female swimmer qualifying for the Olympic Games. Something is amiss with our swimming, experts agree. It’s the f-word, funding, reports LINZA DE JAGER. “We only have one or two excellent set-ups, like Tuks (the high performance centre),” she says. “The US has a whole different level of world-class facilities and well-organised meets. It’s highly motivating, and I must admit, I would recommend any top swimmer to embrace an overseas opportunity, until we can get our situation sorted.”

She mentions the Newlands pool as an example. “That should be the top facility in South Africa and has the potential to be one of the top facilities in the world, drawing international meets.”

Yet, despite many plans being presented and discussions going on for years on end, nothing has been done to develop the pool as a training facility. In the meantime, Cape Town swimmers struggle to find heated pools to train throughout the year.

“This would be the perfect project for Lotto money,” says Cowley-Nel. “It feeds a huge area, where both top class and underprivileged swimmers could be developed. It would be very sad to lose this awesome facility, with its amazing views, to an office complex or other development. It could be the most amazing drawcard as a top Olympic and scientific training centre, and we need something like this to happen in South Africa to make a difference.”

Losing swimmers to the US Training locally, or accepting a bursary to study and train in the US, has been the subject of vigorous debates for many years.

Rio 2016 silver medalists and London 2012 gold medalists Cameron van der Burgh (Tuks/ hpc) and Chad le Clos (Seagulls Club, Durban) opted for the local training option. As did Na-

talie du Toit.

But, Penny Heyns and the members of the 4 x 100m freestyle team that won gold and set a new world record at the 2004 Athens Olympics (Roland Mark Schoeman, Lyndon Ferns, Darian Townsend, and Ryk Neethling) opted for the US college training option.

According to Cowley-Nel local swimming coaches are good — but in need of being motivated, developed and nurtured.

The reasons why many of our swimmers apply for bursaries from universities in the US, are two-fold, says Meiring. “They think that they will get better opportunities, or they want to leave the country. The drawback is that they don’t come back.

“We always have 70-90 swimmers at universities in the US at any given time. Fifteen to twenty of them return annually to compete in the national championships. The trend to go to the US is not good for our country. It drains our pool of senior swimmers.”

Meiring points out that Tukkies, Kovsies, Wits, Maties and Varsity College offer swimming bursaries. Tuks has 18-22 students annually studying with swimming bursaries to the value of R40 000-R70 000 per annum. Tuks offers a heated 50m swimming pool, an Olympic coach and four senior coaches who coach on international level. Stellenbosch does not lag far behind: it has three coaches who coach on international level.

“Swimming South Africa and its provincial unions do a very good job,” says Meiring.

“There is healthy participation at the lower level, at clubs and schools. The challenge is the lack of facilities. Additional swimming pools are not built and the existing ones are in need of funding.”

Sales are doing swimmingly Healthy swimming participation at grassroots is also reflected at retail level.

Her business “has continued to grow steadily,” reports Pippa Hitchens of Durban swim specialist retailer The Swim Shop. She does, however, believe it could be because the store is a specialist in all the areas of swimming and her staff are well-trained and able to advise customers accordingly.

She has not noticed any downturn in demand for swimming gear from girls — rather to the contrary.

Girls tend to buy a lot more training costumes than boys, while equipment sales are equal for both, she says. “At recreational level girls continue to spend more than their male counterparts. Girls tend to be a lot more fashion-conscious and one costume is not enough for training or leisure.”

At elite performance level she sells more to boys than girls, but this probably has to do with the pricing and affordability, she continues. “We tend to sell more boys’ racing suits.

These range in price from R2 900-R6 700. The price level of girls’ suits range from R4 900R10 200. This is so high that they tend to take very good care of their suits. This is not to say boys do not care, but they are able to have one or more back-up suits.”

Another swimming specialist retailer, Gary Doveton from Dovetech, agrees that sales have remained stable and that there has been no change or downturn in sales to males or females. “There is also no difference between sales of products at recreational or elite level, both remained the same.”

In the school market there is no decline, agrees Jean-Claude Roux, marketing manager of swimwear manufacturer Second Skins, and “sales are strong at recreational level.

“We cater from grass-root level customers, who use the garments for school and recreational purposes, where we have seen no decline, to elite level, where we have seen a slight decline, but we attribute that to the wider range of elite suits available in the market.

“Our Speedskins, which are our range of elite racing suits, indicate that the junior professional level is a healthy, active market.”

TYR Swimwear, on the other hand, sells “slightly more female than male training and recreational suits,” says Colleen Mendelsohn, joint MD of local distributor Action-Ize. But, they sell more male than female top end technical suits like the TYR Avictor Compression racing suit; due to the lower price point. Mendelsohn describes sales at the elite performance level as “stable”.

Their sales to the recreational swimming market has been growing, adds Pam Rhodes of swimwear manufacturer AC Activewear.

“There is no difference in sales to the genders,” she adds.

Suppliers of training equipment and accessories to the recreational and grassroots school and club market also report healthy trade.

“Our overall swim sales category (recreational only) has pretty much stayed stable over the last two years,” says Kevin De Wet of De Wet Sports, local distributor of Aqualine.

“We have always sold more swim products for men/boys than for women/girls. The ratio has been stable for both genders over the last two years.”

Patrick Frank, marketing manager for W.E.T. Sports, consurs. “Most of our sales are in the juniors and social swimming market, where we offer cost-effective alternatives to the bigger brands.”

He describes his brand EZ Life brand as affordable, quality, equipment for all. “I have not noticed any negative change at all in sales. The EZ Life range has enjoyed continued growth at the recreational level and as explained above, that is the sector where we concentrate our efforts.”

2016 September :: Sports Trader

p40 :: Sport

Hockey gets Premier League boost What will the new Premier Hockey League do for hockey participation and sponsor interest? We asked some experts if the R10-m cash injection and being named sport Federation of the Year for 2016 will compensate SA Hockey for denied Olympic participation in Rio

W

hen hockey was named the National Federation of the Year in 2016, and given a R10-m additional allocation during Minister of Sport and Recreation (SRSA) Fikile Mbalula’s departmental budget vote debate in parliament, it was reason for widespread celebration.

The R10-m was to be ringfenced for the establishment of a new Premier Hockey League (PHL), the minister further said.

“It is the best thing that could happen to South African hockey,” says Sanani Mangisa of adidas SA, who’ll be one of the national team marquee players for the Orange River Rafters (see box following page). “We lack a top competitive league and our players desperately need high level competition.”

In addition, kids can see top players in action on TV, which would inspire them. She also believes that it would broaden the game as provincial players will be playing in teams with representatives from other provinces. R10-m is a tight budget, and a national hockey league is the best way to spend it, she believes.

“This is vital for the growth of the sport!” enthuses former national team goalkeeper and director of the OBO SA distributorship Shane Schonegevel. The PHL will provide a valuable structure that has been sorely missing for post-school and -university provinciallevel players, he says.

This might help stem the estimated 70% to 90% drop in participation among school leavers. Up to U18 level there are good structures and many playing opportunities — but at sen-

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

To engage the school market you will have to bring the Razz-ma-tazz and make it a show ior level hockey really struggles to maintain player interest, distributors agree. While SA Schools Hockey Association (SASHOC) figures show that there are 125 633 primary and high school players, there are less than 10 000 senior players registered with the SA Hockey Association (SAHA) “They (senior players) have an inter-provincial tournament (IPT) once a year that lasts one week,” says Schonegevel. “If you are out of the international loop, there is no further opportunity to play hockey at a higher level than inter-club games.”

While the inter-provincial rivalry in South Africa is strong and always has been, a hockey league where only the best of the best male and female players get the chance to pit their talents against each other will be beneficial to improving standards and will make for a new spectacle, agrees Patrick Franck of W.E.T. Sports, who supplies Star hockey to mainly the school market.

R10-m is, however, not going to go far to sustain the PHL in the long term. “My understanding is that this is to be used over the next three years to run the league, after which it should be self-sustaining and self-funding,” says Jack Thonissen, supplier of Princess Hockey, member of the Western Province Hockey Union

board and a former SAHA board member.

Getting sponsors interested He is confident that the PHL will attract sponsors, says Schonegevel, as it offers a much more attractive package. Currently, with one week of hype around the IPT matches, a sponsor gets very limited exposure in the media and on TV — and there is hardly any chance to generate the public interest so vital for sponsors.

“Imagine what it would do to the popularity of rugby if all the Currie Cup matches were played once a year during one week,” adds Schonegevel.

“I understand that the plan is for the PHL to be played over a much larger segment of the season from next year.”

But, even with the four matches played in September, there will already be much more and longer lasting exposure than hockey receives currently: these include pre-match reports before each weekend, with post-match reports to follow, as well as TV coverage, he points out.

“This will make it so much easier to market hockey, because the exposure will already be so much more than what hockey can currently offer sponsors.”

Hockey has big enough participation numbers to generate high TV viewership numbers, he adds. Besides, the local TV coverage of hockey is already good, and we were the only country that broadcast all the World Cup games, says Peter Wright of Malik distributor K&T Sports and president of Northerns Hockey.

“But, sport is entertainment and hockey be-

Sport :: p41

How the PHL works

Keenan Horne in action against Germany during the test against Australia, played in February this year at Hartleyvale, Cape Town.

Photo: Nicol du Toit

ing an amateur sport hasn’t shown it can entertain like rugby and cricket,” cautions Thonissen. “Those sports get paid to put their content on TV … we have to pay for our content to go on TV. It’s unfortunately a chicken and egg situation: we need the funding to get results and we need results to get the funding.”

Many other needs Should the PHL manage to attract sponsors, the funds generated could also help to grow the sport in many other ways that a cashstrapped federation cannot currently manage.

For example, there needs to be a high performance system in place to help our top young players (like the U21’s) cope with the amount of hockey they are playing, suggests Wright. He cites the example of the U21 teams that will be participating in the Junior World Championships later this year who have been playing non-stop hockey since January.

Apart from the investment in time, playing at the top level is very expensive. For example, it costs the U21 men R45 000 each to play in the World Cup in India, and the girls R55 000 to play in the World Cup in Chile. In addition, they had to pay R20 000 for the preparation camps this year, Wright mentions.

When talented players cannot afford to raise the funds, the regions have to support them from their own funds. This includes paying for players’ equipment as well. When a strong region, like Northerns, have several disadvantaged players in the national teams, it comes at a heavy cost — for which they don’t receive any government assistance, he adds.

The Premier Hockey League (PHL) became a reality on August 6th this year when players were selected à la American basketball style by team coaches for places in the five franchise teams.

These teams reflect the names of popular tourist spots from all the provinces — the men’s teams are Addo Elephants, Drakensburg Dragons, Garden Route Gazelles, Mapungubwe Mambas and the Maropeng Cavemen. The women will compete as the Blyde River Bunters, Madikwe Rangers, Orange River Rafters, St Lucia Lakers and the Wineland Wings.

In addition, the SA U21 men’s team plays in the league as the Golden Gate Gladiators and the U21 women compete under the name Lip Ice Namaqualand Daisies. This is so that the team members could gain experience for the FIH Junior World Cups later this year, and if this experiment proves to be a success, the age group national teams could become a permanent fixture in future PHLs, says SA Hockey CEO Marissa Langeni.

These teams, which play each other once in the league stage, with the top four progressing to the semi-finals, are fully-owned

There is also money needed to create infrastructures, for example, high performance programmes for coaches.

Grow participation?

In the long term, money is most needed at grass roots level to increase participation, believes Franck. “Money invested in equipment for beginner players can never go to waste, as the more hockey players participating, the bigger the talent pool.”

With league matches televised, more kids seeing the hockey matches and the hockey players they look up to in action, will be inspired to participate, Mangisa agrees.

