Sports Trader January 2015

Southern Africa’s business-to-business magazine for the sport, outdoor and leisure industries • Vol 36 No 1 • January 2015

New outdoor cooking developmentsIs team kit or replica more profitable?Growth in netball translates into sales

Publisher: Nicol du ToitEditor: Carin HardistyManaging editor: Trudi du ToitProofreader: Liz MilburnFeatures: Carin Hardisty,

Johann du Toit, Rhianah Fredericks, Trudi du Toit, Yamkela Mkebe

Design: Carin HardistyPhotography: Nicol du ToitAdvertising: Nicol du ToitSubscriptions: Carin HardistyPrinting: Paarl Media PaarlDistribution: Tunleys

Sports Trader is published bi-monthly by Rocklands Communications cc.Reg. No: 1997/057165/23.Members: N. J. & G. C. du Toit

Contact details:PO Box 12197 Mill Street 801022 Rocklands Avenue, Vredehoek, Cape Town 8001Tel: 021 461 2544 Fax: 021 461 2549Website: www.sportstrader.co.zaFacebook: SportsTraderMagazineTwitter: @SASportsTraderBlog: sasportsindustry.blogspot.comAdvertising: [email protected]: [email protected]: [email protected]

Publication information: The title and contents of Sports Trader are protected by copy-right. It is a business to busi-ness publication compiled to inform, entertain and educate retailers, distributors and man-ufacturers of sports and out-door equipment, footwear and clothing. It is available only to members of the sport, outdoor and activewear industries and is published bi-monthly.© Rocklands Communications.

Vol 36 Nr 1January 2015

www.sportstrader.co.za

Highlights:

Team sport highlighted: teamwear and replica, rugbyand soccer boots, and the netball market

Understanding softshells

How to fit kids’ shoes

It’s important to fit children’s shoes properly and from a young age p18

Sport

46 NetballA growing interst has led to increased sales

48 Selling tips: TriathlonTips on how to sell triathlon products

50 MouthguardsWhat happens when a wearer is injured?

Everlast, undoubtably the big-gest name in boxing, have fi nally brought their footwear to South Africa! They are of-fering a full range, from casual sneakers to cross-trainers, all with a boxing infl uence. Whether man, woman or child, there is a shoe for everyone.

For more information, con-tact Crown Footwear on Tel: 031 700 1601 or email: [email protected].

EVERLAST™, the Econ de-vice™ and GREATNESS IS WITHIN™ are trade marks of Everlast World’s Boxing Head-quarters Corporation and used under licence by Vexivert.

Teamwear or replica? What is more profitable to stock p30

Industry

2 Brands on the moveNews about brand activity in the industry

6 Companies on the moveNews about companies in the industry

8 Company resultsLocal and international fi nancial results

9 People on the moveNews about people in the industry

14 Tekkie TownNew partner opens new opportunities

16 Jordan & CoBolton Footwear and Beier Safety Footwear have bought the Jordan & Co footwear divisions

26 K-WayThe turnaround and success of the local factory

28 Impahla ClothingThe manufacturer is the new BLK distributor

Clothing & footwear

10 Footwear newsFootwear brands introduce their latest collections

18 Kids shoesWhy it’s so important to fi t kids shoes correctly

23 Product knowledge: SoftshellsHow softshells work

25 ISPO TextrendsISPO Textrends reveal new textile trends

30 Team wear vs replica shirtsWhich is more profi table to stock?

39 Rugby & soccer boot solesHow to recommend the right boot soles

Outdoor

53Cape diving industry threatenedOpen letter to minister on threats to Cape diving and fi shing industry

54 Outdoor cookingNew developments should appeal to consumers

On the cover

Trade shows and events

56 ISPO BrandNew AwardsInnovative new products awarded

IBC Trade show newsNews about local and international trade and industry-related shows

How do softshells protect the wearer against the elements? p23

Sports Trader :: 2015 January

Brands on the move

THE BLACKHEATH, Brutal and Sevenn sports brands, under the BRT Sports Performance range distributed by Kevro, took centre stage at the BRT Sports Performance 2014/2015 Winter Sports Catalogue launch held in Cape Town at the end of November.

The Cape Town launch event was the fi fth in a series of country wide launches: Nelspruit (4 November), Johannesburg (11 November), Bloemfontein (12 November), Pretoria (18 No-vember), Durban (27 November), Port Elizabeth (2 December) and East London (3 December).

What started off as a slow evening at the

Kevro offi ce in Cape Town turned into a fun-fi lled and jolly gathering of sports buyers. The company showroom was renovated to show off the best of their sporting and other brands. Guests could mingle at the tables and on chairs that were conveniently located around the showroom. They could also touch and feel the products, which were displayed in a retail store format.

The intimate informal gathering was opened by Kevro’s regional executive, Manuel de Andrade, who explained the progress their brands have made in the market. “This morn-

BRT Sports Performance launches 2014/15 Winter Sports Catalogue

SOUTH AFRICAN manufacturer Second Skins is producing world class swimwear right here in the South, reports Second Skins’ swimwear specialist Brad Gale (left in the photo) after he and director Brian Keegan visited the China Sourcing Fair in Hong Kong and the Canton Fair in Guang-zhou. They realised that Second Skins is keeping up with the latest international fab-ric and technology developments shown on the swimming oriented stands at these major sourcing trade shows.

Second Skins can compete with world

ing we smashed our best ever fi gures in several spaces — the best ever gifting sales, apparel, sports in the Cape,” he said, thanking every-one for playing a part in making it possible.

“We have tried to create some sort of ex-clusivity and invited only sports guys tonight,” explained Martin Ferreira, Kevro’s Director: Sport. The company is creating a sport spe-cialist club in order to provide some exclusiv-ity in terms of price, promotions, pre-season specials, etc. they have set up a page on the BRT Sports Performance Facebook page, which their sports specialist clients can Like to join.

Guests were entertained with a short video presentation that showed some of the prod-ucts available in the newest Winter sports cat-alogue. Thereafter Ferreira explained some of the services the company is offering and prod-ucts that their clients will have access to. The rest of the evening was all about networking and fun.

The hosts had set up a mini photo booth area where guests could have their pictures taken while wearing BRT Sports Performance prod-ucts and other paraphernalia.

At the end of the evening all the guests re-ceived a BRT Winter Sports Collection cata-logue, which has 81 pages of brand related information for retailers to peruse and choose from. They also received a fl yer on summer launch items that are available, as well as a gift of a mug with the BRT Sports Performance and Barron logos on it.

GILBERT, LOCALLY distributed by Leisure Holdings, have partnered with the Japanese Rugby Football Union (JRFU) to be their offi -cial ball supplier.

Gilbert balls will be used by all Japan’s na-tional teams and for all their main competi-tions, such as the JRFU Top league and Cham-pionship, as well as in university and technical college tournaments.

Our aim is to support rugby in Japan at all levels and to assist the JRFU as they build to-wards hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2019,” says Richard Gray, sales and marketing direc-tor for Gilbert.

Gilbert now sponsors JRFUTOMTOM RECENTLY launched the TomTom Golfer, a GPS watch intended to help golfers improve their game.

It features course graphics that show accurate dis-tances to haz-ards and lay-ups, as well as the best approach to the greens the user is playing on.

The Golfer’s graphics allows the user to view the course data of more than 34 000 golf courses in the world and offers the most recent course updates, which are sent wirelessly through a smartphone app.

The Golfer has a lightweight and slim design and uses GPS technology that can fi nd nearby courses as well as the next hole.

The user can also track their score, distance and time of rounds on it.

improve their game.It features course

graphics that show accurate dis-tances to haz-

the user is

The Golfer’s graphics allows

TomTom watch for golfers

p2 :: Industry

REEBOK INTERNATIONAL has acquired the UK-based Luta box-ing brand and has announced a long term partnership deal with the leading mixed martial arts organisation, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), to be their exclusive global outfi tter.

The brand will be creating UFC Fight Week Gear and a Fight Night kit for all athletes for the fi rst time and provide apparel for fans.

Luta, created in 2011 by former amateur boxer Luke Dowdney, of-fers boxing and martial arts prod-ucts like hoodies, sweatshirts,

performance t-shirts, base layers, shorts, pants, jackets and boxing gloves. The brand has a long-term agreement with Fight for Peace, a non-profi t organisation that combines boxing and martial arts with education and personal de-velopment, founded by Dowdney in 2000.

2015 January :: Sports Trader

WALKING CAN lead to extraordi-nary things, and Hi-Tec inspires people to walk, is the message conveyed in the The Walkumen-tary Series, an online documen-tary fi lm project developed as a teaser to the launch of Hi-Tec’s new walking products in 2015.

The three documentaries fea-ture unsung heroes that have done extraordinary things. For ex-ample, in Happy camera operator Jon Beattie tells how he walked backwards — 10 miles a day for 11 days, strapped to a 100-pound camera — through the crowded streets of Los Angeles while fi lm-ing the 24 Hours of Happy pop music video by Pharrell Williams.

Tokyo artist Yassan walked across Japan for six months to create the world’s biggest marriage proposal using GPS art (Yassan’s proposal). Sonia and Alexandre Poussin, who

previously walked across Africa, took their children on a two year adventure in Madagascar, search-ing for a mythical pirate burial plot (Pirates).

“Walking is the most democratic sport,” says Hi-Tec CEO Ed van Wezel. “Anyone can do it, any-where, always. Whether you walk the Chinese wall to meet an old friend for the last time or just take your dog for a stroll, the act of ambulation has always inspired great stories. Our aim is to cap-ture those unique stories with The Walkumentary Series.”

Hi-Tec launches Walkumentary Series

New developments for Reebok International

SPEEDO, LOCALLY distributed by Brand ID, has launched two BioFuse Fin training aids that are designed to improve swimmers’ performance and core fi tness.

The BioFUSE Training Fin (red) helps increase propulsion, strengthen leg muscles and improves swim strokes. These fi ns have a soft and comfort-able foot pocket and are ideal for improving the user’s overall swim technique and increase ankle fl exibility.