Growing grasssroots participation via the PHL will, however, require the league to be marketed properly and for it to engage the school market, cautions Thonissen. While he thinks that hockey broadcast to a wide audience on TV can grow participation, he doubts that merely running a hockey tournament will excite prospective hockey players. “You have to bring the Razz-ma-tazz and make it a show!”

The perception many suppliers have that the schools hockey market is growing, is supported by stick import statistics from the DTI: from 2014 to 2015 the number of hockey sticks imported grew 22%, but the Rand value of imports dropped 45%, which indicates that more entry level sticks were imported last year.

The average import price per stick was indeed much lower in 2015 (R146) than in 2014 (R328).

There are currently many more hockey

by the SA Hockey Association (SAHA).

Each squad has 18 players, including four marquee players each from the national squad — but the U21 teams will be allowed to select a squad of 20 players each.

The league offers another opportunity for 140 other provincial players to play high level hockey on home soil. The players that were not selected for the draft will automatically become part of a pool of reserve players that can be called on by the teams that are short of players due to injury or unavailability of team members.

The first four-weekend long league competitions, played in colourful eye-catching kit from Grays, started on 3 September and will end on 25 September at the Randburg Astro in Johannesburg.

It is envisaged that the league matches will be played over a longer period from next year — this year the matches are concentrated in one month, due to time constraints after the late announcement in August. See more at http://premierhockeyleague.co.za.

players at primary schools (70 003) than in high schools (55 630), according to numbers supplied by SASHOC. Schools hockey is still predominently played by girls (2 632 teams), but there are 1 335 boys’ teams currently competing in schools hockey leagues. Most of the boys’ teams are from schools in the Western Cape (228), Southern Gauteng (213), Boland (137) and Northerns (136).

Southern Gauteng has the highest number of girls’ teams playing, namely 494.

While we have been unable to get actual participation growth figures, anecdotal evidence suggests that more and more boys are playing hockey. The fact that 89 boys-only schools countrywide offer hockey as sport, is significant.

“More of the traditional rugby schools now realise hockey is not a moffie sport,” says Wright. Concerns about rugby injuries also encourage many boys to choose hockey as their winter sport.

The number of boys playing hockey is about equal to the number playing cricket at school, says Mangisa.

And the benefit for hockey suppliers is that there is no gender discrimination when it comes to hockey boot or stick sales. Boys and girls buy the same equipment and boots.

These participation levels are bound to grow, or at least, be sustained. About 120 schools have invested in astro turfs, which can cost anywhere between R5-m and R8-m each — and this number continues to grow.

“Once a school commits this To p42

2016 September :: Sports Trader

p42 :: Sport

Hockey goes Premier cont. from p41 GRYPHON

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amount to a new facility, it commits resources to the sport to ensure it grows and makes use of the facility,” says Thonissen.

Player of colour growth

Participation by players of colour has grown across all age groups. Half of the U18 boys team that recently played against the Australians were players of colour — and they were selected on merit, says Wright.

Hockey participation is also growing in another non-traditional sector, namely among school Keeping senior players players of colour. Currently there are 42 122 The main participation challenge, however, players of colour in school leagues — 35% of all still lies at club level. While the PHL will offer the boys and 32% of girls. Most are still at pri- more playing opportunities, it does not solve inherent club memmary school (23 915), compared to 18 207 The number of hockey bership problems, for high school players, but example, the fact sticks imported grew 22%, that players used to about a third of both but the Rand value of im- playing free at school, the high and primary ports dropped 45%, indi- now have to pay club school players are of colour. cating that more entry lev- fees, and 18-years This growth in particiolds are notoriously el sticks were imported short of money, says pation can be attributThonissen. ed to deliberate efforts Some of the provinces are trying to encourby SASHOC to promote hockey in disadvantaged and primary schools, says chairperson age clubs to make it more attractive for playWendell Domingo. ers to join after school. “WP Hockey is looking They have launched a project, the SA Hockey at running an U21 league in a fun format with Junior Modified Hockey Project, whereby eight boys on one field and girls on another,” says primary schools without facilities will bring Thonissen. It is successful because players of learners to a central hub (an astro turf within the same age play together and they combine a 5km radius) for five-a-side hockey coaching this with parties. … five is the number of thirteen year olds that Northerns is also trying to encourage clubs to can fit in an average car. introduce a junior section that school players The pilot project is now underway at Berna- can join and therefore make a smooth transidino Heights High School in Kraaifontein. tion from school to club.

Sweetener for bitter Olympic pill?

While appreciating the recognition and welcome funding, there were those in hockey circles who considered the R10-m allocation and selection of hockey as Sports Fderation of the Year a sweetener to the bitter pill of being denied Olympic participation — even though both men’s and women’s teams met the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and IOC qualification criteria by becoming African champions.

This could do a lot of harm to future hockey participation, many experts point out.

Our amateur hockey players have to make many sacrifices and many chose less lucrative careers or put their studies and work on hold to prepare for the Olympics.

They dream of and work for rewards like going to the Olympics, says Thonissen. “We are literally the only amateur team left trying to hold onto a top 12 world ranking.”

Based on our teams’ recent performances, it would have been highly realistic for both South African men’s and women’s teams to achieve their highest placing at Rio. Yet, for the first time since re-admission, no hockey team competed in the Olympics.

This could have grave implications for the teams’ world rankings, SAHA wrote in a let-

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Sports Trader :: 2016 September

ter to SASCOC. We already have limited opportunities for accumulating ranking points that will enable our teams to participate in international events where only the top ranked teams get a spot.

The Olympic Games offers the most ranking points (750) of the seven events the FIH base their structures on. Non-participation in the Olympics cost both teams 4-5 ranking points, which means that the women will drop to 15th and the men to 19th.

Yet, had the women’s team competed in the Olympics, they were hoping to break into the top 10 by winning two matches, while the men could realistically have gotten into the top 9 rankings. This drop will be a direct result of not competing in Rio and not a direct result of the teams’ form or potential performance, wrote SAHA. South African hockey professionals cannot get a sporting visa or work permit if the teams are not ranked in the top 12 nations.

Apart from that, the decision also prevented young players from getting noticed by big leagues around the world, which could open many beneficial opportunities for players who sacrifice a lot to reach the highest level in their sport.

Sport :: p43

New technologies for 2017 Several hockey manufacturers have introduced new cutting-edge technologies in their new ranges.

Gryphon’s ultra-light sticks

New technology applied to stick lay ups will see the 2017 Gryphon Tour and Taboo range come out with the lightest, best balanced sticks ever produced, says Shane Schonegevel of local distributor OBO SA. “Thanks to Gryphon’s moulding technology, this will be achieved without sacrificing any of the power that these ranges are so famous for.

The Silicon Sleeve technology in the Tour range and the ERS technology in the Chrome range, complimented with carefully crafted lay-ups, provide a superb feel across all the ranges.”

There are five shapes that will suit any player’s game. The best selling Samurai shape has features such as a concave face, dual rails and a raised lip, making it well suited for power and accuracy while drag flicking. The ultrathin oversize head on both the T bone and Samurai has the toe angled slightly forward, making it tan ideal weapon for close reverse stick and 3 D skills.

The entire range has received a cosmetic revamp providing a new eye catching look.

The Tour now comes with a 3D outer layer that gives a high textured feel and look.

The Initiation range features colourful, durable, easy to use sticks at excellent price points. The Bolt — a junior wood stick for the beginner at a ground breaking starter price — will make its debut in 2017.

The fresh new Aero G4 boot is available in blue/lime, black/grey and pink/lime. “The new upper provides the suburb comfort and durability demanded by a hockey player at the highest level,” says Schonegevel.

It is built on the Aero platform with a multistud hockey configuration that provides brilliant grip on both synthetic and natural grass surfaces. The lightweight phylon midsole provides excellent cushioning. The boot combines good forefoot flex with rear foot stability and a premium new non-stretch upper.

Gryphon’s extensive glove, shinpad, grip and ball range offers excellent value and plenty of colour options and models. The twelve models in the bag range — including the popular Little Mo and Frugal Fred backpacks — come in five different colours and covers all angles of hockey bags.

Kookaburra technologies Kookaburra’s 2017 hockey stick range is their most advanced and evolved yet, says Nicola Ludlow of local distributor JRT CRampton.

“Kookaburra technicians have concentrated on innovative scientific stick refinement to produce literally game changing technology for the second year in a row,” she says.

This was developed with the help of peer– reviewed input from players with the necessary understanding and skills to know what is required from the equipment.

“Our 2017 collection is brimming with new stick shapes and new technology, all of which have been tested and modified during hours of play testing,” she adds.

The iconic 2017 Team Phoenix has been produced with a new profile, which assists with control and power. “By adding our new Energy Groove to its armoury, the new Team Phoenix is fully equipped to perform,” says Ludlow.

Other technologies featured in this stick include Tri Core, a triple-chamber construction that enhances power, precision and playability; and Skill Zone, a concave shaping to the playing side of the head to hold the ball with ease, improving close control, drag flicking and aerial prowess.

CVT — shock absorbing inserts within the handle — reduce unnecessary vibrations when striking, improving feel and control, while Kookaburra’s unique Soft Feel Resin (SFR) formula further promotes feel and dexterous control, without compromising on power.

The Kookaburra Control Face (KCF), a unique texturised playing surface, generates a more secure contact area, further enhancing feel, control and agility.

OBO protection OBO will this year introduce two high end short corner face masks, which have been extensively tested in OBO’s Olab. “The Face-off Steel is by far the most protective mask on the market, giving the payer almost twice the protection of the traditional plastic models,” says Shane Schonegevel of local distributor OBO SA. “Its unique patented design also offers amazing vision and comfort.”

Despite just been introduced, it was extensively used by many teams at the Olympics.

The face-off V1 is an alternative for players looking for the best protection that a clear plastic mask can provide, he says.

OBO once again has a full range of technically advanced products, catering for all levels of hockey goalkeepers. “The To p44

p44 :: Sport

Hockey equipment for 2017 cont. from p43 unique manufacturing process and designs means that OBO products are without peer in terms of performance and durability,” he says. “The fact that 73% of keepers at the Rio Olympics — including all the women — were using OBO, underline the brand’s dominance in the goalkeeping market.”

There are four different ranges of OBO equipment tailored to the different needs of keepers of all ages and levels, offering a full compliment of everything a goalkeeper would need.

Slazenger revolution The brand new Slazenger colour template has had a good response, which was translated into sales for their patented stick shape, which has proven itself with good sales performance over the past few seasons.

This is underpinned by technologies like the Squoval Handle System — a handle shape that provides better grip as it is ergonomically well suited to the position of the hands. The structure also provides good torsional strength to improve the overall stiffness of the stick.

The thicker edge of the Aero Profile allows for greater power transfer when reverse stick hitting. Combined with a thinner bottom edge it promotes the aerodynamic quality with a faster head speed.

The advanced layout of the carbon structure in the Quad Core technology provides 15% more lateral stiffness and torque resistance.

The Modulus Polycarbonate series of sticks, taking on the painted wooden sticks, is a new addition that will be ideal for the school market. “It is a fantastic range, offering performance characteristics such as lightweight, easy to handle and play with, powerful and less vibration coming up the shaft,” says Steve Gallienne of local distributor Brand ID.

Star range expanding W.E.T. Sports continue to develop their current Star hockey range geared for the beginner player, by adding new products.

They have added a new hockey bag, which holds two sticks, balls and a shinguard. The new 37.5” Star hockey stick will compliment their existing range of wooden sticks, which runs from a 28” to a 36”.

In the hockey ball range they have added a cheaper dimple ball, which is ideal for practice purposes, says Andrew Wentzel. It is available in assorted colours.

All the current products like grips, shinguards, sticks and balls in the affordable range will still be available in the new season.

TK’s advanced hybrid TK’s new hybrid stick introduced for 2017, the HY-BRAID, will herald a revolution in stick performance, predicts Rassie Pieterse, locallybased global GM of the brand.

“It is a perfect hybrid, combining unidirectional fibre, braided carbon fibres and aramide, with the latter used in areas of heavy impact.”

This optimises game play, ball handling and vibration reduction, “delivering unparalleled strength over standard carbon braided sticks,” he says. “By combining technical expertise with sporting excellence, the revolution is here.”

TK has made use of biaxial braiding technology to produce continuous fiber composite components with automated high quality production.

Mechanical interlocking provides high energy impact absorption properties. “This results in a stronger, tougher, more flexible alternative to woven composites,” says Pieterse. “It has exceptional feel with high power transference.”

They have used carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), which weighs up to 80% less than steel and up to 70% less than aluminum. This reduces weight, while increasing stiffness to optimize power transfer to the ball.

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- 45 -

Weskus Sports:

Adapt to cater for the needs

T

wenty years ago, Weskus Sports opened its doors in Vredenburg, on the west coast (in Afrikaans: weskus) of the Western Cape, when owner Morné The Big Z Zurnamer noticed the need for a sport store in the area. To start with, the store was a general sports store, but over time it has adapted its presence and now has a special focus on running and cycling.

This change was due to several factors. The first was a physical move for the store. Weskus Sports evolved into a specialist store when it moved to the Weskus Mall, says Zurnamer.

Originally, the store was situated in a centre, but it moved to the mall in 2009 because “it is the future of the trade”.

In the mall they were competing against national chain stores and, because the environment was overtraded, his store needed to become more niche. To start with, Zurnamer decided to focus on runners, but five years later he incorporated cycling.

This came about after Zurnamer himself started cycling and noticed the need for a specialist cycling store in the area — especially after the one in nearby Saldanha closed down.

“This was a good move, even though it is quite a demanding trade,” he says. “Cycling has become a large part of the business.”

The store’s new focus helped bring new consumers into his store and improved sales overall, because many cyclists also run and do

other activities. The store still stocks general sport products for rugby, soccer, cricket, etc.

Being located in Vredenburg has not been a problem for them, but Zurnamer admits that now being located in a mall comes with its own challenges, like higher rental costs and longer working hours, for example. But he and his staff have been able to adapt.

Until two years ago, Weskus Sports also had another branch in Vredendal, but the thenmanager bought it out and it now trades under a different name.

Zurnamer has also opened an online store under the name Big Z Sports & Cycles. The name Weskus Sports is very regional and the store only serves the community they are based in, explains Zurnamer. With online they are reaching a national market and therefore needed a more neutral name.

Big Z Sports & Cycles comes from his own nickname. Because of his surname “some friends started calling me The Big Z and it just stuck,” explains Zurnamer.

In terms of sales, there is quite a big difference between online and brick and mortar for the store, he says. Around 95% of sales come from the physical store.

The online presence, however, has its own advantages. It helps to market Weskus Sports and to make the public more aware of his store. Locals, for example, can see deals online and come in to the shop, or find the number and other store details online.

Above left: Weskus Sport as seen from the outside of the store. The store caters to a variety of sporting interests, but its main focus now is on running and cycling.

Above: Owner Morné ‘The Big Z’ Zurnamer is a keen cyclist, which is one of the reasons why the store now acts as a cycling specialist.

Images courtesy of Weskus Sport.

Online sales are more difficult, because it is countrywide, he says. Gaining sales is also more challenging, because of competition from more established online stores or other physical stores that have a strong online presence.

Having both the online and brick-and-mortar stores, however, have the added benefit of enabling seasonal customers who stay in other regions to buy from the store online, even when they are back home, Zurnamer points out. This is important for them, because although 90-95% of Weskus Sports’ customers are locals, the store also has national customers that buy on a repetition basis.

Zurnamer and his store are quite involved in the community, by giving back and being actively involved in helping local events by, for example, helping build mountain bike trails.

He even hosts information nights in order to help his customers stay visible on the roads and to make the public more aware of the store.

Reasons for their success: • The store offers a wide range of products at competitive prices; • Zurnamer gets involved with the community and remains visible; • He and staff members are passionate about the products they sell; • Staff members are friendly; • Zurnamer and his staff are always trying to be a little bit different from the norm.

2016 September :: Sports Trader

p46 :: Apparel & Footwear We’re looking for top salespeople We’re asking successful sales people in the industry for tips on how they clinch that sale in this series on Sales tips from top salespeople. Please nominate yourself, or a staff member, to share your sales philosophy by contacting Trudi du Toit on Tel: 021 461 2544. Email: trudi@sportstrader.co.za.

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Corrie Lamont from The Sweat tips f g Shop in Claremont was nominated as a top salesman by John Andrew of 18 New Balance SA. “You can see Corrie is passionate about running footwear,” says Andrew. “When you see him serve a customer you know you have the right person for the job and the customer is getting the best service expected.” Lamont is knowledgeable about both road and trail running. With trail running being such a popular culture here in the Cape, his knowledge means he can offer customers great insight as to what is needed for trail running, he explains. “These attributes make him a great, friendly salesman.”

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Selling more... trail shoes

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hen walking into a specialist environment customers don’t want to be greeted by any Tom, Dick or Harry, and expect someone with a good product knowledge base, the best kind of products and more importantly, the right kind of advice, says Corrie Lamont of The Sweat Shop in Claremont, Cape Town.

“You don’t want someone telling you something just to make a sale.” The customer will benefit more from someone who offers him the right kind of advice and considers his needs and pocket. In their store, they don’t believe in approaching customers as a sale, “we approach them to give them some advice — and if they’re buying shoes or a kit, then awesome, it’s a plus,” says Lamont.

This is important because he finds that during trail season, customers often want to get into trail running, but also want to do other races for which they may need other gear, like a waterproof jacket and a pair of shoes. This can quickly become costly, but a good salesman can advise him to purchase the more affordable trail shoe for now and save up to pur-

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

chase the jacket at a later stage, he explains.

A rep and friend once told him: “if you can’t make a customer, make a friend”. He lives by this advice and believes that if you can’t offer what the customer needs, recommend somebody else, or another store, that can, “because then when he needs something he will know who to go to. He will come back to your shop and speak to you.”

Also, never offer customers inferior products in order just to sell them something, rather offer advice, because news does travel. This philosophy has worked for him and The Sweat Shop as a whole.

If you’re going to call yourself a specialist store or sell anything you will need to have good knowledge of your merchandise and the more knowledge you have, the better you will be able to sell, says Lamont.

A good salesman should, however, also know that not every customer will need to know everything about a product, or even want to know all there is to know about a product.

“Some customers just come in for a pair of shoes or shorts and don’t want to know any specifics.”

Being a good salesperson can come down to you’re either good at it or you aren’t, says Lamont. Some people just have it — or don’t — and his passion for the industry, footwear and specifically running shoes, has helped his own selling skills. “I love the way certain shoes react with certain people’s feet and body,” he says.

With his job he believes he has found something he absolutely loves, can pursue and get paid for — which have all contributed to making him good at his job.

Customers want to feel that the person helping them in store is open and approachable.

They want to be able to come and talk to you one-on-one and not have you just talking at them and recommending. “Engage with customers, don’t lecture them,” says Lamont.

The salesman should talk to customers 60% of the time and let them browse 40% of the time.

But remember, there are those who only want to browse or kill time, in which case you shouldn’t be so close to make them feel harassed, but still within ear shot or eye view to assist them if they are looking for a specific item.

Salespeople should choose their words wisely when speaking to customers To p47

Outdoor :: p47

Trail shoe tips from p46 because when customers speak to an expert, they remember the smallest of details and will definitely come back if the information you have given them turns out to be wrong, warns Lamont. You should also not speak too fast, or use jargon, unless you are sure the customer understands and is on the same page as you, he points out.

A retailer s should always try and know a little more than his customers, but if he doesn’t

know something the customer is asking about rather admit it than lie to a customer. “Never get nervous, just relax. Customers are looking for something and are in your store for a reason,” adds Lamont.

He builds up his knowledge through training from suppliers and they also have their own store training on an almost weekly basis, where they don’t necessarily discuss new information every time, but rather work on drill-

ing in product knowledge they already have so that it becomes second nature. “When that the one in 20th customer comes in and asks you that weird question you haven’t heard yet, you’ll be able to answer.”

Suppliers and reps visit the store on a weekly basis to train staff, but he and staff members have debates on a daily basis in order to increase their knowledge on the products they stock, says Lamont.

He also gains product knowledge through reading about products, including unbiased product reviews, and by testing products.

More about Corrie Lamont CORRIE LAMONT, who manages The Sweat Shop in Claremont, Cape Town, has worked in a number of running specialist stores in his career of seven years. These include a sales assistant position at The Athletes Foot in 2010, a sales assistant position at The London Marathon store in Central London, England, and in 2012, a management position at a Salomon concept store.

Lamont started working for The Sweat Shop in 2011 as a casual, working on and off a couple of days per week. In 2013 he became a permanent employee and was promoted from his then shop assistant position to assistant manager. He was recommended for his current role by his predecessor, and became the store’s manager in October 2015.

Although Lamont studied teaching at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology between 2011 and 2012, he found more joy in building his sales career. “I preferred retail and felt I did much better at it.”

A runner himself, Lamont took part in cross country racing at high school when he attended Westerford High School and became part of the first team in Gr10. He was running at a relatively competitive level until Gr12, although never for colours, he playfully points out.

Since leaving school he has also “done a fair bit of running” and

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competed in a number of half marathons including the Old Mutual Two Oceans Half marathon and Landmarks Half marathon.

Tips for selling trail running shoes

uring the seven years he has been working in running specialist stores, Corrie Lamont from The Sweat Shop in Cape Town has learnt that there is no plug and play situation when it comes to selling trail running shoes, because every person has different preferences and every person’s feet are different.

“There’s no template and you have to take each situation and customer as it comes.”

The salesperson should ask several questions, he suggests. For example: • What terrain will the customer use it on: manicured single tracks or for running straight across the Drakensberg; • What the customer prefers: a heavy duty or lower profile and flexible shoe.

When assisting an experienced runner, he finds it is best to work from the customer’s previous shoe purchase as a base and go from there in order to find a shoe with similar features, or

those that the customer were most pleased with before.

• He also looks at the wear on the sole, upper, etc. of their old shoes and makes his recommendations based on that.

• A salesman should enquire about what the customer’s training load is like in order to avoid recommending changes that will be too drastic to handle immediately, says Lamont. He would never recommend going from a heavy duty, to a lighter and lower profile shoe, before a marathon. Changing shoes, even to an updated model, takes adjustment time. “Breaking in would require 5-10km’s to start off with.”

• When recommending a trail running shoe, Lamont stresses function over form and reminds his customers that even if they do not like the colour of the shoe, it will be beige soon.

Running shoes are tough to sell, but having experience of the shoes you sell can help you un-

derstand the features much better than if you do not put the shoes on and feel for yourself, explains Lamont.

He often tests new models and encourages his staff to test the shoes they sell so that they can give an honest opinion of the product.

This enables them to relate with a customer when he asks about the features of a particular shoe.

They also have a strip of pavement outside the store where customers and staff can test shoes in order to get a feel of the products for themselves. This helps them figure out if it is the shoe they need or want, he says.

Remind customers that using their running shoes for activities other than running will wear them out and reduce their lifespan, Lamont advises.

He considers top end running shoes unsuitable for everyday use as he finds that any pair that has exceeded the 5km mark are not as comfortable to run in.