The BioFUSE Fitness Fins (above) are short, dual density fi ns that have stiff blades and easy-fi t back straps to offer good water

Speedo launches fi ns

resistance. They help strengthen leg muscles, and also improve endurance, increase workout speed, develop ankle mobility and boost lower body fi tness.

Both fi ns are made of 100% silicone.

SPEEDO HAS been ap-pointed the technical swim

and naming partner of the new Sanlam Cape Mile that will be

held on 14 February 2015 in the Boland town of Grabouw.

The open water swim event, which offers participants a 500m or 1mile swim option, has a prize purse of R50 300, says Michael Meyer from Stillwater Sports.

“We believe that the Sanlam Cape Mile has the potential to grow into one of SA’s premier open water swims,” says Stuart

The BioFUSE Training Fin (red) helps increase propulsion, strengthen leg muscles and improves swim strokes. These fi ns have a soft and comfort-

and boost lower body fi tness.

made of 100% silicone. silicone.

Hopwood, Speedo SA Brand Presi-dent. “It offers the whole family the opportunity to participate in a fun swimming event while at-tracting some of the country’s top swimmers in what promises to be a thrilling race.”

He hopes that the experience will inspire and encourage more people to choose swimming as their sport of choice and as a means to get fi t.

“In this regard we’ve launched a global campaign called #Get-SpeedoFit,” says Hopwood.

Speedo sponsors Cape Mile swim

Industry :: p3


Brands on

PUMA HAS extended their partnerships with the Côte d’Ivoire Football Federation as technical supplier and with the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team as their offi cial technical clothing and footwear supplier, as well as the offi cial licen-see of their footwear, apparel and accessories.

They will continue supplying team kits, training apparel and equipment for all teams associated with the Côte d’Ivoire Football Federation. The brand will also continue their production of licensed replica kits, fanwear and merchandise.

Photo: Jean-Francois Galeron/WRI2

Puma extends partnerships

SEVENN NETBALL, locally distributed by Kevro, was the kit sponsor of the South African national Fast5 netball team, which clinched the fi fth position in the Fast5 World Netball Series in Auckland, New Zealand.

The Fast5 version of the game is a fast paced, high-intensity, and quick thinking form of netball, which can be compared to T20 in cricket.

“Their goal of participating in the Fast5 Netball World Series in New Zealand opened the doors for Netball South Africa to broaden their base of quality players,” says Krystle Hastings from Kevro. “The Fast5 Team continuously demonstrates enormous drive and persistence to come back better and bet-ter after each match.”

Sevenn sponsors NSA Fast5 team

PUMA HAS launched the new Vodacom Bulls and Toyota Cheetahs Super Rugby 2015 kits, with one paying tribute to the team’s loyal fans and the other featuring two distinct colours.

The new Bulls kit features a bull’s head that wraps around the body in a 360 degree effect (left), which will give the impression of a herd of bulls when the team unites on fi eld, explains Puma. The design brings together tradition and modern design trends.

“We fi rmly believe that this new design will also bring our fans closer to the team, enhancing them as part of the Bulls family and reenforcing them as part of the greater unifi ed Bulls herd,” says Barend van Graan, CEO of the Blue Bulls Company.

The bull head design is placed in different areas of the men’s, lady’s and children’s replica jerseys’ so that when a family walks side by side, the entire bull head can be seen.

Blue and orange for CheetahsTHE NEW CHEETAHS kit is in or-

ange and ‘pou blou’ turquoise colours (left), rounded off with purple numbers and trimmings. The home jersey (below) will be orange and the turquoise will be the

away jersey.“The latest PUMA kit for the

Toyota Cheetahs is something of a landmark,” says PUMA South Africa’s Marketing Di-rector Brett Bellinger.

“Traditionally, the home kit has been marked by a largely white-based treat-

ment with the away kit being orange.

PUMA and the management at the Toyota Cheetahs decid-ed that we should start to introduce orange as the base colour for the home kits and we have done so in a gradual man-ner — this being represent-ed by the fading from white to orange in the home kit.”

The Cheetahs will play in both jerseys through-out the competition, even though the orange jersey will be labelled as Home and the turquoise jersey as Away.

“This means our home fans will see us in both jerseys in Bloemfontein and we will also use both jerseys on tour,” says Kobus le Roux, Sales and Marketing Executive for the Toyota Cheetahs.

The new slick faded design makes for maximum brand ex-posure to our sponsors and maximum supporter loyalty to our fans,” says.

PUMA launches new rugby kits

THE NEW CHEETAHSange and ‘pou blou’ turquoise

colours (left), rounded off with purple numbers and trimmings. The home jersey (below) will be orange and the turquoise will be the

away jersey.“The latest PUMA kit for the

Toyota Cheetahs is something of a landmark,” says PUMA South Africa’s Marketing Di-rector Brett Bellinger.

“Traditionally, the home kit has been marked by a largely white-based treat-

ment with the away kit being

PUMA and the management at the Toyota Cheetahs decid-ed that we should start to introduce orange as the base colour for the home kits and we have done so in a gradual man-ner — this being represent-ed by the fading from white to orange in the home kit.”

The Cheetahs will play in both jerseys through-out the competition, even though the orange jersey

Homeand the turquoise jersey

“This means our home fans

Under the Petronas agreement, the PUMA-owned sports company Brandon, will also gain extended licensed rights for Mercedes AMG Petronas replica and fan products. Team drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will continue wearing the brand’s lightweight race suits and footwear, and technical pit personnel will also be kitted out in their performance race wear.

p4 :: Industry

J U S TP A S S I N GT H R O U G H

REEF FANNING SANDAL

[email protected]

ADIDAS SA, the technical sponsor of the Football4All initiative, participated in the offi cial launch of the Football4All Johannes-burg branch. The initiative is a grassroots football programme, developed by former South African international football play-ers, to help coach novice primary school children to play foot-ball.

The programme, which is active in Gauteng, Mitchell’s Plain and Khayelitsha, aims to promote a healthy and active lifestyle for primary school girls and boys. “Since our launch earlier this year we have seen an overwhelming demand for the programme amongst scholars of all ages. The lack of development of foot-ball particularly at grassroots level explains the great interest in the Football4All project”, says George Dearnaley, former Bafana striker and Director of Football4All.

“Together with formidable former international players and coaches, we are determined to ensure that the game is acces-sible to all young girls and boys in South Africa, and that the proper basics are taught to them.”

Adidas will support the programme as a technical sponsor for the next three years by providing kit and equipment. “We are excited to see the programme grow so rapidly in a short space of time,” says Adrian de Souza, Sports Marketing Team Manager of adidas SA. “We look forward to this project growing even further, across the country.”

Among the many the former South African international play-

ers that are involved with the programme are Gerald Stober, Andrew Tucker, Duncan Crowie, Brian Baloyi, Desiree Elis, David Nyathi, Matthew Booth (pic-tured above with kids) and Jabulani Mendu.

Adidas SA sponsors Football4All

the moveIndustry :: p5


Companies RAM MOUNTAINEERING has acquired their own warehouse and made some exciting changes to the ranges they offer retailers.

They have acquired a premises of their own in the warehousing park where their head office has been, and are busy relocating from units 13 and 14 to unit 7 in Old Mill Park, Ndabeni.

“Unfortunately, things have been compli-cated by municipal planning permission and fire regulations,” says Simon Larsen (right). “At the same time, we are aware that we are in the middle of our busy season — and our priority is to keep up our normal standards of efficiency and service.”

They will also be introducing the Vango brand from Scotland to the market. The brand has been creating gear that can withstand the harsh Scottish Highland conditions for nearly 50 years. Their extensive range of hiking and camping gear is endorsed by the Scouts Associa-tion in the UK and has won the Duke of Edin-burgh Award because their products are relia-ble and “will not break the bank,” says Larsen.

The first Vango range Ram Mountaineering will be introducing are trekking tents, which will arrive in December.

These tents will replace Ram Mountaineer-ing’s own e3Gear tent range. “The decision to discontinue with e3Gear tents has been very difficult for me personally as it was my baby,” says Larsen. “We established the range from nothing and it made a very good name for it-self in the SA market.”

Minimum order requirements from the Chi-nese manufacturers resulted in it no longer being economically viable to continue with the range. “We will continue to offer back up service — in repairs and in parts — for as long as our stock of spares lasts,” he says.

They have also discontinued the Baladeo knife range due to strong competition in the knife market.

But, they can finally introduce the Black Dia-

mond apparel range into South Africa, after the very high international demand delayed the launch locally.

Their four collections of men’s and women’s apparel, offer products designed and engi-neered by athlete-employees. The Flow State Hoody in the women’s range is stretchy, wind-proof and uses a breathable Windstopper soft-shell fabric. It is a versatile jacket that can double as an athletic windproof shell and in-sulating midlayer. It can be worn on its own or under a waterproof jacket.

The Alpine Start Hoody in the men’s range uses a Schoeller stretch-woven fabric that I lightweight, breathable, weather-resistant and has a top gusseted construction that al-lows freedom of movement.

"Jackets need to move with you and protect against the elements — especially cold, wind and rain. This range does just that," says Larsen.

Black Diamond headlamps have also been upgraded and new models have been launched and the brand’s new gloves have arrived.

The Jetboil Joule, the fast and efficient ex-pedition stove, has also arrived, and webcore harnesses from Beal as well as lightweight Op-era ropes have been introduced.

Changes for Ram Mountaineering

LEISURE HOLDINGS has bought the manufac-turing side of Speed Power Sports, producing Speed ‘n Power skills training equipment.

The factory — including the manufacturing staff — moved into the Leisure Holdings ware-house on November 10th.

Speed Power Sport will be concentrating on educating and training in the use of the prod-ucts that will now be produced by Leisure Holdings, says Syd Rappoport (above). He will continue with the Kinetix programmes in pre- and primary schools, and Speed School pro-gramme in high schools.

Rappoport will also remain involved in the production of existing, as well as new prod-ucts.

“I have taken this decision as the running of the manufacturing plant and facilitating the education and training, became too onerous for one person,” he says.

Leisure Holdings buys Speed n Power

The Outdoorsman changes ownerTHE OUTDOORSMAN in Benoni has a new owner, Lizelle Cloete. Former owner, Deon Joubert, remains involved during the tran-sition period and all contact details remain the same. Joubert is now pursuing his pas-sion for building maintenance and work-manship.