2016 September :: Sports Trader

p48 :: Outdoor

Best of the best new outdoor products

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Industry experts identified 8 outdoor products that could set new trends

mattress that remains inflated even when punctured, a child carrier bag that doubles as a blanket, a 3-layer jacket weighing less than 100gm, and a backpack protection bag on wheels, are among the innovative products receiving gold awards from a panel of industry experts at the 2016 OutDoor trade show in Friedrichshafen The products that receive the annual awards at OutDoor are considered to be industry trend setters as they have to stand out in terms of their quality, design and sustainability — the gold awards go to innovative products that go a step further and set industry benchmarks with exceptional concepts and give new meaning to performance.

This year 37 products from 343 entries were awarded — eight with gold awards.

The panel of judges commented as follows about the gold award winners: • Trail King SV by Therm-aRest: “This mattress is superfast to inflate with the speed valve and still remains comfortable even if punctured, thanks to its alternating air and foam con-

struction.”

• Birnabag By Birnadal — a child carrier bag: “Great idea for a wide range of uses. You can even use it as a blanket in your tent or on the ground. It also fits perfect on prams. Beautiful details.”

• Transfer Wheelie Bag by Exped — a backpack protector. “A very practical baggage solution. Ideal for transporting luggage on adventures. We are impressed by the small pack size it folds down to when not in use.”

• Hyper 100 Jacket by Berghaus: “Only 97gm — the lightest, 3-layer waterproof we’ve come across. The ultra-lightweight design is impressive; the fabric is exceptional. The pattern using only two key parts is super minimalist.”

• Balance Crash Pad by Edelrid: “What a good

idea! This is the first crash pad we’ve seen that adapts itself to the ground underneath.”

• Balaclava by Stoll: “This really is an innovation. The seamless construction is great — when we tried it on, the balaclava is really comfortable and the heating system around the mouth is a fine idea.”

• Cafflano Klassic

by Beanscorp: “It’s obvious that the developers of this new innovation are real coffee aficionados with an eye for detail. This all-in-one hand mill, filter and thermos cup is a clever design with a quality construction.”

• Guppy Friend by Langbrett: “This innovative product tackles the problem of plastic fibrepollution — an issue that the whole outdoor industry needs to find solutions for.” (See p34)

Apparel and footwear dominate outdoor sales Outdoor apparel was by far the biggest category (28%) with a value of €1.5-bn. Backcontributor to sales in the European outdoor packs and accessories each contributed 7% market in 2015: the €2.7-bn of apparel sales (€370-m), tents 3% (€165-m) and the €121-m represented 51% of the €5.3-bn total wholeworth of climbing sales and €108-m of sleeping sale value of sales, although this was also the bags sold each contributed 2%. slowest growth category during the year.

Backpacks, with 3.5% growth in volume and Apparel volumes grew 1.2%, compared to overall outdoor industry growth of 2.1% in value and 1.7% in volume in 2015.

Percentage of sales per category The European Outdoor Group (EOG) shared the key findings of their market research during the first day of the 2016 OutDoor trade show in Friedrichshafen.

A weaker second half, characterized by a warm winter, impacted the relatively healthy sales of the first half (European spring/summer).

The State of Trade 2015 report estimates that the retail sale value of outdoor prodApparel Footwear Backpacks Accessories ucts in the European market was €11.2bn.

Tents Climbing Sleeping bags Footwear represented the second biggest

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

2.9% in value, reported the biggest category growth. This is not surprising as backpacks are fast becoming the preferred carrier option for consumers across all age and gender groups, as reported in Sports Trader in July 2016.

The EOG State of Trade report is based on data from 111 European brands reporting sellin data across seven main categories and 48 sub-categories. The report showed consistent retail buying patterns across all markets and in all climates, irrespective of a country’s economic performance.

During 2015 Germany and France, the two biggest markets, grew by 2.2% and 2.5% respectively and the third largest, the UK, grew 1.8%.

“A survey of EOG members covering this year (2016) to June gives some cause for optimism, with an indicative view that suggests some relatively strong growth in value,” said EOG general secretary Mark Held.

p50 :: Outdoor

Must-have camping accessories There is no question that camping is a great way to escape the humdrum of everyday life. Thomas Hiram Holding, an early 20th Century British travelling tailor who published The Camper’s Handbook and founded the Camping and Caravanning Club, would not be able to believe the evolution of camping in the 21st century, writes CHILTON MELLEM

C

amping has become so multifaceted over the years that it can take on a variety of forms. Sleeping under the stars in your own backyard, braving the elements in a tent in the outdoors, congregating in a caravan park, gathering around a bonfire as a boy scout, or spending a couple of days at a trance party, can all be seen as forms of camping.

More and more South Africans are also exploring Southern Africa through camping, often in remote spots with few facilities.

Whichever way your customer decides to camp, choosing what to take with can determine the success of the outing. What makes it even harder to choose, is the variety of innovative products out there that can make living rough so much more pleasurable.

To help gain an idea which camping accessories practically sell themselves, Sports Trader asked retailers for their three top sellers — and why they think they are so popular. Your customers will, no doubt, appreciate your recommendations of the camping accessories they simply must have to enjoy sleeping and eating away from their home comforts.

Lighting options The most important accessory for their customers going camping is a product that will provide sufficient light, is the feedback from 63% of the retailers who responded. Torches as well as headlamps sell well among their camping customers.

“Camping in remote areas, for example, where you have no lights or electricity, can make for a very dark experience without a decent flashlight or headlamp,” says Ricky

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

Gericke of Trappers. “Headlamps and torches both have their uses and application in camping. Many people prefer a headlamp due to the handsfree application it provides. A flashlight, on the other hand, will generally give you superior light and distance in terms of beam length.”

“Headlamps can be used for so many applications, for example while braaing,” Christo van Zyl of Trappers in Middelburg points out.

Continuing developments in this market have created products that make the outdoor life a little easier and pleasurable. “LED’s have changed these products drastically and are continuing to improve at an exponential

Every man loves to have a gadget and a knife or multi-tool always seems to be the first choice rate,” Alec Blair from Camp and Gas explains.

“Every camper and outdoor enthusiast seems to keep wanting to upgrade his current torch, headlamp, etc. to the latest model.”

“Every camper needs a good headlamp,” says Bruce Woodroffe of Awesome Tools, local distributor of Ledlenser. Their new lightweight 96gm SEO 3 headlamp features Smart Light Technology (SLT), which allows the user to choose between two energy modes (energy saving and constant current), and to quickly and easily set individualised programs with a simple click.

“Small and compact, with an impressive 280 lumen output this is a great little light to

have at hand,” is how Woodroffe describes the Ledlenser TT torch. “It also feature anti-roll protection, so it won’t roll away when placed on the floor next to the camping mattress!”

The removable anti-roll protection is a pentagon shape and is slipped over the end of the torch. Additionally, the torch features the Turning Focus System, which helps the user focus the light on objects further away, or to spread the light more to fill his peripheral.

Vango’s Eye Light USB, distributed locally by Ram Mountaineering, stands on a bendable 40cm arm, which is made from a strong ABS material. The arm can be wrapped around almost anything to attach the light, or bent into a shape to create a stand of its own. Eye Light can be charged through a USB. Cosmos 3, Cosmos 6, Spark and Starburst, the four LED headlamps in the Medalist range, each has a tiltable body that allows the user to adjust the beam’s angle, a fully adjustable headstrap, and run on AAA batteries.

Medalist is distributed by De Wet Sports.

Cosmos 3 has three bright long life LEDs, (two white, one red) Cosmos 6 has (four white, two red), and the 80 lumen Spark has three (one white, two red). Spark also has two modes: flashing and full.

Weighing just 100gm without the batteries, and with a beam range of 150m, the 180 lumen Starburst offers the user three modes (full, low, flashing) as well as a zoom function.

Medalist’s three torches — Flare 9, Nebula, and Meteor — each has an aluminium body and comes with a wrist lanyard.

Flare 9 has 9 super bright long life LEDs, and weighs 55gm without batteries.

Nebula and Meteor both offer 120 lumen,

Outdoor :: p51

three modes (full, low and flashing), a zoom function, and a beam range of 150m. In addition, Meteor also has a rechargeable battery.

Eco-friendly People who enjoy spending time in nature also tend to be concerned about the preservation of the environment. Therefore it is not surprising to hear that products with eco-friendly qualities are popular.

Customers who are going camping often ask for bio-degradable soap, says Gericke. “It is generally a multipurpose soap that can be used for a range of things: washing dishes or clothing, showering etc. This helps as the customer doesn’t have to take a range of different cleaning items — one soap will do.”

Even though consumers tend to go camping to get away from it all, there are often still certain electronic devices that are useful to their outdoor enjoyment, which they would want to keep charged.

“Rechargeables are very important for Black Diamond, which wants to help its users conserve energy,” says Deidre Pieters from local distributor Ram Mountaineering. The 250 lumen Moji charging station lantern can also charge handheld devices (cameras, phones, etc.) via USB. The lantern itself can run on normal alkaline batteries, AC via an adapter, or on its enclosed recharegeable internal battery.

The Moji and Moji XP lanterns, with 100 and 150 lumen output respectively, cannot recharge other products.

Designed with camping in mind, each of these three compact Moji lanterns feature a durable construction, a streamlined, singlepiece design, a frosted globe to evenly distrib-

ute the light, a dimmer switch for those times when your customer might prefer a little less light, a collapsible double-hook hanging loop to easily suspend the lantern, and is protected against water immersion.

With its USB output, the UltraTec O.N Recharge 100L Powermate flashlight, distributed by Lite Optec, doubles as a powerbank.

Its battery too, in turn, can be recharged via USB, and it can provide up to 40 hours of light.

Additionally, Powermate comes with a handy waterproof dry storage box.

Knives and multi-tools A knife or multi-tool is the next most popular camping accessory, more than a third of re-

The most important accessory is a product that will provide sufficient light spondents indicated.

“Every man loves to have a gadget and, with that in mind, a knife or multi-tool always seems to be the first choice as an add on,” says Blair.

It definitely is a men’s gadget, agrees Belen Sanchez, the previous owner of Earth Scout who is now involved with Magnetic South Events. “Men never have enough knives.”

“A knife is such a versatile tool when it comes to camping and a real necessity for a serious camper,” adds Gericke, who says that a decent pocket or fixed blade knife is a good multipurpose tool when it comes to the variety of cutting jobs it can take on.

“Its water-resistance and strong, durable blade make the Opinel No 8 outdoor folding knife a worthwhile companion on every camping trip,” says local distributor Woodroffe. The knife also features a 2.5mm sandvick blade with a thick, serrated area, a 110 decibel pealess survival whistle, and a shackle key for 4-10mm shackles.

Also, Opinel’s No 10 stainless steel corkscrew and cheese knife is “great for picnics and when you realise you’ve forgotten a corkscrew for the wine!” he adds.

Remember that if your customer plans on taking a knife on his camping trip, a useful accessory to recommend is a knife sharpener.

“Everyone works with a knife at some point when camping, and it must be sharp,” Van Zyl points out.

Leatherman’s Signal multi-tool pairs traditional tools with ones that offer new features, for example a shaped diamond-coated sharpener. It also features a fire-starting ferro rod, an emergency whistle, a hammer for tent pegs … in total 19 tools that are handy to have around the campsite, explains Woodroffe.

Awesome Tools also distributes Leatherman.

The new heavy duty, lockable UltraTec multi-tool comes with a 10 year guarantee and features 13 DIY-related tools that will be a great help to a camper in a pinch. These are two knives (flat and serrated), four types of screwdrivers (a small, medium and large flat, and a Philips), a hook remover, can and bottle openers, a metal file, pliers, and wire cutter.

Sleeping systems Sleeping on the ground is not the most enjoyable of things to do, but sleepTo p52

2016 September :: Sports Trader

p52 :: Outdoor

Camping accessories cont. from p51 ing on a stretcher can make sleeping outdoors more comfortable. “A heavy duty stretcher can carry 200kg and is a very sturdy unit — the legs won’t move around or just fold up under the weight,“ says Ruzanne Loots of Outdoor Warehouse in Nelspruit. “It is compact, doesn’t take up a lot of space and is easy stackable. It is fast to set up as well.”

A stretcher, however, can be a hard surface to sleep on by itself, so it is a good idea to recommend some form of padding. "High density compressed foam mattresses don’t lose shape, while being comfortable to sleep on,” she explains.

The self-inflatable hood pillow from JR Gear, locally distributed by Ram Mountaineering, fits into a sleeping bag’s hood. It’s made from stretchable soft-touch fabric and folds into a small size.

It’s not only the items they sleep on that enhances campers’ experience, but also the items that they sleep in. “Sleeping bag liners have proven to be extremely popular, as they can add to the sleeping bag’s temperature rating, and also keep the inside of the sleeping bag clean,” says Paul Frier of Cape Union Mart.

The envelope style sleeping bag Siesta 200 from Medalist has a temperate range of 1020ºC, and a 200g/m2 hollowfibre filling.

With a temperature range of 0-10ºC, the Nimbus 300 and 400 envelope sleeping bags are designed for use in slightly cooler temperatures. Nimbus 400 is designed for a slightly taller person, with a length of 210cm vs the 190cm length of the Nimbus 300. Each also has a 400g/m2 or 300g/m2 hollowfibre filling respectively.

The Nocturne 200 and 250 cowl style sleeping bags are both sized 220x80cm, but the 1.1kg Nocturne 200 has a temperature range of 10-20ºC and 200g/m2 hollowfibre filling, while the heavier (1.4kg) Nocturne 400 caters

for use in temperatures between 5-15ºC and has a 250g/m2 hollowfibre filling.

The mummy style Stratus 350 sleeping bag weighs 2kg has a temperature range of -5ºC to 5ºC and a hollowfibre filling of 350g/m2.

The versatility of gas “Gas bottles are often one of the first on most people’s camping lists due to the number of functions they assist with whilst camping,” says Blair.

“Gas stoves are essential, as so often one camps at a camp site doesn’t offer electricity,” agrees Frier. “The stoves are multifaceted as you can boil water for tea and coffee, or make a bona fide meal.”

“Also, the gas canisters can be used to power a lantern should the need arise.” he adds. “Stoves and canisters are always a good investment, as they can be used for hikes, loadshedding, etc.”

Food storage and preparation An off-road fridge is also a popular item among her customers, says Loots — especially 80L and 90L models that have battery protection for the secondary or vehicle battery. Because of this protection, the battery won’t be completely depleted, she explains. Models that are 220V compatible can also be plugged in at the camp site and run off the mains.

“When it comes to cooler boxes, there is very little that stands up to a Romer hard body cooler box,” says Peter Nieuwenhuizen, Product Manager of Agrinet, distributor of Kaufmann Outdoor. “This rugged cooler is tough

FIVE STAR LIVING IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS

as nails. Under test conditions it keeps items cold for up to seven days, it is designed to hold bottles up to 2.25L upright, is available in three sizes (40L, 45L and 65L), and has fixing points so that it can be secured inside a vehicle without using a strap over the lid, “making accessibility extremely easy when you need a cold one on the road”.

A good flask will keep the beverage inside hot or cold for long periods of time. “Our best-seller is the stainless steel vacuum bottle flask, available in 500ml, 700ml, and 1L,” he says.

“These functional and stylish flasks are perfect for picnics, outdoor events, or even taking to work, and provide up to 12 hours of performance.”

The durable, stainless steel 1L vacuum bottle from GSI, distributed by Ram Mountaineering, will keep beverages hot or cold for up to 15 hours. It has several useful features, for example a non-slip rubber bottom, a onepiece, pour-through lid to minimise spillage and heat loss, a streamlined design that means it’s easier to pack, and a glacier stainless lined cap cup for clean drinking.

“GSI has invested heavily in coffee products,” says Pieters. Its Java Mill, for example, is made for the discerning, travelling coffee enthusiast. It has a durable co-polyester build with a ceramic burr grinder, a foldable handle that enables the unit to be packed away compactly, and the silicone handle means a sure and comfortable grip.

The 11-piece gourmet kitchen set from GSI (above left) is ideal for cooking larger meals while away from home — and everything packs away neatly and compactly into a zippered nylon case. The larger tools, for To p54

GO VISIT KAUFMANNOUTDOOR.CO.ZA TO VIEW OUR RANGE For more information on the range, contact the Agrinet team. Samrand: T. +27 12 657 2000, Bellville: +27 21 959 5420 or enquiries@agrinet.co.za, www.agrinet.co.za Exclusively distributed by

p54 :: Outdoor

Camping cont. from p52

FEEDING YOUR LOVE FOR THE OUTDOORS SINCE 1985

GSI PIONEER FRY PAN

Classically beautiful, non-stick coated frypan with clad steel base

example spatula and spoon, are also designed to pack away small, and the salt and pepper shakers are waterproof to keep the spices dry.

Fire Maple’s Fire FRESH 1.5L pot, distributed

by Traverse Outdoor Gear, is constructed of hardened anodised aluminum, and features heat exchanger fins that increase performance, saves up to 30% of cooking time and reduces gas consumption. It also has foldable locking handles that can lock into place, and straining holes in the lid.

Simply add boiling water to any of Travellunch’s dried foods, stir, and, after a few minutes, your customer will have a tasty meal that can even be eaten straight out of the bag.

The range has 15 different flavours, including beef stroganoff, beef and potato hotpot, chicken korma curry … even desserts and gluten free risottos.

Travellunch is also distributed by Traverse Outdoor Gear.

Camping furniture

View our full rage of camping accessories:

www.rammountain.co.za

Geysers and portable toilets are two of the most popular camping accessory purchases in his store, says Allan Vos of Campworld.

A geyser that has the option of using electricity or gas will allow campers to shower in places that do not have ablution blocks, he points out.

A portable chemical toilet is “mostly used as an emergency toilet, especially as many camping site ablution blocks are not conveniently situated.” Adventurous campers who are brave enough to opt for the no-fence option in game parks might also prefer this indoor option to encountering a lion on the way to the ablution block at night.

There are a few points to keep in mind when recommending a camping chair. One of these is whether compact (lightweight, easy to carry, store, etc.) or comfortable (padded seats, high back rest etc.) is the most important for your customer’s needs, says Nieuwenhuizen.

“Generally, 4x4 enthusiasts require a reasonably comfortable chair that is compact and easy to store, whilst leisure campers covet a sink-in chair to laze around the campsite and next to a fire.”

Kaufmann Outdoor provide a range of chairs for most compact/comfort combinations to choose from.

Another is possible weak spots. “The single weakest point in any chair, including those made with heavy tubing, is the linkage system,” he explains.

“Folding chairs are usually constructed using moulded plastic cleats and steel pins or bolts,

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

to allow the chair to fold. Plastics are affected

by UV as well as stress and strain over time from movement — Kaufmann Outdoor chairs are only made from durable components, and heavy duty UV resistant fabrics.”

“When camping in the hot South African summer sun your customers need shade to keep things cool!” says Nieuwenhuizen.

“The heavy duty Kaufmann Outdoor Dome gazebo is quick and easy to erect, with perfect coverage from the hot sun. With 50%+ UV protection and double silver coating fabric, this gazebo provides 3.5m x 3.5m of the coolest shade. The optional mesh or solid side panels add the perfect combination of shade and visibility, keep insects out, and can double as an additional room. It folds up very small, compared to conventional gazebos, allowing it to be easily transported in the boot of a car.”

Keep items stored “Ammo boxes are easy to stack and can hold a lot of equipment inside,” says Loots. “The latches also keep the lids tight so that goods can’t spill out. These units can be used for storage, carrying water, used as a platform like a table, etc.”

Another popular purchase is a dry bag, to keep clothing and gear safe from getting wet, says Sanchez.

Customers want lightweight bags made from quality material.

“The Atka 10L drybag is a brilliant piece of equipment for every trip,” says Woodroffe. “A dry bag is a must-have and you’ll be surprised how often it comes in handy!” Made from heavy duty vinyl, it is 100% waterproof, can float, folds down for easy storage, and is easy to clean.

“Nite Ize’s gear line keeps gear neat and organised with everything at arm’s reach,” he adds. The 121cm line is made from wearresistant webbing and has Gear Tie Reusable Twist Ties on each end, allowing it to be attached on hooks, knobs, etc. Along its length it has five #2 and five #4 s-biner double-gated carabiner clips of various sizes, each attached to an individual loop on the line.

Cover the head Hats and caps are important as well, adds Van Zyl. “The African sun is hot!”

Medalist’s Air Flow and Adventure hats each has an inner sweat band with moisture management, an adjustable shock cord brim, and are available in medium (58cm) and large (60cm) sizes. Both also feature mesh inserts for added ventilation: Air Flow’s mesh inserts are clearly visible, while Adventure’s are hidden. The lightweight Air Flow also has a wider brim for even more sun protection.

Outdoor :: p55

‘Nice buzz’ at SAFTAD The 2016 showcase of the latest fishing tackle ranges was a bit quieter than former years, but exhibitors were mostly happy with the business the show generated.

Photos by LOUIS DU TOIT Despite lower visitor and exhibitor numbers, the feedback from this year’s South African fishing tackle trade show (SAFTAD) was that there was “a very nice buzz” and that “everybody was happy.”

The exhibitor and visitor numbers were about 20% down from previous years, with 192 retailers sending representatives to attend the two-day show at the UNISA Training Centre in Ormonde. They were about equally split across the two days (97 Saturday and 95 Sunday) with 21 companies attending both days.

After the shock of the cars stolen from the parking lot last year, most visitors and exhibitors were very happy to endure the stricter security procedures — although one or two complained about the inconvenience.

These included ensuring that visitors were bona fide retailers or members of the media to prevent copying of products or ambush trading. Exhibitors also benefitted because they knew that time spent with the trade only visitors could result in a potential order.

Among the 40 exhibitors — 16 SASGAM members and 24 non-members — were newcomers like Fish from Africa, who now distribute Salmo fishing lures, Fishing’s Finest, the new dis-

Mike Pereira and Mike Philip from The Kingfisher.

Exhibitors benefitted from the enforcement of the trade only rule because they knew that time spent with any visitor could result in a potential order tributors of Pelagic clothing, Carlisle Custom Tackle, distributors of the Mad Mullet brand and Myphron Trading.

Kingfisher celebrate 20 years SAFTAD founding member The Kingfisher celebrated their 20 years of service to the industry by offering a host of product specials and innovative products from their new ranges.

After nearly half a century of reliability the original legend returns, the new Daiwa 2016 BG. Its aluminium body and side plate forms a reel body that is precisionmachined, and highly corrosion-resistant, making it the ultimate body for the offshore environment, says Mike Phillips.

A highly evolved drive system, Digigear, features a high precision cutting technique that achieves excellent gear meshing and ultrasmooth performance.

“The BG uses our latest version of Air Rotor, a super strong light rotor like no other – it is a new revolution in strength and sensitivity,” says Phillips. This design disperses pressure to the entire lower section of the rotor, dramatically decreasing weight, stress and flexing while massively increasing the strength. “Big on looks and big on features, the all- new, all-

black and gold BG offers a powerful combination of performance, strength and reliability in one of Daiwa’s most renowned names in heavy duty spin reels,” he adds.

The Daiwa BG spinning reels will be available from end September 2016.