New Coltri brands distributorTHE 360 WETSUITS, Nardi Compressor and Molten Sporting Equipment brands are no longer distributed by Coltri. They will now be distributed by Armi Wholesaling.

One of Coltri’s sales representative, Ste-ve Moller, recently acquired Coltri division shares, which has sparked this separation of brands. Plantfocus will distribute Coltri under Marco Folli and Steve Moller.

AWESOME TOOLS are now distributing the Benchmade range of knives. Benchmade have been designing and manufacturing sports cut-lery and edged tools since 1988. They offer quality products that range from basic cutting tools to professional-grade rescue hooks.

The Benchmade range of knives use a vari-ety of materials that are specially selected for their performance characteristics to match the form and enhance the knife’s function.

Different blade finishes and methods are used to complete Benchmade knives. These include a satin finish, which gives the knife’s blade steel surface a low-lustre sheen. The polished finish adds a reflective gloss, smoothes the surface of the knife and improves protection

against corrosion. The bead blast finish is non-reflective and applied using a bead- or sand blasting machine with various media. It offers a rough surface that is commonly referred to as the military finish.

Benchmade uses quality grades of blade steel and have their own proprietary custom heat treat process, which maximises steel edge toughness and cutting per-formance.

Awesome Tools distributes Benchmade

p6 :: Industry


MASSMART HAS lodged a complaint with the Competi-tion Commission against Pick n Pay, Shoprite and Spar, claiming that these companies’ exclusive lease agreements are anti-competitive and prevents them from competing with the national retail chains that are entrenched in shopping malls.

The group wishes to end lease exclusivity clauses that benefi t en-trenched anchor retailers by preventing direct competitors from trad-ing in the same mall. These agreements can be extended for long pe-riods and “these clauses have the effect of enabling an entrenched clutch of anchor retailers to decide who they will compete against in

malls.Sadly, the traditional reliance placed on exclusivity

clauses, by anchor retailers, appears to have created a form of con-tractual entitlement — it’s an easy option that enables the entrenched anchor retailers to contract out of competition with new entrants,” Massmart said in a statement.

According to Massmart, the introduction of fresh food in Game has been well received, but the restrictions on leasing has decreased the threat that Game stores pose to anchor retailers such as Pick n Pay, Shoprite and Spar, says Massmart.

Massmart challenges lease exclusivity

ADIDAS HAS been shortlisted in six of the 13 categories of the 2015 Discovery Sport Industry Awards for PR, marketing and ad-vertising — sharing the top spot with Cell C for the brand shortlisted in most categories. Win-ners will be announced on 12 February.

Adidas is this year on the short-list to win the coveted Sports brand of the year title, with competition from EFC Worldwide, MTN Qhubeka and The Sharks.

The are also shortlisted for:• Best sponsorship of an event or

competition (Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon)

• Best use of PR (Old Mutual TwoOceans Marathon)

• TV Sport commercial of the year(Orland Pirates Mantra)

• Best sponsorship of a sportsteam or individual (Orlando Pi-rates jersey launch)

• Best integrated sports market-ing campaign (2014 FIFA World

Cup Brazil campaign)Garmin has also been nominated in the Best integrated sports marketing campaign for Garmin Vivofi t.

The Otter African Trail Run, sponsored by Salomon and GU, and organised by Magnetic South, has been shortlisted in three cat-egories: The best live experience, Best use of PR and the Sport par-ticipation event of the year.

The Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, sponsored by adidas, was also shortlisted as a Sport participation event of the year, along with Absa Cape Epic, Hyun-dai Rock the Run, Ironman South Africa, The Jeep Warrior Race and Vodacom Bulletjies Rugby.

Adidas tops sports awards shortlists

CAMELBAK REPORTS an in-creased demand for bottles dur-ing the third quarter of 2014 com-pared to the same quarter in 2013, but a global drop in demand for hydration systems, accessories and gloves.

Sales of hydration systems and bottles represent about 86% of the gross sales for the period, compared to 84% for the third quarter in 2013.

There was an increased demand for bottles across all their brands: the Podium insulated bottle range, the ergonomic high-fl ow

Chute water bottle, the new fi l-tered pitcher Relay, and the eddy range.

While bottle sales grew $1.4-m in the quarter, overall Camelbak sales declined 3.4% to $33.5-m due to declines in hydration systems ($2-m), accessories ($0.3-m) and gloves ($0.5-m).

Military sales represented about 26% of sales for the period, com-pared to 30% in 2013. Income from operations for the quarter decreased $0.7-m to about $2.8-m compared to the third quarter of 2013.

Camelbak bottles outgrow hydration packs

THE MESSAGE was loud and clear at the opening of the new ASICS SA offi ces in Observatory, Cape Town: the brand is now about much more than just running. The wide spectrum of invited guests attested to that: sevens rugby players and youth lifestyle trendsetters rubbed shoulders with retailers and other industry people in show-rooms fi lled with rugby jerseys, training t-shirts, tennis, hockey and lifestyle footwear, running apparel … and, of course, the running shoes that have made ASICS famous in South Africa.

The eco-friendly and health-

orientated business park suits the brand, GM Brian Kerby told the guests. Apart from monitor-ing the sustainability of the ten-ants, the business park also has a cycling path, CrossFit box and running track, a soccer fi eld and golf course close by. The modern mechandising stands are in the global ASICS designs, featured in offi ces around the world, and had to be put together like Meccano sets says Kerby.

“I think we have the best team in the industry,” Kerby said, thanking the Japanese board and European directors for their sup-port and confi dence in the team.

New Asics offi ce shows new brand focus

Sevens Sprinbok players Frankie Horne, Paul Delport and Kyle Brown with Stefan Heinrich (second from left), Head of Emerging Markets for Asics International, and Sarah Mundy and Brian Kerby of Asics SA.

Barry Selby (The Athlete’s Foot) with Toni Haarburger (Moresport).

Asics Head of Emerging Markets Stefan Heinrich.

on the moveIndustry :: p7


Company newsAdidas sales grow 9%ADIDAS REPORTED a 9% currency-neutral sales growth in the third quarter, but profits de-creased 11% due to negative currency effects and a continuing decline of its golf division.

Adidas sales grew 12% on a currency-neutral basis, with double-digit sales growth in the Performance football and running, as well as the adidas Originals and Sport Style segments.

Reebok sales grew 7%, but sales declined 36% at TaylorMade-adidas golf.

The Group’s growth was driven by high-sin-gle-digit revenue growth in wholesale and a double-digit sales increase in retail.

Income grew in all regions, except North America. Currency-neutral incomes grew 19% in European Emerging Markets as a result of double-digit increase in Russia/CIS. In West-ern Europe sales grew 10% as countries like Germany, France, Spain and the UK recorded strong sales. Group sales declined 1% in North America on a currency-neutral basis.

Financial income decreased 5% to €14-m in the first nine months of 2014 and group op-erating profit decreased 20% to €927-m in the same period, compared to 2013.

Asics’ sales grow in Q2 and Q3ASICS REPORTED sales growth in both the sec-ond and third quarters: in Europe sales grew 12% in the third quarter, based on strong sales of especially running apparel across all major European countries.

The brand also reported 72.4% sales growth from the previous year to ¥265.1-bn in the second quarter, ended September 30, 2014.

Net sales grew 12% in the EMEA region be-tween January and September 2014. The in-crease was a result of strong growth in apparel and footwear in the running and tennis cat-egories. Running footwear grew 13% and run-ning apparel increased 31% with the women’s segment demonstrating strong growth.

Sales in Asics own retail outlets increased 39% in the third quarter.

In the second quarter net income reached ¥24,534-m, compared to ¥7.922-m last year and operating income was ¥33,073-m. Turno-ver amounted to ¥82,544-m. In Europe sales grew 106.9% to ¥82,544. Sales of other busi-ness were ¥9,116-m, compared to ¥4.037-m the previous year.

Black Diamond sales grow 24%BLACK DIAMOND’s third quarter sales grew 24% to $54.9-m with growth reported across all brands and countries. This is in line with market expectations. The sales growth was boosted by the launch of the first Black Dia-mond women’s apparel collection and the POC road cycling range.

The sale of the Gregory Mountain Products brand for $84.1-m to Samsonite was conclud-

ed in July this year.The US brand expect sales in the second half

of 2014 to grow 15-20% compared to the pe-riod in 2013 to $113-$118-m. Full year sales are expected to grow 14-17% to $192-$197-m.

Columbia sales grow 29%COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR COMPANY grew their third quarter net sales 29% to a record amount of $675.3-m, $152.2-m more than in the same period in 2013.

Third quarter operating income grew by 28% to $98.3-m and net income increased by 20% to $65.6-m. Organic growth of about $73.3-m (14%) was reported in the quarter.

The growth is the result of strong perfor-mance by Columbia and Sorel brands in North American wholesale and direct to consumer channels. Their new fitness brand, prAna, con-tributed around $28.2-m to this growth.

Footwear nets sales grew 33% to $125.9-m, while apparel, accessories and equipment net sales increased 28% to $549.4-m. Net sales grew 1% to $78.8-m in the EMEA region and increased 26% to $406.3-m in the U.S.

Low Mizuno sales growthMIZUNO CORP. reported sales of ¥90.0-bn for the six months of 2014, a 1.9% increase com-pared to last year. Their operating income also increased 3.9% to ¥2.7-bn.

Product sales in footwear grew 6.2% to ¥28.8-m, apparel dropped 0.1% to ¥26.725-m and equipment remained the same as last year at ¥21.6-m. The company’s other services such as constructing sports facilities, opera-tion of sport facilities, etc. also grew 0.3% to ¥12.8-m since last year.

The company’s net income before tax in-creased 24.1% to ¥2.8-bn and their quarterly net income after tax grew 31.4% to ¥1.7-bn.

In Europe net sales increased 18.7% to ¥7.7-m due to strong sales in running footwear and indoor sports-related product categories. Golf products, however, suffered as a result of the im-pact from difficulties in the global golf market.

Asia also remained strong with their net sales increasing 80% to ¥9.0-m. Running and lifestyle sports categories also showed im-provement in this region while business re-structuring in China improved the company’s profitability.

Puma sales grow 6.4%PUMA GREW sales 6.4% to €843-m in the third quarter, with all segments, including footwear, reporting growth. Earnings, however, dropped 45% in the third quarter as a result of market-ing investments to support the Forever Faster global marketing campaign and currency fluc-tuations.

In the EMEA regions sales grew 4.4% (cur-rency adjusted) to €388-m. In Western Europe the brand also performed positively as the

new Borussia Dortmund jersey, Teamsport and Lifestyle products were well received.

Footwear, apparel and accessories per-formed well in the third quarter, with foot-wear sales growing 2% (currency adjusted) to €374-m as the evoSPEED boot sales continued to improve. Apparel sales grew 11.4% curren-cy adjusted to €323-m, mainly as a result of strong demand for teamsports products, espe-cially Arsenal jerseys and kit. Accessories sales also increased 7.5% (currency adjusted) to €147-m due to a continued demand for socks and bodywear. Golf equipment sales dropped in the quarter as a result of the golfing envi-ronment remaining very weak.

“In a good third quarter, Puma achieved sales that were slightly better than expect-ed,” says CEO Bjørn Gulden. “Footwear sales were up for the first time in seven quarters, and operating profits met our expectations. The launch of the Forever Faster marketing campaign was well received by both consum-ers and retailers. We told our consumers that Puma is back and showed our retail partners that we deliver on our promises by investing in media campaigns.”

In the first nine months of the year sales grew 2.4% to €2.22-bn (currency adjusted), with sales in the EMEA region growing 1.4%. The 9-monthly EBIT (Earnings Before Tax) was €117-m.

Shimano cycle and fishing sales growSHIMANO GREW overall cycling and fishing sales 21% to 241,012-m yen in the third quarter, despite concerns about the impact of the sanc-tions in Russia on business. Fishing sales, which grew 11% compared to 2013, were affected by challenging market conditions at home (Japan) due to rising prices, bad weather and declin-ing consumer spending. Overseas business is robust, the brand reported, and it expects continued growth for the rest of the year, es-pecially with European economies recovering.

VF Corp sales grow in Q3VF CORP’s outdoor brands, Timberland, Vans, The North Face, etc. grew income 7% to $3.5-bn in the third quarter ended in September. Their operating income growth of 9% to $633-mis less than $580-m reported in the same pe-riod of 2013.

The North Face reported a 9% growth in in-come globally, with a low single digit growth in Europe. Vans income grew 12% as the brand continued with its strong performance in all regions. Timberland income increased 15%.

For its full year 2014 results, the company is expecting an income growth of 8% to $12.3-m. The company is expecting its Outdoor & Action Sports income to increase 13% and the Tim-berland brand is also expected to grow by the same percentage.

p8 :: Industry


People on the move

Both winners of the New York City (NYC) marathon, Wilson Kipsang (right) and Mary Keitany, ran in adizero Adios Boost 2 shoes. These were the 21st and 22nd wins for runners wearing adidas’ Adios Boost. Kipsang, who was in South Africa as guest at the 2014 Two Oceans marathon in Cape Town, ran the NYC marathon for the fi rst time. It was his eighth mar-athon victory and Keitany’s third.

Kenny The Magi-cian Belaey, Bel-gian mountain bike trials champion and Laureus Ambassa-dor, spent time with youth at the Lau-reus-funded Indigo Youth Movement project in Kleinvlei, Cape Town. “It is amazing to see the passion these kids have for skating. It’s the same pas-sion and focus that I’ve had for biking for the last 23 years,” said Belaey.

Swedish champ joins SA MTB teamSouth Africa’s fi rst UCI trade team, Kargo Pro MTB, believes they are closer to competing with the world’s best after mul-tiple Swedish national cham-pion Emil Lindgren joined the team for the 2015 season.

His new South African Momsen VIPA bike, from team sponsor Momsen Bikes, is on its way to Sweden. “I have known about the Kargo team for a couple of years now as they have had rid-ers out there and a very good looking bike, something that always caught my eye!” says world #9 cross country rider Lindgren.

“Working with top elite rid-ers throughout product devel-opment has always been part

of our brand's success and the opportunity to work with one of the world's top ten riders is an exciting opportunity for us,” says Victor Momsen.

He attributes part of his brand's local success to the leading South African bicycle manufacturer’s association with the Kargo Pro MTB team. The addition of Lindgren will play an important role in the broadening of the brand’s horizons internationally.

The ‘Proudly South African’ Kargo Pro team aims to have a local operation that achieves global success, but they needed to bring in someone to help mentor the young riders and provide the necessary expertise that will help them achieve their goals, says team manager Shaun Peschl. “We’re still very much a local team with strong South African roots. Homegrown brands such as Kargo and Momsen still lead the way in backing what we’re doing while our focus remains on de-veloping local talent,” he adds.

“When we launched the Kargo Pro MTB team we set ourselves a goal of becoming a UCI elite trade team and we took the fi rst step in our journey towards achieving that in January this year when we became a UCI trade team,” explains Peschl.

Team MTN-Qhubeka have received their 2015 team kit from Castelli, locally dis-tributed by Paragon Technologies. The new kits feature a black and white striped top, a grey and black shorts, as well as white sock and shoes. The various spon-sors’ branding add a mix of yellow, red and blue colours.

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Russel Athletic, locally distributed by Bertuzzi, has appointed Western Province and Stormers fullback Cheslin Kolbe and TV presenter and model Liesl van der Westhuizen as their South African off-fi eld brand ambassadors. Van der Westhui-zen especially refl ects the lifestyle and philosophy of women’s style and fi tness that is synonymous with the Russel Athletic brand. Kolbe is photographed with Rudolph Reynecke (left) of Bertuzzi.

PUMA and Marco Reus (left) teamed up to produce a limited edition evoSPEED 1.3 MR boot that launched globally on 9 December 2014. South Africa received ten pairs.The offensive midfi elder, Reus, identi-fi ed ‘hope‘ and its impact on children around the world as a personal mo-tivating factor. The resulting Tricks execution features two hands formed by words such as Hope and Believe in English and German. The colours are those of his current club, Borus-sia Dortmund. Proceeds from sales will support Marco’s charity of choice, which supports patients at the Chil-dren’s Hospital in Dortmund who have leukaemia and cancerous tumours.

Industry :: p9


Earlier this year, Jordan & Co report-ed a three tier approach as to how they will service the market in win-ter 2015. Jordan will still cover the casual sneaker market, Renegade

rugged fashion, while Supernatural’s and Sole-mates cater for the core replenishment market. This approach allows them to develop three different, yet focused ranges, as many of their retailers have diverse consumer bases. “This approach allows us to offer the retailer variety without the risk of duplication of product,” says Jody Henry, brand manager for Jordan & Co.

They are pleased with the amount of new cus-tomers that came on board during the second half of 2014, some of whom have not bought a Jordan shoe for the past 15 years. It has pro-vided them with a platform for future ranges.

For winter 2015, Jordan has put together a range of casuals and sneakers that includes the iconic hi-tops that the brand is known for. This includes styles like Navada 3, a third gen-eration cow suede mid-cut boot that is trendy and great with a pair of jeans. The Woodstock in two colours, grey and tan, is a mid-cut with an authentic looking PU, and adds value to any retailer’s display. The Ramone offers a casual look on a sporty outsole and its pin punch detail on the vamp, a blue upper and tan trims combination is a must, says Henry. The range of casuals focuses on earth tone colours of brown, tan and blues.

“Our sneakers have that wow factor and are very relevant with today’s trends among young adults,” says Henry. Their Kevin is a high-top with elongated facing and a narrow throat, which is a great item with a pair of skinny jeans. The range comes in three col-ours, including a pure all-white option.

The Wayne is a mid-cut with a unique an-gled double zip, a clever design that makes the shoe fit like a glove. This range is available in sizes 5-12.

Renegade offers that rugged yet fashionable product that trades well for twelve months of the year. With five different outsoles and last shapes, it is still able to provide a focused enough range that will suit any retailer. This ap-proach prevents it from looking one dimensional.

Recycle is a biker boot launched five yearsago, but is still relevant

in today’s mar-ket. On an

aggres-

sive sole, this double zip boot has a gener-ous fit. The Ridge has a wood sole finish and comes in a 5-12 size curve. It’s a lace up boot with a functional zip. The Temp is a mid-cut two tone boot that is available in up to a size 13. “This Dawie-inspired look is a must-have this winter,” says Henry.

At this stage they have not made any ad-ditions to the Supernatural range. The lace up, slip-on and sandal shoe is still iconic and retailers are happy to replenish the current styles. The introduction of Solemates as a comfort brand to tackle the entry level price points has been very well received. “We have retained the comfort sock in this range as we believe in adding value at a price.”

Anton Fabi’s taste of winterIn june 2014, Anton Fabi, locally distributed by Jordan & Co, introduced its new approach to footwear supply into the South African mar-ket. “We would like to thank those retailers who supported our vision. Due to the current tough trading conditions, we expected some resistance to the new price points, but we quickly realised that the industry needed this type of value-added product, to lift sales. This positive feedback encourages us to improve on what is already a winning formula,” says Jody Henry, Anton Fabi brand manager.

The company introduced a taste of winter in October, due to the demand from retailers to place repeat orders. The range complimented their current summer range and gave them the opportunity to gauge what winter sales will be like.

The products were in-store in November and due to high demand for the November deliver-ies they had to re-shuffle production lines to accommodate more orders.

One of the key challenges to having 80% of their range made locally, is getting early commitments from retailers, future selling, says Henry. He does however believe that the only option open to them is to improve their delivery efficiency because they have seen a steady increase from retailers opting to place early orders to be one of the first to have new lines in-store. “Unlike imports, our local man-ufactured lines are made to order so no sur-plus stock is available. Our agents have strictdeadlines to meet before the production capacity window expires,” he says. Jordan & Co is currently offering

Jordan & Co offers variety

To p12

Lovren (left) and Navada 3

p10 :: Apparel & Footwear


Footwear news

March as the next available delivery time.Anton Fabi held its winter 2015 range launch

throughout the country during September and October, where retailers were introduced to groups, like Lovren, a follow-on to the suc-cessful Pinto range. Lovren forms part of the winter range and features the Pinto pin punch uppers. Instead of suede, however, it has an oily pull up that is ideal for winter.