The Saltiga is the ultimate multiplying reel, built to take the rigors of extreme saltwater use. It features Mag Seal technology, a revolutionary system that involves magnetized oil that forms an impenetrable seal that prevents dust, water and salt intrusion.

Saltiga also has a precision-machined onepiece aluminum frame for more cranking power, strength and durability. Ultimate cranking control is available in the new Saltiga with a large Swept Handle, bringing the balance point of the handle closer to the centre of the reel.

It combines with the large, super grip EVA knob for unmatched cranking power, balance and control. This new range of Daiwa Saltiga star drag reels will be available in January 2017.

The Poseidon Azure threepiece graphite rods have been designed for use with fixed spool reels. These light weight super durable rods, with soft tips for controlled distance casting and massive lower pulling power, offer optimal performance in shore fishing applications.

The distinctive Azure EVA grips and matching rod guides make a bold statement. Final touches include top quality graphite reel seats, a cloth bag and an attractive functional rod tube.

Busy Apex Walker stand Among the many new products introduced on the bustling Apex Walker Brands stand was the

2016 September :: Sports Trader

p56 :: Outdoor

Claire Ramsden and Howard Joscelyne in front of a poster of a new Fin-Nor reel they launched.

Patrick Franck, Darren Wentzel and Andrew Wentzel on the rapidly expanding W.E.T. Sports stand.

tournament-caliber Quantum Vapor PT Casting Reel. The stylish and lightweight reel offers powerful performance that will be appreciated by a wide spectrum of bass fishermen.

The eleven bearings (10+1) ensure consistent smooth casts and retrieves, aided by the Zero Friction pinion design. A long (9cm) handle provides extra winding leverage and a hard brass main gear delivers power.

It is suitable for a variety of lures and fishing conditions due to the wide range of Infinite ACS internally-adjustable cast control settings. The large rubber cork handle knobs add pleasing aesthetics.

W.E.T. Sports grow ranges W.E.T. Sports is another longstanding SAFTAD member who has steadily been growing their product offering. This year their stand showed just how much they expanded their ranges that now also feature their own React brand rods and reels and accessories, the Eezysun water resistant sunscreen brand that is sold in handy individual sachets as well as an ever-expanding range of tools and accessories.W.E.T. Sports have also recently been appointed the agents for the Novateur carp bait range.

They launched their fishing tackle catalogue

at the show, which is now also available for order by other retailers.

Durban show Since last year, SAFTAD has been branching out with an earlier trade show in Durban to reach the KwaZulu Natal retailers. This was held over the weekend of 23-24 July, with “everybody reporting back very positively,” says Hodgskin.

The nine exhibitors explained their ranges to representatives from 40 retail companies, which means they were talking to 2-3 customers per hour throughout the two days.

Outdoor :: p57 Business was brisk at the SAFTAD trade show. Despite lower visitor numbers, the new products launched attracted plenty of interest from the visiting traders.

Upbeat about trading Lowrance SA MD Lisbeth Plotz (right) is upbeat about the coming season, “We have great expectations as the general mood in South Africa has picked up after the election and the Rand has strengthened.”

She showed her range of new products at the recent Johannesburg Boar Show, including marine accessories like the Parking Trolley, the popular Water Wolf camera, Lowrance’s HDS range, the Hook series and more. The Simrad GO-series, which made its debut at the Durban Boat Show this year, was also on display.

The Lowrance Elite Ti stand­alone, compact fishfinder/ chartplotter combo unit is a

big performer, packed with features and easy to use, she says. There are two versions: the TotalScan transducer for CHIRP, Broadband, StructureScan and DownScan imaging, or the Ti without a tranducer. “You can select the one that best suits your purposes.”

Esca Lures are­ a must for the well-­stocked tackle box, Plotz believes. Each tiny, lightweight blue or green saltweater lure features different blinking frequencies that mimic natural lure lights in the sea to attract fish.

“The Water Wolf camera becomes your eyes under water,” she adds. The recently introduced bottom fishing kit keeps an eye on stationary bottom rigs.

The SAFTAD AGM was held during the annual show, where John Pledger (above left) was re-elected chairman and MaryAnn Hodgskin (right) as secretary. Graham Hills of Pure Fishing was elected as a new committee member, while Howard Joscelyn of Apex Walker Brands, Abdullah Mia of S.I. Mia Wholesale, Barry Wareham of iFish and Ahmed Hoosen of Sensational Tackle were re-elected as committee members.

Vinesh Singh will represent Rapala VMC in the place of Mark Pledger.

This year Adrenalin Fishing joined the Association as one of the sixteen members.

The 2017 Johannesburg show will be held on 12 and 13 August at the same UNISA venue in Ormonde. The 2017 show in Durban will be held over the weekend of 22-23 July in the D.L.I. Hall in Greyville.

Now available only from W.E.T. Sports

F 209 Bait Knives

Carp Torpedo Feeders Available in 4 Sizes

Weighted Carp Feeders Available in 2 Sizes

NP 2000, NP 4000, NP 6000 Reels

F 212 Bait Knives

FT 1131 LED Dive Torch

FL 11200 LED Dive Headlamp

Launching EezySun Sun Tan Lotion Unique New Individual Sachets

FP 921 Side Cutters With Free Pouch

FP 830 Long Nose Pliers

Products shown are exclusive to W.E.T. Sports

Oval Floats in 3 Sizes

REACT Rod and Reel Combos Available in 5’, 6’, 7’, 8’, 10’, 12’

Contact us for all enquiries and a copy of the new catalogue and latest price lists

Tel: 021-948 8150 ~ Fax: 021-948 8084 ~ Fax-2-Email: 086 609 7343 ~ Email: sales@wetsports.co.za ~ Website: www.wetsports.co.za

p58 :: Outdoor

Comparing first half import values R-m 200

Comparing first half import volumes ‘000 7000 6000

150

5000 4000

100

3000 2000

50

1000 0

2014 Rods

2015 Hooks

Reels

0

2016 Accessories

2014

Total

Rods

Comparing average import Rand value/unit

Hooks

Reels

2016 Accessories

Total

Comparing fishfinder import value R-m

2014

2015

2016

Rods

117

107

80

Hooks

174

245

308

Reels

279

258

267

80

Accessories

14

12

17

60

The Rand value of fishing tackle imports in the first half of the year grew 16% from 2015 to 2016 and 21% from 2014 to 2015. But, the volume of imports in the first half of 2016 was 45% lower than the same period in 2015 — while volumes grew 44% from 2014 to 2015. Over the past two years the average Rand value per unit imported increased 6.5% and 8% respectively. In 2016 the average import price of accessories and hooks (per kg) was considerably higher than previous years, but the value per rod was much lower than the previous two years.

2015

160 140 120 100

40 20 0

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Despite higher import costs due to the weak exchange rate, the Rand value of electronic instruments (including fishfinders) imported in 2015 was lower than in 2013 and 2014, which indicates a dip in the market. The value of imports in 2015 was, however, still much higher than in 2012 and slightly higher than in 2011.

Healthy growth in tackle market

In 2015 the volume of fishing tackle units imported was a massive 67% higher than the year before Whether it is true that when times are tough, the tough go fishing, or not, it certainly seems that in 2015 the tackle importers anticipated that South Africans were going to take to the water.

The total volume of tackle imported grew 67% between 2014 and 2015, and the Rand value increased 25%.

The biggest volume growth was in accessories (75%) and rods (45%), but the number of reels imported was 29% down.

The Rand value of fishing tackle imported in 2015 increased across all categories: rods (35%), hooks (41%), reels (21%) and accessories (20%).

Despite the economic downturn last year, which would presumably discourage sales of luxury goods like boats and yachts, there was a slight increase in the number of boats and related craft that were imported — mainly inflatables and accessories.

The value of boating imports in 2015 was also up from 2014, but still lower than the high spike in 2013. The Rand value of imports in 2015 was on par with 2011 and 2012. The very small number of motorboats and sailboats imported, however, contributed a substantial amount to the Rand value of imports.

Value of boating imports in R-m

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

Outdoor :: p59

Amsterdam not EFTTEX bi-annual home The European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA) has decided against hosting the EFTTEX trade show in Amsterdam every two years, as many members asked. Despite the popularity of the centrally located city, the organisers decided that the Rai exhibition hall was too expensive to make it a fixed bi-annual venue. Instead, they will continue to rotate the show between cities every year.

International tackle winners available in SA Several brands that produced Best Product winners at the big international shows are also available in South Africa

T

he two major American fishing tackle trade shows, ICAST and IFTD, attracted a record number of visitors when they were again held alongside each other at the same venue in Orlando, Florida.

This year 15 000 visitors attended the shows. ICAST (International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades), together with the International Fly Tackle Dealer (IFTD) show and the new Marine Accessories Pavilion (in partnership with the National Marine Manufacturers Association), covered 198 120m2 of exhibition space.

More than 1 000 products and accessories were this year entered in ICAST’s New Product Showcase.

• Of the other brands available in South Africa, Lew’s Fishing Tackle, locally distributed by Thornveld Angling, won three categories: Combo (Mach II Speed Spool Combo), Freshwa-

TRADE ENQUIRIES: Lowrance SA Tel: 031 368 6649 Fax: 031 368 6654 Email: sales@lowrance.co.za www.lowrance.co.za

ter Reel (Lew’s Custom Pro SLP) and Saltwater Rod (Mach Speed Stick).

• St. Croix, distributed by Xplorer Fly Fishing, won two categories: Fly Rod (Rods SOLE) and Freshwater Rod (Legend Glass Rod).

• Pure Fishing also won two categories: Fly Reel (Pflueger President Fly Reel) and Saltwater Reel (Penn Slammer III).

• Two brands distributed by Rapala VMC SA (Costa and Shimano) each won a category. The Costa Rafael won the Eyewear category and the Footwear category was won by Shimano’s Flats Wading Boots.

• The Men’s USA Fish Stalker from Under Armour won the Lifestyle Apparel category.

• Minn Kota Ultrex won the Best of Show award.

Fly fishing show winners At IFTD Sage Fly Fishing scooped the crown this year for Best of Show with their Sage X 590 fly, while both Simms Fishing Prod-

ucts and RIO, available from Xplorer Fly Fishing, dominated in several categories each.

• Simms won the following categories: Mens Waders (Headwater Pro Waders), Wading Boots (Rip Rap Shoe Felt), Men’s General Apparel (Intruder BiComp L/S Shirt), Women’s General Apparel (Rip Rap Sandal) and Check Pack/Vest (G4 Pro Sling Pack).

• Rio won the following: Fly Line Freshwater (InTouch Big Nasty), Fly Line Saltwater (Winter Redfish), Leader/Tippett (Saltwater Mono) and DVD (Favorite Fly-Fishing Knots).

• Patagonia, distributed by Bar Global Trading, won the men’s and women’s Outerwear categories with the Minimalist Wading Jacket and Women’s River Salt Jacket respectively.

• Orvis and Tacky, distributed by Omni Sport, each won Accessory categories with the Orvis Aluminum Nipper and Tacky Dry Fly Box. • Pure Fishing won the Women’s Waders category with the Hodgman Women’s H4 Wader.

IFTD attracted 552 exhibiting companies in 1 850 booths.

The next ICAST, organised by the American Sportfishing Association, and IFTD (organised by the American Fly Fishing Trade Association) will take place 11—17 July 2017 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

EFTTEX awards The 2016 EFTTEX New Product Awards was this year dominated by three big brands: Daiwa, Pure Fishing and Rapala VMC, who each won three awards.

• Daiwa, locally distributed by The Kingfisher, won Best Multiplier Reel (Prorex 100/200), Best Soft Lure (Prorex Live Trout) and Best Rod (Prorex XR).