The Almos is a full grain buffalo boot with a shimmer look and texture. “The unique double zip boot is a must have this winter,” says Henry.

The Debuchy is Anton Fabi’s boot version of Filani, explains Henry. It is unlined and the style is in line with current fashion trends.

Combining both formal and casual, the Va-lencia shoe comes with a brush off hi-shine vamp with oily pull up quarters. The range has great shelf-appeal and no doubt will bring that wow factor to any store’s display, he says.

Their imported range also offers cow suede products such as Fiano, in choc and charcoal distress suede. A good semi-formal in lace-up and slip-on.

The Resino has a non-slip resin sole with an EVA through for that extra bit of comfort, says Henry. It offers a 5-12 size range.

Their PU range offers styles such as the Ra-mos, a lightweight unit with laser detailing on the toe cap.

Biola is a double-zip boot with tramline vamp detail, available in sizes 5-12.

Anton Fabi has a focused approach to what they offer the market. Their agents are fully-equipped with a range of samples, says Henry.

Jordan & Cocont from p10

ADIDAS HAS launched their new Supernova Glide Boost, which has been designed espe-cially for women.

It can be used for leisurely jogging or rac-ing as it offers a neutral ride, which makes it ideal for any runner. The shoe’s Boost cushion-ing offers a high energy return and will remain responsive in varying weather conditions andtemperatures. The Supernova Glide Boost’s adaptive upper accommodates various foot shapes and gives it a sleek, slimmed and stylish look. The shoe’s Continental rubber out-sole ensures grip while its Torsion System offers the wearer opti-mum transitioning.

These shoes still offer the same performance as the Supernova and its technical features have been reconstructed to offer a smoother

shape suited to the physical and aesthetic needs of women. “This new approach to Su-pernova design allows us to fully celebrate the beauty of women’s running with style-driven performance,” says Adrian Leek, senior vice-President of adidas running.

The men’s Supernova Glide Boost has also been updated to offer more versatility and performance. It now has a lightweight midfoot

and forefoot overlay that offers a more se-cure fi t.

“We’re excited to apply the same gen-der specifi c treatment of Supernova

Glide Boost to the complete range of adidas Supernova,” said Leek.

“Whether you’re a male or female, beginner or pro, neutral or sta-

ble, the Supernova franchise will have exactly what you need,” adds Leek.

shapes and gives it a sleek, slimmed and stylish look. The shoe’s Continental rubber

These shoes still offer the same performance as the Supernova and its technical features have been reconstructed to offer a smoother

cure fi t.“We’re excited to apply the same gen-der specifi c treatment of Supernova

Glide Boost to the complete range of adidas Supernova,” said Leek.

“Whether you’re a male or female, beginner or pro, neutral or sta-

ble, the Supernova franchise

New adidas Supernova Glide Boost

PUMA HAS added two new Faas shoes to their collection.

The Faas 500 v4 (below) offers an improved fi t that is ideal for runners that want a mini-mal and lightweight training shoe. It features a FaasFoam+ midsole compound and full Ever-Track+ outsole that offers a cushioned ride.

The new EverFit 2.0 system with Weave Mesh technology gives it light-weight support while a 4mm heel-to-toe drop allows a more natural transition and ride.

The Faas 300 v4 has a lightweight technical plat-form and a minimal upper. The Airmesh upper offers breathability and comfort while refl ective overlays offer 360 degree refl ectivity. It also offers

a comfortable fi t due to its internal bonded suede upper.

A FaasFoam+ midsole gives it a springy and 25% lighter feel than previous FaasFoam mod-els. The shoe’s fl ex notches are aligned with the forefoot fl ex grooves to offer more fl exibil-ity and a smoother toe-off.

The Everride+ outsole also improves its durabil-ity and cushioning to give a smoother toe-off while

the Evertrack high abrasion resist-

ant rubber placed in high

wear areas gives it more

durability.


The new EverFit 2.0 system with Weave Mesh technology gives it light-weight support while a 4mm

lightweight technical plat-form and a minimal upper. The Airmesh upper offers breathability and comfort while refl ective overlays offer 360 degree refl ectivity. It also offers

The Everride+ outsole also improves its durabil-ity and cushioning to give a smoother toe-off while

the Evertrack high

New additions to Puma Faas



The next business race could be into Africa for Tekkie Town execu-tive chairman Braam van Huyss-teen. A substantial investment of $65-m (R720-m) by UK private eq-

uity firm Actis for a 42.5% stake in his sport and lifestyle footwear retail chain, could just be the impetus needed to head north.

The investment — of which Van Huyssteen will receive a portion — values the business at R1.7-bn.

But, nothing much will change at Tekkie Town, says Van Huyssteen. “Our team will con-tinue to run the business as usual.”

He will remain the majority shareholder and executive chairman and Bernard Mostert will be CEO. Van Huyssteen and Mostert will be joined by an Actis representative on the three-man board of directors.

He does, however, not rule out the possibil-ity of a listing ... when the time is right.

The Actis investment will give them the capi-tal and expertise needed to expand broadly in Southern, and possibly West and East Africa. Tekkie Town currently have ten stores in Na-mibia and one in Lesotho.

But, as Van Huyssteen has often said, they will proceed with caution and careful plan-ning as “the African market is still in its baby shoes.”

They have been considering many suitors

over the past five years, says Van Huyssteen, and found the right partner in Actis. He was attracted by the fact that the UK firm has ex-perience of doing business in Africa, including running shopping malls, and therefore know the challenges faced by companies who want to expand further into the continent. Actis has many investments in emerging markets, including $1.6-bn in businesses across Africa.

The fact that Tekkie Town targets the emerg-ing consumer, has a strong management team and is a cash retailer that shows good growth in a challenging environment, attracted Actis to invest in the retailer, director David Cooke told UK media.

For many years Tekkie Town was a strictly cash retailer, but a couple of years ago they entered into an agreement with RCS bank to issue a Tekkie Town card. This is, however, a low-risk arrangement for the retailer as the bank does the credit vetting and carry all the

Braam van Huyssteen (left) and Bernard Mostert completed the 2014 Two Oceans half marathon.

the World Economic Fo-rum selected Tekkie Town as one of the 16 African global growth companies with a clear potential to become global economic leaders

Tekkie Town finds a suitorA cash injection of R720-m from the new Tekkie Town part-ner opens up exciting opportunities for the retail chain



Tekkie Town milestones• 1999: first Sport City store• 2001: first Tekkie Town store opens in Somerset West

• 2003: 22 Tekkie Town stores• 2008: 100th Tekkie Town store opens in Mossel Bay

• 2009: After 10 years 125 Tekkie Town stores

• 2011: CEO Bernard Mostert joins Tekkie Town

• 2012: 192 Tekkie Town stores• 2014: 265Tekkie Town stores• 2015: 275 stores projected by early in year

risk as they pay the stores at the end of the month for goods bought with the card.

To say that Tekkie Town had shown good growth is a bit like saying that Usain Bolt can run. An understatement.

Over the past five years they have been opening between two and six stores per month. In the past two years they have grown their number of stores by 38% while the re-cession closed other stores at about the same rate. As they like to say: We don’t understand the recession. We are trading right through it.

Despite growing so fast, they only funded the new stores from within the company. Most of the growth had been in the north, although they had also expanded in KwaZulu-Natal.

By early next year they’ll probably have 275 stores, as they are continually negotiating with landlords and looking at new retail op-portunities in rural towns. This is an art that Van Huyssteen has perfected over the past decade.

They are, however, not comfortable with opening more than 25-30 stores per year, he told Alec Hogg on the CNBC Power Lunch Show.

Van Huyssteen and his team had built the 265-store Tekkie Town chain in 15 years, but his retail roots date back to his childhood, when his mother owned a ladies boutique.

After completing his compulsory military

service as an accountant at the training col-lege for women in George, he and his brother opened the Tropica store in Mossel Bay in 1989. They had R20 000 to buy stock. This was followed ten years later by the first Sport City store in George, which developed into a small chain. These stores were later renamed and merged with the Tekkie Town stores he started opening in 2001, to form a new chain.

His business model resulted in growth at a gallop. He had large warehouse space, foot-wear brands had over-runs and returns: he made them an offer they could just live with, sweetening the deal with forward-orders for their latest ranges, which he sold at prices consumers liked.

They also realised that consumers are drawn by low prices, but not by cheap-looking stores, and redesigned their stores to create a pleas-ant shopping experience.

Accolades wonThis business model won Van Huyssteen the Ernst & Young South African Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2011. Early last year the World Economic Forum selected Tekkie Town as one of the 16 African global growth compa-nies with a clear potential to become global economic leaders.

The new CEO, Mostert, has been job-shad-

owing Van Huyssteen for the past three years, but they have known each other for nearly two decades. Mostert’s mother was Van Huyss-teen’s daughter’s teacher in the Mossel Bay school where his father was principal.

“He is extremely very well qualified, and has a good understanding of finance — he was one of the top MBA students of his year,” Van Huyssteen says about Mostert, who was CEO of golf course developers Golf Data before join-ing Tekkie Town, where “he adapted to the company culture like a fish to water.”

The rest of the seasoned Tekkie Town team will continue running the business as they al-ways have, says Van Huyssteen. “We have a great team”.

Most of them share a long history with Van Huyssteen. Gert Claassen, responsible for projects and marketing, joined the Van Huyss-teen brothers as early as 1996 to manage their Tropika store in Mossel Bay. Michael Brown, re-sponsible for procurement, joined the compa-ny in 2001 when the Sport City stores became Tekkie Town. Danie van Niekerk, operations manager, joined the following year and will be back again this year after a period away.

The transaction still has to be approved by the Competition Commission, but because Ac-tis has no other retail interests in South Africa, Van Huyssteen does not foresee problems.

Above, right and left: The Tekkie Town stores were re-designed to look attractive and promise customers a pleasant shopping experience. They started with foot-wear only, but clothing comprises about 15% of stock.Below: Braam and Charmaine van Huyssteen at the World Entrepreneur Awards in Monaco.