• Pure Fishing’s brands won in the Best Braided Line (SpiderWire Stealth Smooth), Best Fly Reel (Hardy Ultralite ASR) and Best Clothing (Hodgman Vion H-Lock Wade Boots) categories.

• Rapala VMC SA’s brands won in the Best Fixed Spool Reel (Shimano Vanquish), Boxes, Holdalls, Bags & Luggage (Rapala VMC Urban Classic Swing Bag), and Best Sunglasses/Headgear (Costa del Mar) categories.

• D.A.M. won the Best Metal Lure category with the EFFZETT Big Pike Rattlin’ Spinner.

• The Best Fly Line is the Rio Coastal Quickshooter, locally distributed by Xplorer Fly Fishing.

EFTTEX 2016 took place 16-18 June at the Rai Centre, Amsterdam, where a record-breaking 1 192 visitors attended the first day — up 27% on the previous year.

More than 1 600 visitors attended the three-day show this year.

Next year EFTTEX will be held in Budapest, where exhibition space is already 78% booked.

p60 :: Advertorial

HuntEx2017 geared to increase international participation “I love guns. Guns are awesome, dad.” This comment came from a young lad aged about 10 while accompanying his parents to HuntEx2016 in Midrand, Gauteng in April this year. Out of the mouth of babes … Judging by the plans lined up for HuntEx2017, much more awesomeness is yet to come, writes Magda Naudé on behalf of HuntEx

H

untEx held its sixth annual consumer trade show at the popular Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng, South Africa in April 2016. It provides a onestop shopping experience for products and services in 53 categories that include firearms and related accessories, high tech equipment for hunting and sportshooting, clothing and outdoor equipment, hunting and holiday destinations to name but a few.

Since its modest debut in April 2011 when the expo attracted 19 016 visitors, to a record attendance of 45 521 visitors in 2015, this small-calibre firearm expo has grown in stature to become a well-entrenched household name among firearm, hunting and outdoor enthusiasts in South Africa.

Come 2016, HuntEx had to weather the unfavourable economic climate with 7 000 fewer visitors through the gates. “With less dispos-

able income, visitors probably stayed away to avoid the temptation of buying items they could probably not afford at that stage,” said HuntEx owner and organiser, Adriaan Woudstra.

Despite the drop in visitor numbers, most exhibitors have reported increases in their sales compared to 2015. Fewer visitors per day seem to have had a positive effect on sales.

“Exhibitors were able to spend more time with interested buyers so the drop in numbers is not all bad,” Woudstra said.

Loyalty proves confidence Exhibitor loyalty in HuntEx remained firm however, and the 2016 expo registered a new record number of 396 exhibitors. Among them were more international dealers and manufacturers from Lebanon, USA, Germany, Great Britain, Namibia, Pakistan, Tanzania, Austria and Italy. Numerous international brands for

firearms and shooting accessories exhibited under their own brands. Previously these brands were represented by South African agencies at HuntEx. Woudstra believes this trend is proof of the confidence in HuntEx as a sought-after opportunity for foreign dealers to launch and test new products or services in Africa. “We are positive that this trend will continue to give more South Africans direct access to manufacturers of popular international brands.”

The softer side of HuntEx Another positive development from HuntEx 2016 was a significant increase in female visitors. About 32% of visitors were women, compared to 18% in 2015. The increase in women visitors was the result of a deliberate marketing strategy to target the female segment of the market that was previously overlooked as potential visitors or buyers of To p62

p62 :: Advertorial

HuntEx2017 cont. from p60 firearms and related products.

South Africa has a strong tradition of veldto-fork hunters that hunt to meet their own needs. Based on the results of surveys undertaken in the hunting industry over recent years, there are more than 200 000 consumptive hunters in South Africa. The annual hunt is often a family affair combined with a holiday so the whole family is introduced to hunting through secondary exposure.

Hunting is not the only firearm-related activity that attracts female followers. Sportshooting has gained enormous popularity among women of all ages. Hunting and sportshooting associations are experiencing a steady growth in female members that take up competitive sportshooting as a hobby. Women are good shottists and often outperform their male counterparts on the shooting range. The sport provides opportunities for equal participation at numerous levels.

In addition, the commercial hunting and wildlife sector offers ample business prospects for anyone with business savvy and creativity.

Women feature prominently as managers and business owners in the wildlife, hunting, tourism and hospitality sector through fringe industries such as fine art, photography, fashion and jewellery design as well as the mainstream businesses. Therefore, it makes perfect sense for HuntEx to include women in their marketing strategy for the expo in the future.

Winning recipe The overall success of the show can also be attributed to the right mix of high quality ingredients for a well-planned expo that Woudstra and his team put together year after year.

As organisers, they are open to new ideas and will try something different if it has merit.

However, if it does not support the HuntEx objectives or add value to the visitor experience, it goes.

Marketing HuntEx to consumers and exhibitors at both local and international level is an ongoing task. The positive spin-off of bold, unapologetic statements, billboards and advertisements promoting HuntEx as a firearm expo might have contributed to soften negative public perception about gun ownership.

“Even if you do not like guns and you prefer to buy your meat in vacuum-packed polystyrene containers at your local supermarket, you can be tolerant towards those that hunt legally and responsibly. If we can educate society that it is okay to like guns, then it is a positive step in the right direction,” said Woudstra.

Quo Vadis HuntEx? Woudstra is confident about the future of HuntEx. “We are grateful for six consecutive successful years, but the marketing team does not rest on its laurels. Negotiations with manufacturers and their local distributors continue to build on the success achieved at HuntEx2016. The objective is to constantly im-

prove on visitors' experience,” he says.

For HuntEx2017, a bigger emphasis will be on participation of international companies that sell accessories and firearms. HuntEx is still the main window of the industry in South Africa and is the ideal showcase for companies wishing to break into this market and to find local distributors if there is sufficient interest among South African consumers.

Improving the experience Traditional exhibition stands mimic the shop front, which is not necessarily conducive to a good customer experience or sales in an expo environment. An experimental exhibition at HuntEx2016, which allowed the visitor to pick up a rifle without having to ask a staff member to give it to them, had remarkable results. The dealer sold 170 firearms in three days, which was a new record, just by enhancing the shopping experience. The plan is to expand this format to other gun dealers so they can also benefit from this method.

Practical demonstrations at HuntEx have always drawn visitors who are keen to see how the experts do it. Most hunters in South Africa hunt for their own use. Carcass processing and cooking demonstrations offer additional value to hunters that want to make the most of the

The increase in women visitors was the result of a deliberate marketing strategy to target the female segment of the market that was previously overlooked meat. The same applies to demonstrations in reloading and hand-loading techniques which are attracting more spectators every year as the price of pre-loaded ammunition is skyrocketing. The HuntEx2017 programme will include more demonstrations of this nature.

Other improvements that benefit both exhibitors and visitors include colour coding of halls, improving the basic stand structures and installing better lighting. The average visitor spends approximately six hours at HuntEx, which put pressure on the need for meals and refreshments. Planning for the 2017 event include considerable improvement in the menu options to allow for light snacks to high quality meals.

New generation marketing Based on the results of its ongoing market research, HuntEx adapts and adjusts its marketing and advertising strategies to keep pace with consumer behaviour and media trends.

Woudstra says they are changing their systems to embrace new trends in technology and communication. “We will make more use of online and social media platforms and industry

related blogs where we can reach a captive audience of people that have an interest in firearms he said. The development of an HuntEx app to guide visitors through the expo to exhibitors that advertise special offers is also on the cards.

Marketing and communication strategies need to match the reading habits of the entire spectrum of the HuntEx target audience that ranges from Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials. The emerging youth market referred to as Generation Z (Gen-Z) includes the teens, tweens and young adults born between 1995 and 2010. The oldest of this bunch are 21 years old in 2016 and are on the brink of making independent financial and lifestyle decisions.

“We are constantly reminded by marketing gurus that the Gen-Z group communicates using symbols and images to replace words.

They avoid text-heavy content and snack on bite-size information. They are used to having information at their fingertips and are up to speed with the latest technology. They use Whisper and Snapchat while Baby Boomers are still struggling with Facebook. This poses a considerable challenge to our marketing strategy,” said Woudstra.

The online strategy extends to the expo ticketing. “We will incentivise electronic ticket sales by making online tickets cheaper. This not only makes it easier for the visitor at the gates, but simplifies our cash management too,” said Woudstra. There are plans afoot to reduce crowding on popular show days such as Saturdays as well as offering expo ticket packages that allow visitors to attend every day of the show at a discounted rate.

Location, location, location …

Gallagher Convention Centre will remain the home for HuntEx for the foreseeable future.

It is a popular venue located in the financial powerhouse of South Africa with easy access by road and Gautrain. “We have already booked 80% of the floor space for 2017 and we will have to resort to a waiting list by February 2017. We must look at utilising the available space more effectively. One solution is to provide warehousing where exhibitors can store stock and thereby free up exhibition space.

HuntEx will start looking at a logistics system to assist exhibitors with managing stock and deliveries. We are already doing it for the firearm dealers but we need to expand that facility to accommodate other exhibitors.”

The timing and duration of HuntEx has been the topic for ongoing debate. It is difficult to please everybody all the time. Woudstra says they are negotiating to increase the show days to five without extra cost to exhibitors and to do it at month end rather than the middle of the month. This may already occur next year.

HuntEx2017 will be held at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng, from 28 April–1 May. Smaller shows will again take place in the Western Cape at the Rhebokskloof Wine Estate from 10-12 March 2017 and in Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape, from 26-28 May 2017.

Industry :: p63

Not all disruptions are bad, CARIN HARDISTY found when attending the Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit

Disruptions can be good The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) is a global industry network of about 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers, etc. that operates in the consumer goods market across 70 countries. Each year the CGF holds a global summit, inviting

T

here is nothing quite as frustrating as when you think you have finally figured it all out and your business is going well, only to be figuratively hit over the head by someone who has found a way of disrupting your market and providing a similar service, only in a completely different and smarter manner.

“The pace of change will never again be as slow as it is today,” Matthew Bishop, senior editor of The Economist Group said during The Economist’s Innovation Forum in 2015.

The world is moving fast, and it’s only going to go faster.

The use of technology and data to better understand and customise the way you approach your customers, is at the heart of disruption.

There have been three major breakthroughs in technology over the past 20 years that are enabling an entirely new way of doing business, says Michael Fertik, Founder and Chairman of Reputation.com, a company that specialises in helping companies to build online reputation, improve service delivery, and drive financial results. These are: • Search: Google in particular has made it increasingly easy to find information about anything, anywhere, at any time.

• Cloud: data storage has now become effectively free with the advent and growth of the cloud, and soon it will be cheaper to store information forever than to delete it.

• Predictive analytics: the ability to analyse and make sense of data is continuously improving, which means that companies are better able to understand how customers are likely to behave, and more accurately.

Companies today have an unprecedented ability to target and assess the effectiveness of their messaging to consumers across multiple platforms and change it according to results

leaders in their industries from across the world to present talks to delegates. This year was CGFs 60th anniversary and its summit was held in Cape Town between 15-17 June — the first time it has been held on the African continent.

within an hour,” says Kate Sayre, Global Head of Consumer Goods Strategy at Facebook.

“This, however, requires nimbleness and innovation, which large established corporates generally lack. It is therefore small companies, which don’t struggle with traditional corporate bureaucracy, that are causing much of the disruption. Where Google and Facebook have succeeded most is in being able to bring innovators into their firms and keep them happy.”

Today, in the modern world, everything is becoming digitised and for a company to focus on digital is pointless, says Fertik. “Appointing a Chief Digital Officer is like appointing a Chief Gravity Officer.”

The gap between good digital technology users and bad ones, however, is increasing, he adds — with those who are already digitally well-off accelerating ahead of the rest.