Apparel & Footwear :: p15


The Competition Commission has approved one of the most unique deals of recent times in which two family-owned companies bought a former family-owned company

from a listed company.“Usually it is the other way round,” says Noel

Whitehead, CEO of Jordan & Co, whose four divisions became part of Bolton Footwear and a new safety footwear company on October 1 last year. “I find the transaction unique be-cause I don’t know of any other transaction where private money had been used to buy business from a listed company. Usually it is the listed company that buys the small family business.”

Two families — the Beiers and Boltons — used their private money to buy the four divisions out of the listed company, KAP Manufactur-ing, because they are passionate about local manufacturing and passionate about doing business in South Africa, he says.

Jordan & Co, founded by the Jordan family in Wellington 115 years ago, can identify with that philosophy and company culture.

To add spice, SKN Corporation, the safety footwear division of the multinational Rahman Group of India, also became part of the group, which will consist of two separate companies — Bolton Footwear consisting of Civilian fash-ion and comfort footwear, as well as a safety footwear company, which is provisionally named Thunderflex 102.

The four former Jordan & Co divisions are now split between the new companies: Anton Fabi, Bronx, Jordan, Olympic and Renegade fashion and comfort shoe brands became part of Bolton Footwear. Bronx safety footwear will in time be incorporated into the safety foot-wear company.

Safety shoe supplier United Fram Footwear-and gumboot supplier Wayne Plastics, based in Johannesburg, have joined Bagshaw (formerly part of Bolton Footwear) and Beier Safety Footwear in the new Thunderflex 102 com-pany, of which the Bolton and Beier families, as well as the Rahman group, are the share-holders.

The Rahman Group became the major-ity shareholder of the fourth Jordan division, Mossop Western Leathers in Wellington, with Bolton and Beier Safety Footwear as the other shareholders.

Jordan & Co joins Watson Shoes and Barker Footwear in the fashion and comfort shoes Bolton Footwear group.

Fashion and comfort shoesWatson Shoes, owned by the Bolton family, has been operating out of Great Brak River for the past 128 years and is known for brands like Grasshoppers, Franco Gemelli, Step-on-Airs, Watson, Young Klinik, Dr Hart, etc. They manufacture about 10 000 pairs of shoes per day at their four factories in Great Brak, Oudt-shoorn and Cape Town. The original factory in Oudtshoorn, where their ladies footwear is manufactured, is now owned and managed by ex-employees from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.

Barker Footwear, which has been manufac-turing Barker men’s leather shoes for more than 80 years and Crockett & Jones shoes for more than 60 years, was bought by Bolton Footwear about 18 months ago.

Whitehead, who became CEO of the KAP Manufacturing Footwear Division in January 2014 and took over as MD of Jordan & Co when Brian Pollock retired in August, will be the CEO of Jordan & Co.

In the interim he will still be involved with Bronx Safety and Mossop Western Leathers, which is a major supplier to the footwear in-dustry, but is withdrawing from the safety di-visions as their integration into the new com-pany progresses.

He and Johan Kriel, CEO of Bolton Civilian Footwear (formerly Watsons) and Barker Foot-wear, will report to MD Alan Fleetwood, who is in the process of relocating to the Jordan head office in Cape Town.

With companies operating across the country — in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Great

Major new SA footwear company gets the go-aheadIn an unique transaction approved by the Competition Commission, family-owned Bolton Footwear and Beier Safety Footwear bought the Jordan & Co footwear divisions from listed company KAP Manufacturing. The two compa-nies formed from the deal — one for fashion and comfort shoes, the other a new safety footwear company — will be major players in the South African footwear manufacturing and distributing market

While it is not possible to compete against China with cheap synthetic im-ports, they can compete on the manufacturing of good quality leather shoes

Bolton FootwearJordan & Co comfort & fashion brands

PLUSWatson Shoes

Barker Footwear

Thunderflex 102United Fram Footwear

Wayne PlasticsPLUS

BagshawBeier Safety Footwear

Mossop Western Leathers

Split of 4 Jordan & Co divisions



Brak and Oudtshoorn — it is logically much eas-ier for him to be based at the Jordan offi ces in Cape Town than in Great Brak River. It will also give him an opportunity to learn more about the Jordan & Co operation.

But, stresses Whitehead, structures may change in time, as they have barely had time to discuss them, because their fi rst priority was to establish and get the new safety company up and running.

One thing that will not change in the forsee-able future is the identity, marketing and dis-tribution of the brands — except where they have gaps to fi ll. Jordan will, for example, be appointing a brand manager for Bronx, tempo-rarily managed by Brian Pollock, and fi nding a new manager for Olympic when Miles O’Brien retires in February. Apart from that, brand man-agement will continue uninterrupted.

“We have a stable of very strong brands and it is important that they all maintain their identi-ties,” says Whitehead. They will therefore not be amalgamating the brands in one division as “the look feel and touch of the brands may become the same. You want the brands to be totally different, because people want choice.”

While there might be some overlap, they will ensure that each brand maintains the unique features that attract followers ... for example, while there might be some similarities between some Bronx or Grasshopper styles, a customer buys a Bronx or Grasshopper shoe because he loves that particular brand, says Whitehead.

Share resourcesBut, they will optimise resources because

“there are a few things we’d like to do from here (Cape Town),” he explains. They might, for example, utilise their well-

manned offi ce in China and imports department in Cape Town to manage the imported ranges for

Watsons. It will also simplify logistics to distrib-ute all the imported ranges out of Cape Town, rather than transporting them to the offi ces in Great Brak fi rst.

They might also optimise production capacity. For example, if one factory has spare capacity on the welted side, and another is over extend-ed, they will try and balance the loads.

He again emphasises that they have not had time to discuss and plan all future strategies and that many decisions still need to be taken.

“The last few months have been hectic!” says Whitehead. “It was the sale of a business, not just a company, which meant that all the bank accounts and customer accounts had to be changed and updated.”

Local manufacturingAnother thing that will not change, is Bolton Footwear’s commitment to local manufacturing — if anything, it will become stronger, assures Whitehead. “In future, there will be a big em-phasis on local manufacturing.”

While Watsons mainly manufactures locally, with some imports, and Barker fully manufac-tures locally, Jordan imports about 80% of their footwear and manufacture about 20%. They currently manufacture about 2 400 pairs per day, about a quarter of the output achieved by the other factories.

While it is not possible to compete against China with cheap synthetic imports, they can compete on the manufacturing of good quality leather shoes — for which there is a growing de-mand because South Africans are growing tired of cheap imports, says Whitehead.

Other factors like a quick response time, a short time to market — days instead of months — the ability to make small orders and increase or reduce orders, contribute to the appeal of local manufacturers.

CEO of Jordan & Co, Noel Whitehead (above) is a chartered accountant who loves business more than fi nances. After completing his articles at Price Waterhouse in Paarl, he worked at SFW in Stel-lenbosch, which subsequently became Distell. In 2008 he embraced the opportunity to become Fi-nancial Director of Jordan & Co and was appointed CEO of KAP Manufacturing Footwear in January 2014. He became MD of Jordan & Co in August.

Alan Fleetwood became group MD of Bolton Foot-wear — Watson Shoes and Bag-shaw Safety — in July 2012. He is also a chartered accountant with a bigger affi nity for business. A former Financial Director at Bolton Foot-wear, he is now managing director and an executive director of the new Bolton Footwear.

Johan Kriel, CEO of Civilian Footwear and Barker Foot-wear and an ex-ecutive director of Bolton Foot-wear, has been working for the company since 1989. He oper-ates from the group’s head offi ce in great Brak River.



Children’s feet are constantly growing and developing. They are differ-ently shaped and more delicate than adult feet. These are just some of the reasons why it is so important to fit kids shoes correctly. RHIANAH FREDERICKS gathered tips from children’s footwear suppliers

Children’s feet are different to adults’ in many ways, but the rea-son for the special care necessary when fitting their shoes is the fact that they are not yet developed.

Children’s feet consist of soft and flexible cartilage, rather than bone, which will fuse and eventually turn into bone. These bones only become fully hardened around the age of 18, therefore during the younger years chil-dren’s feet are more susceptible to injury and deformities.

“Growing feet are developing feet. It is cru-cial to have good shoes early on, as this allows the bones in the foot to develop naturally,” says Keith Bushby, Vans brand manager at lo-cal distributor Chappers Sports Direct. “It is essential that the correct shoes are chosen by the parent, with the assistance of the shoe sales staff.”

There are many foot problems associated with wearing the wrong, or ill-fitting, shoes at a young age. These include common deformi-ties such as ingrown toe nails, hammer toes, calluses, bunions, etc.

“The notion of simply shrinking an adult size shoe to fit a child does not accommodate for the growing needs of children’s little feet and requires a completely unique design ra-tionale,” says Casey Watermeyer, kids perfor-mance merchandise specialist at adidas SA.

Feet form the basis of support for the entire body and have numerous muscles, ligaments, tendons, etc. that affect other parts of the body. If they are not properly looked after, it could lead to more serious issues affecting your young customers’ postures, walking style, etc. as they get older.

Children’s feet have special requirements that need to be catered for in order to prevent irregular growth, say suppliers.

Their footwear should not hinder the natural

development of their feet, says Watermeyer. For this reason it is important that the shoes they wear are not constricting or restricting. When walking barefoot, the foot naturally flexes at the toe joints and “to support the natural movement, this is also where our foot-wear must flex first,” she says.

Babies naturally have a flat valgus foot, which means they walk on the inner part of their feet. This is because during the first years, the bones in their feet have not yet hardened, says Watermeyer.

As the child’s bones and tendons get natural-ly stronger, they will become more stable, but during this time “no arch support or orthotics are needed, they can even hinder the natural foot development of the child,” she explains.

Kids footwear should offer similar, but also different elements to adult footwear, as they are not as heavy and their activity levels differ from that of adults, says Dawid Visser, training and promotions specialist for Asics SA.

The construction of kids shoes should also be different to adult footwear. “The edges of the footwear in some models are rounded to ac-commodate a shorter gait/stride than in adult shoes,” he says. Even similar model shoes will be slightly down specked for kids as they do not need as much cushioning as adults, he adds.