Instead of getting bogged down by focusing on the inevitable use of digial technologies, companies should instead focus on using data to help customers define their needs, and then set about meeting those needs, he explains.

There is, however, a thin line between developing a product that can potentially change someone’s life and it being intrusive and creepy, warns Vivienne Ming, Co-Founder of Socos — a startup that applies cognitive modeling to create adaptive, personalised educational technology; one of which is a bot designed to foster the development of children’s life skills.

Companies should use the collected data with sensitivity, rather than only use it to “sell more stuff more efficiently”.

There has never been a good time to rest on your laurels, but today is even worse for it and can place your business at a significant disadvantage. In fact, large companies should keep

What is a Disruptor?

A Disruptor is a person, company, etc. who seeks out markets, wherein he sees an area of opportunity to improve and then acts on it — disrupting the way things have always been done.

Disrupting successfully: • Be nimble and able to change without being held back by corporate bureaucracy.

• Use data to find out what consumers’ needs are.

• Then use this data to decide how you can best address these needs.

• But don’t be intrusive! This will scare consumers away. an eye on what seemingly insignificant small companies are up to, because it is they who are most challenging the status quo.

“Take us very seriously!” warns Ludwick Marishane, founder and MD of Headboy Industries, a local manufacturer that sells its waterless Drybath Gel globally. The gel cleans the body through friction against the skin caused by rubbing it with the hands, and has become a thorn in the side of traditional soap manufacturers, which require the use of water.

Needless to say, data is the way forward for any company.

Omni businesses and data Companies that want to stay ahead of change and secure competitive advantage are transforming themselves into fully integrated omnibusinesses — able to respond to the needs of customers across all channels and at any point during their shopping, reports the Global Consumer Executive Top of Mind survey, which was conducted by the Consumer To p64

2016 September :: Sports Trader

p64 :: Industry

CGF Global Summit cont. from p63 Goods Forum and KPMG International among 400 consumer goods retail and manufacturing executives from 27 countries.

Almost a third (29%) of respondents indicated that they currently use data analytics, but it’s expected that this will grow to 58% within the next two years.

“Usage of techniques such as predictive analytics, customer path to purchase analytics, and artificial intelligence are also expected to double over the next two years to 59%, 54% and 43% respectively,” reveals the survey.

“Other analytical technologies that executives think will grow fast include real-time tracking systems, scenario modelling and stress testing, and micro targeting.”

A third of the executives indicated that they plan to evolve beyond their current single-, multi- or omni-channel retail operations into omni-businesses — an omni-business is one that is completely digitally integrated, “including not just sales channels, but also manufacturing, inventory, marketing, payments and distribution”.

A significant portion (42%) of respondents say their customers already expect a seamless experience across sales channels — especially the millennial generation.

“The customer is the new point of sale,” says Kruh. “To compete in a global marketplace with shifting demographics, even today’s bestin-class retailers and manufacturers require a deeper, multidimensional understanding of their customers.

“Hyper customer-centricity brings the customer into sharper focus through the use of advanced data analytics and smart technologies to track and anticipate consumer behaviour in near-real time and deliver personalised products and experiences when, where, and how the customer wants them.”

“Companies need to gather and analyze as much circumstantial, situational, and demonstrated behavior data as possible so they can start to understand the motivation for why, when, and how a consumer makes a purchase decision at any given time,” says Willy Kruh, Global Chair of Consumer Markets for KPMG International.

The use of technology and data, to better understand and customise the way you approach your customers, is at the heart of disruption.

“However, this shouldn’t be at the expense of the fundamentals of good customer service.”

Do you cover the basics?

In the end, it doesn’t matter how sophisticated your data collection is: if you don’t pay enough attention to consumers’ basic expectations, you won’t succeed — and research among 7 100 consumers in 19 countries suggests that the majority of retailers and manufacturers don’t.

These consumers’ top three criteria when selecting which brand or retailer to buy from are competitive pricing, return policies, and payment options.

Industry executives, however, thought that return policies and payment options are their customers’ least important criteria.

“This report provides further evidence of the pace of disruption that the industry is experiencing from the pervasive influence of millennial consumers, social media and omnichannel business models. So much so, that sometimes industry executives may struggle to keep up with their consumers,” says Peter Freedman, Managing Director of The Consumer Goods Forum. “According to this report, over 75% of shoppers now say their top buying criterion is detailed and transparent product information — yet only 42% of industry executives think transparency is important. And over half of consumers rate environmental and ethical considerations as very important to their purchase decision, a proportion again underestimated by industry executives.”

Disrupt the consumer “Retailers in South Africa are still dramatically underestimating the impact that the onslaught of digital is having on the industry,” says Tim

Bishop, Director at Deloitte Digital Africa.

“The in-store expectations of consumers are evolving faster than retailers are delivering on those expectations — a gap referred to as the digital divide — and unless retailers step up to the plate and capitalise on evolving consumer behaviour, they will struggle to stay relevant in today’s marketplace.”

Engagement is the most important aspect in crossing this divide, he continues. “South African retailers seem set on doing all the clever tech stuff as quickly as possible, such as creating special apps, but forget that the crucial factor is reshaping their relationship with their customers. We may be in the era of digital, but we have never left the age of human beings.”

The use of digital devices has transformed the shopping experience, with consumers using phones that have the ability to connect to the internet, laptops, desktop computers, and tablets to assist in their purchases — before entering the store (research and comparison), in-store, as well as after the shopping experience (to share their purchases with friends).

“Retailers have lost control of the conversation. Shoppers are more informed than ever, and the information they access most easily and trust the most is often no longer coming from retailers. This means retailers must think broadly about how product information is communicated to today’s consumers — the old methods of retail marketing are long gone.”

More important than having an online version of your brick-and-mortar store is having the right information online. “From extensive product information, peer reviews and prices, to the availability of products, and providing a full range of online tools consumers can embrace. Taking them from online to offline in the store must be a seamless, easy process.”

“As part of embracing the challenges and opportunities of digital disruption in the retail industry, retailers need to in turn disrupt shoppers and redefine their entire shopping experience.”

“We need to use predictive analytics to give our customers the tools and information they don’t yet know they want. Retailers need to see the micro-moments in the customer’s shopping journey where they can sprinkle the pixie dust.”

Digitally disrupting retailers There are three ways retailers have to contend with digital disruptions, says Guy Lundy, a trends analyst and strategy consultant specialising in the retail and consumer sector across Africa, and senior client partner at executive search and leadership advisory firm, Korn Ferry where he is responsible for the retail and consumer sector across Africa.

• The use of big data analytics to drive efficiencies: retailers can compare the data obtained from their loyalty schemes with other sources — for example social media, point-of-sale records, inventory tracking, and website analytics — to predict shopping trends, design targeted customer campaigns and to connect with consumers in new ways.

• Steady growth in online sales: “Online retail has been capturing all the gains in retail sales globally over the past few years, and is

Sports Trader :: 2016 September

likely to continue to do so in the foreseeable future,” says Lundy.

• The rise of mobile use, worldwide: it’s not only online that mobiles are impacting, but also in physical stores where retailers are ever increasingly making use of in-store mobile transaction solutions and mobile apps, for example for loyalty programmes, coupons and vouchers, to offer consumers a seamless shopping experience.

“We could be doing much more with the mobile technology at our disposal, however,” he says. “An example of the potential power of mobile for retailers is that of internet behemoth Alibaba, which turned Singles’ Day in China into a massive online shopping event. Last year, the company raked in a mind-boggling $14.3-bn in online sales on that one day — mobile purchases accounting for 72% of this income.”

Trade show news

Trade shows :: p65

Three day testing at Asia Bike THIS YEAR’S Asia Bike will feature a fully-integrated three day test event right next to the exhibition halls, as opposed to the one test day in the past.

Demo Days will also be held indoors from this year.

“This one-stop-shop concept makes it easy to attend both the exhibition and the test area at the same time and place, independent of weather conditions,” explains the organisers.

There will be professional test tracks with slopes, built to simulate a range of surfaces that will offer test surfaces for MTB’s, racing bikes and pedelecs.

The first Asia Bike Academy and second Asia Bike Industry Summit will also take place at the show, which takes place 13-14 September for the trade, with the 15th open to the public, at the Nanjing International Expo Centre, China.

More Asia Outdoor visitors THE 2016 Asia Outdoor Trade Show in Nanjing, China, saw a 3% increase in visitor numbers (2016: 19 502; 2015: 19 002) and a 14% increase in exhibiting brands (2016: 705; 2015: 617).

More than a quarter (26%) of this year’s exhibitors were international.

Visitors were mostly satisfied with the event and 92% confirmed that they would be back in 2017.

The trade show also included several seminars and discussion panels, and the China Outdoor Association (COA) held their second summit the day before the show, where topics such as the evolution of the outdoor industry and the integration of the outdoor and tourism industries were discussed.

The 12th Asia Outdoor will take place 29 June to 2 July 2017 in Nanjing.

Earlier OutDoor next year BOTH THE 2017 and 2018 OutDoor shows will take place earlier than the usual July time.

In 2017, OutDoor will take place 18-21 June and the 2018 show will take place 17-20 June, both running from Sunday to Wednesday.

This year’s OutDoor trade show in Friedrichshafen attracted 21 507 visitors from

Educational line up at Interbike

nearly a hundred countries, 8% more countries than in 2015.

Only a few more visitors (43), however, attended this year than last year.

The 960 exhibitors were from 40 countries and filled the exhibition grounds to full capacity.

Textile Exchange's annual Textile Sustainability Conference

INTERBIKE, the US bicycle trade show, will feature more than 1 400 brands, and one of their largest educational line-ups specifically aimed at retailers with topics aimed at helping to grow brick-and-mortar businesses, such as bicycle trends, fitting techniques, etc.

The number of exhibitors at their test track, The Circuit powered by Shimano, has almost doubled since last year.

The show, which receives about 25 000 visitors each year, has also seen a 35% increase of European brand exhibitors that don’t yet have a US distributor.

The 2016 show will take place 21-23 September (Demo: 19-20 September) in Boulder City.

THE TEXTILE EXCHANGE’S annual Textile Sustainability Conference is gearing up to host more than 300 attendees from all over the world, representing various areas in the textile supply chains such as brands, retailers, designers, etc.

The Textile Exchange plans to engage attendees on topics such as: flexibility and equivalence in certification, supply chain mapping 101, pricing: shining the light on market mechanisms, and taking responsibility for animals in the value chain.

The conference takes place in Hamburg, Germany, this year and will run from 3-6 October.

Hi-Tec 21 HuntEx 61 Intershu Distributors 19 Jack Parcels 3 Jeep 13 JFK Trading 3 Jordan 17 Jordan & Co 15, 17 JRT Crampton 43 Kakiebos 5 Karrimor 49 Kaufmann Outdoor 52 Kookaburra 43 Levi's 10, 12 Lowrance 59 Medalist 53 Medicus Shoes 27

Mille 9 Mitchell & Ness 31 OBO 42 Pierre Cardin 19 Puma 7 Quantum 56 Ram Mountaineering 54 React 57 Reef Brazil OFC Rocky 23 Skechers OBC Skye Distribution 9 The Kartal Distribution 1, 31 The Kingfisher 58 TK Sports 44 WET Sports 57

Advertisers index adidas 32, 33 Agrinet 52 Apex Walker Brands 56 Aqualine 25 ASICS 11 Because I Can Clothing OFC Brand Folio OBC Bronx 15 Cat 27 Crown Footwear 5, 23 Daiwa 58 De Wet Sports 25, 53 EezySun 57 Footwear Trading

10, 12, 13 Gryphon 42 GSI Outdoors 54 Happy Socks 1

2016 September :: Sports Trader