Children’s feet are naturally more sweaty than adults’ , therefore their shoes should be breathable. “Synthetic materials that prohibit breathability should be avoided,” explains Watermeyer. The shoes’ heel spring — the height difference between the forefoot and heel — should not be more than 6mm as it can have a negative impact on their Achilles ten-don, she explains.

Fitting for comfortAdults may look at colour, style and many other things when choosing shoes, but for chil-

dren “the correct fit of the shoe is essential,” says Watermeyer.

“Children’s shoes should never be broken in, they should fit perfectly from the start, adds Daniela Panzeri, PR coordinator for Skye Dis-tribution.

When fitting the shoes the customer should be measured while standing with equal weight on both feet, says Skechers brand manager Yusuf Vadi, from local distributor Footwear Trading. The retailer should make sure that the heel is properly located against the back of the cup and toes are flat against the base of the measuring instrument in order to read the toe length. After measuring, he recommends that you give the child one size bigger than that measured to allow for growth.

On the other hand, when fitting a child’s shoe without a measuring device there are some areas of the shoe that retailers should pay attention to, say suppliers.

“It is advisable to fit shoes on in the after-noon due to feet swelling throughout the day, especially in the summer months,” says Panz-eri. A shoe should be approximately 12-16mm longer than the child’s longest toe to allow for growth and natural elongation when walking.

“Generally speaking, all footwear should have some space in front of the longest toe to accommodate for movement during activ-ity,” says Visser. “In adults, we normally say you need about a thumb’s width in front of the big toe to allow for movement during activity, but kids do not have such long stride lengths or exert so much force on their feet during activity, so they will not need as much space,” he explains.

“Generally, you judge about 1-1.5cm from the toe, which is like a fingertip space, any-thing more than that is too big,” says Cindy Clarke, footwear merchandise manager for Puma.

Fitting children’s footwear correctly



Children’s feet are constantly growing and developing. They are differ-ently shaped and more delicate than adult feet. These are just some of the reasons why it is so important to fit kids shoes correctly. RHIANAH FREDERICKS gathered tips from children’s footwear suppliers

Children’s feet are different to adults’ in many ways, but the rea-son for the special care necessary when fitting their shoes is the fact that they are not yet developed.

Children’s feet consist of soft and flexible cartilage, rather than bone, which will fuse and eventually turn into bone. These bones only become fully hardened around the age of 18, therefore during the younger years chil-dren’s feet are more susceptible to injury and deformities.

“Growing feet are developing feet. It is cru-cial to have good shoes early on, as this allows the bones in the foot to develop naturally,” says Keith Bushby, Vans brand manager at lo-cal distributor Chappers Sports Direct. “It is essential that the correct shoes are chosen by the parent, with the assistance of the shoe sales staff.”

There are many foot problems associated with wearing the wrong, or ill-fitting, shoes at a young age. These include common deformi-ties such as ingrown toe nails, hammer toes, calluses, bunions, etc.

“The notion of simply shrinking an adult size shoe to fit a child does not accommodate for the growing needs of children’s little feet and requires a completely unique design ra-tionale,” says Casey Watermeyer, kids perfor-mance merchandise specialist at adidas SA.

Feet form the basis of support for the entire body and have numerous muscles, ligaments, tendons, etc. that affect other parts of the body. If they are not properly looked after, it could lead to more serious issues affecting your young customers’ postures, walking style, etc. as they get older.

Children’s feet have special requirements that need to be catered for in order to prevent irregular growth, say suppliers.

Their footwear should not hinder the natural

development of their feet, says Watermeyer. For this reason it is important that the shoes they wear are not constricting or restricting. When walking barefoot, the foot naturally flexes at the toe joints and “to support the natural movement, this is also where our foot-wear must flex first,” she says.

Babies naturally have a flat valgus foot, which means they walk on the inner part of their feet. This is because during the first years, the bones in their feet have not yet hardened, says Watermeyer.

As the child’s bones and tendons get natural-ly stronger, they will become more stable, but during this time “no arch support or orthotics are needed, they can even hinder the natural foot development of the child,” she explains.

Kids footwear should offer similar, but also different elements to adult footwear, as they are not as heavy and their activity levels differ from that of adults, says Dawid Visser, training and promotions specialist for Asics SA.

The construction of kids shoes should also be different to adult footwear. “The edges of the footwear in some models are rounded to ac-commodate a shorter gait/stride than in adult shoes,” he says. Even similar model shoes will be slightly down specked for kids as they do not need as much cushioning as adults, he adds.

Children’s feet are naturally more sweaty than adults’ , therefore their shoes should be breathable. “Synthetic materials that prohibit breathability should be avoided,” explains Watermeyer. The shoes’ heel spring — the height difference between the forefoot and heel — should not be more than 6mm as it can have a negative impact on their Achilles ten-don, she explains.

Fitting for comfortAdults may look at colour, style and many other things when choosing shoes, but for chil-

dren “the correct fit of the shoe is essential,” says Watermeyer.

“Children’s shoes should never be broken in, they should fit perfectly from the start, adds Daniela Panzeri, PR coordinator for Skye Dis-tribution.

When fitting the shoes the customer should be measured while standing with equal weight on both feet, says Skechers brand manager Yusuf Vadi, from local distributor Footwear Trading. The retailer should make sure that the heel is properly located against the back of the cup and toes are flat against the base of the measuring instrument in order to read the toe length. After measuring, he recommends that you give the child one size bigger than that measured to allow for growth.

On the other hand, when fitting a child’s shoe without a measuring device there are some areas of the shoe that retailers should pay attention to, say suppliers.

“It is advisable to fit shoes on in the after-noon due to feet swelling throughout the day, especially in the summer months,” says Panz-eri. A shoe should be approximately 12-16mm longer than the child’s longest toe to allow for growth and natural elongation when walking.

“Generally speaking, all footwear should have some space in front of the longest toe to accommodate for movement during activ-ity,” says Visser. “In adults, we normally say you need about a thumb’s width in front of the big toe to allow for movement during activity, but kids do not have such long stride lengths or exert so much force on their feet during activity, so they will not need as much space,” he explains.

“Generally, you judge about 1-1.5cm from the toe, which is like a fingertip space, any-thing more than that is too big,” says Cindy Clarke, footwear merchandise manager for Puma.

Fitting children’s footwear correctly



“There should be at least a finger space be-tween the edge of the shoe and your child’s toe to avoid ingrown toe nails and calluses from forming,” adds Panzeri.

There should also be an allowance for the adult finger to fit snugly in the rear of the shoe, says Bushby. Once the shoe is on the foot, press down in order to make sure that there is space for movement and it is not tight across the top of the foot.

The width of the foot should not be bulging over the sides of the shoe, because shoes that are too tight can cause friction that leads to blistering. Shoes that are too tight may also hinder the way the child walks or runs, which could result in injury.

Kids’ shoes should have enough depth to avoid pressure that could cause bruising on their toes and toe nails. To ensure this does not happen, one should be able to pull some material at the top of the shoe to make sure that the shoes are not too tight around the top of the foot.

“The vamp (front of the shoe) should not be tight over the top of the foot. E.g. if the child has a high arched bridge they may need more elasticity if not a lace up shoe,” says Panzeri.

Also, the heel of the shoes should rest firmly, but not tightly, around the back of the child's

heel in order to avoid heel blisters. Also let the child walk in the shoes, to ensure that they fit correctly, she adds.

Buying for growthChildren’s feet are constantly growing and one should keep this in mind, check and ensure that shoes are always well fitting. Retailers can advise parents to check their children’s shoes every couple of weeks to avoid their children wearing shoes that they may have outgrown.

Infants cannot really tell if the shoe fits, and given that their feet can grow up to three sizes in one year, one should regularly check that the size of children’s shoes are still appropri-ate, says Watermeyer.

They usually recommend buying one size up and many parents opt for this due to the fact that it allows room for growth in the shoe, says Bushby. “Parents will normally end up buying new shoes for the toddlers/children every 8-10 months.”

While some adults may be tempted to buy kids footwear more than one size too big to accommodate the fact that they are growing very fast, retailers should advise parents that if footwear is too big, the child may not get maximum benefit out of it, says Visser. The shoe’s technology will not align with the foot,

for example, “flex grooves in the shoes would present themselves in the wrong place.”

Functional designsLace and buckle designs help prevent chil-dren’s feet slipping inside the shoe and pre-vent them having to grip to keep shoes on their feet, which could result in claw feet.

Many kids shoes have laces, but retailers should advise customers that “shoe eyelets on kids footwear are designed to be pulled tight by the child inward toward him, not by the par-ent who will pull toward themselves — many eyelets break as parents pull from the incorrect angle and a retailer should be aware of this when tying kids’ laces,” says Chris de Bruyn, tech trainer and merchandiser for Hi-Tec.

You also want a supportive upper for stabil-ity, breathability, a tongue that fits snugly and sometimes velcro straps on takkies make it eas-ier for fastening, while rubberized strap-end pulls offer better grip for little fingers, he says.

Children’s shoe soles should ideally have straight lasts, which will conform to the child’s foot, rather than the foot conforming to a curved last. Pointed and curved fashion toe boxes will result in the child’s foot being squeezed into an unnatural shape, which can cause bunions and other deformities.

Photo by Messe Duesseldorf



adidasThe adidas LK Trainer 6 CF I and K models feature synthetic uppers with different textures, soft mesh collars and their classic non-marking rubber cup sole. The CF I model has clear three stripe brand-ing and a traditional Velcro closing system. The K model, on the other hand, uses their classic brand-ing, a traditional lace closure system and features reflective detailing that enhances security in low light conditions.

Both styles feature adiFit, adidas’ removable sockliner, which can be used to determine if the child’s shoe still fits properly.

Ortholite foams feature a patented biocide that protects against fungus, bacteria and odour and also have breathability and wicking properties. They can be machine washed and dried without losing durability.

AsicsAsics offers kids shoes for various forms of running, as well as court shoes that have gel in their heels for shock absorption and EVA midsoles for comfort.

Their Gel-Nimbus 16 GS and Gel-Galaxy 8 GS shoes are recommended for neutral and road run-ning. The Gel-Nimbus 16 GS is their top end kids running model that also features gel in the fore-foot, bright colours for safety and fun as well as a guidance trusstic for a smooth transition from heel to toe.

The air mesh upper of the Gel-Galaxy 8 GS im-proves breathability, while its rubberised trusstic offers midfoot stability.

The Gel-Xalion 2 GS, in boys and girls colourways, features an air mesh upper for breathability and has a flexible outersole that allows non-restrictive movement of the feet.

The Gel-Fujitrabuco 3 GS and Gel-Venture 4 GS models have trail-specific outersoles that provide traction during off-road use. The Gel-Fujitrabuco 3 GS also features a DUOMAX block on its medial side for mid-foot stability.

The Gel-Game 5 GS uses synthetic overlays for a stable upper fit, has a court-specific outersole with pivot points for grip during sideway movements, as well as a non-marking outersole that is ideal for court use.

Hi-TecHi-Tec offers a range of kids’ footwear from casu-als, to sandals and back to school takkies. Their Big-Fit System allows kids’ shoes to “grow with them,” as they are fitted with two insoles — one that provides cushioning, and the other that can be removed as the wearer’s feet grow.

“Kids’ feet are fragile, but Hi-Tec doesn’t com-promise on footwear support, whether for adults or kids,” says Chris de Bruyn, Hi-Tec’s tech trainer and merchandiser.

Both their adult and junior R156 shoes are light-weight, have a supportive upper, use a combination of air mesh and PU overlays, and have removable EVA sockliners for underfoot cushioning. TPU shanks provide cushioning and they have rubber outsoles.

In their sandal ranges, the adult and junior styles feature toggle or adjustable hook and loop fasten-ings. Their junior sandals also have rubberised strap-end pulls that allow better grip for little fingers.

The Eel Junior is a two strap hook and loop strap closure sandal for boys. It features rubberised strap ends and a contoured CMEVA midsole and outsole that offers good grip on slippery surfaces.

The Dean is a great everyday shoe in two colour-ways that can be worn with jeans, has a PU upper, EVA footbed and TPR outsole.

Levi’sThe kids range from Levi’s, locally distributed by Footwear Trading, comprises of direct takedowns from their men’s and ladies’ winning core styles, says Jonathan Chaimowitz from Footwear Trading.

These include their Dunk Hi 2 Canvas, Pitch Lo and Hi Canvas Monochrome, Pitch Lo and Hi Nylon Mon-ochrome models, all of which are available in UK youth sizes 2-5, kids sizes 10-2 and infant sizes 4-9.

Their canvas and nylon ranges have competitive price points for an aspirational international brand, he says.

The nylon fabric used in some ranges is easy to clean, durable, breathable and water resistant, but not waterproof.

New BalanceNew Balance offers a range of kids’ shoes in catego-ries such as court, cricket, trail running, etc.

Their 750 and 513 kids performance running shoes are lightweight and have IMEVA midsoles that offer cushioning and flexibility and rubber outsoles. The 750 has a synthetic/mesh upper while the 513 has a leather/mesh upper and features Abzorb technol-ogy that provides shock absorption.

The KJ610 boys trail running shoe also features Abzorb technology in the midfoot while an IMEVA midsole gives it firm and flexible cushioning. It has a leather mesh upper and rugged lugged outsole, ideal for running through the garden.

The JL-2 last has a wider forefoot fit and is only used in children’s models, like the KJ610 and 996 tennis shoe.

The KC996 model features an Ndurance rubber outsole and a C-Cap midsole that provides cushion-ing and support. The shoe has a synthetic mesh up-per and welded caged vamp that gives added sup-port and durability.

The KXT625 and KVT625 cross trainers feature leather uppers, Abzorb technology, C-Cap midsoles and non-marking rubber outsoles. The KXT625 has a lace and the KVT625 a velcro closure system.

The KC 4020 cricket shoe has a synthetic/mesh up-per, Acteva Lite midsole that is 24% lighter than stand-ard foam, and a multi-purpose rubber outsole that is ideal for hard wicket surfaces. The toe tip uses mate-rial durable enough to stand up to dragging.

The KG574 is a boys lifestyle shoe that has a sporty hook and loop closure system, EVA foam footbed that gives it cushioning, and a non-marking rubber outsole. Its durable TPU uppers come in a variety of colour combos.

PumaPuma offers the Suede Camo Jr. that features a Camo print and closure options like velcro and laces.

Their Kinder-Fit system enables a parent to judge the correct size for his or her child by removing the in-sock and placing the child's foot in the allocated area on the sockliner, which has a footprint indicating the correct size, says Cindy Clarke, footwear mer-chandise manager for Puma SA.

This system is used in all their kids footwear ranges.

SkechersAmong the many ranges from Skechers that have kids styles are Twinkle Toes and GOwalk.

The Twinkle Toes Shuffles Rosey Girl Light-Up, Heart N Sole Light-Up and Glitter Dayz Light-Up shoes all feature soft fabric shoe linings, cushioned insoles, shock absorbing midsoles and flexible rub-ber traction outsoles.

The Twinkle Toes Shuffles Rosey Girl has bright lights on the toe cap that light up and blink with every step. It also has a soft woven canvas fabric upper, an all over polka dot print design and adjust-able side hook and loop closure for a precise fit.

The Twinkle Toes Shuffles Heart N Sole has a fun streetwise style and lovely detail, says Yusuf Vadi from local distributor Footwear Trading. It is a lace up casual high top sneaker with colourful lights on the toe cap that light up when the wearer walks.

It uses a smooth leather-textured metallic fabric upper, has side and heel overlay accents and fea-tures a unique lace-side single zipper that shows off a pleated animal print fabric dart. A padded collar and tongue, vulcanized rubber midsole with con-trast stripes and lace up front with metal eyelets, and textured toe bumper are some other features.

The Twinkle Toes Shuffles Glitter Dayz is a casual lace up light-up shoe that features embroidered floral print detail, stitching and overlay accents. It has a soft woven canvas upper with a glittery fin-ish and a textured toe bumper that features the Twinkle Toes logo. This model also has a vulcanized midsole with a contrast stripe.

Easy walking comfort and sporty style describe the Skechers GOwalk Interval shoe, says Vadi. It features a soft woven heathered finish fabric upper, colourful pull on heel loop and a shock absorbing lightweight supportive midsole with a colour ac-cent. The shoe has a half inch heel and its outsole is flexible with a circular sensor-inspired design.

VansVans, locally distributed by Chappers Sports Direct, offers a complete range of todds and kids’ shoes in various colours.

“We focus on a lot more canvas styling with the Vans trademarked waffle sole, as it is durable and affordable to a wider market,” says Keith Bushby, brand manager for Chappers Sports Direct.

They also offer alternative closure options for kids, like velcro straps as opposed to laces, as well as slip on options in their Star Wars collaboration, he says.

Kids’ shoes range informationp20 :: Apparel & Footwear

For over 50 years, Skye has made branded fashion accessible to people throughout South and sub-Saharan Africa. High quality. Low

prices. Available everywhere. That's been our secret all these years, and with our vast array of international and in-house branded

footwear, apparel and accessories available in over 2 500 retail outlets, Skye's helping to ensure that Africa is the place to be.

To apply to stock Skye Distribution brands in your store or for more information, contact our customer service centre on 087 940 4664 or visit www.skye-sa.co.za

DDB

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Our cut-out-and-keep series to assist retailers with product knowledgeWords: RHIANAH FREDERICKS. Compiled with the help of Morne Strydom of Adventure Inc, Ryan Weideman of Cape Union Mart, Clair-Louise Mortimer of Slam Industries distributor of The North Face, Simon Larsen of Ram Mountaineering, www.sasmira.org, www.tex.tuiasi.ro, www.ukclimbing.com, www.evo.com, www.backcountry.com, www.outdoors.org and www.outdoorresearch.com.

How softshells breathe and protect

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

Humans produce more moisture when they are more active. A trail runner would, for exam-ple, produce double the volume of sweat than someone taking a

leisurely stroll.As outdoor activities like trail running, moun-

tain biking, adventure racing, etc. became more popular, a growing demand developed for a lightweight, non-bulky outdoor garment that is water-resistant as well as breathable. Softshells became the optimum garment.

Softshells are lightweight enough to al-low you freedom of movement during any activity — whether running, rowing, cy-cling, climbing or hiking briskly — yet pro-vide protection against wind and rain.

Softshells combine qualities offered by fl eece and water repellent garments to keep the wear-er warm and dry in damp and cold conditions, and offer the breathability necessary to main-tain a natural body temperature while active.Creating a softshell is, however, not as easy as

combining a string vest, which is highly breath-able, with a black refuse bag, which is highly waterproof.

While the black bag may protect you from moisture/rain, it will cause you to perspire and get as wet on the inside as on the outside, because it is not breathable. The breathability of the vest will offer no benefi t if the mois-ture cannot escape through the outer layer.

Softshell describes a woven material used to manufacture a garment that offers breathability, water- and wind resistance.

Softshell manufacturers also use coatings, membrane laminates, fabric treatments, etc. in order to create a garment that of-fers breathability as well as waterproofness.

How does a softshell workIn order to keep the wearer dry and comfort-able, softshells are made from fabrics with a special weave, coating or membrane that have pores that are too small for water to pen-etrate from the outside, but are large enough To p24

for water vapour — from sweat — to escape from inside.• The level of breathability, waterproofness or

windproofness it will offer depends on com-binations used in the manufacturing process and the wearer must determine their needs based on the activity they will be used for.

• The same can be said of the design of the softshell; the wearer will decide the op-timum design for themselves based on the activity as the use of a membrane instead of

a coating and vice versa may be more ben-efi cial to the activity they are performing.

Woven FabricsSoftshells made of densely woven fabrics use long staple cottons with small spaced fi bres. • The fi bres are processed into combed

thread that is woven with an Oxford weave, where two threads form a warped shape.

• When the fabric’s surface comes into contact with liquid, the cotton fi bres swell and reduce the pore size of the fabric, ef-fectively blocking liquid from entering the garment.

• Densely woven fabrics can also be made from synthetic microfi lament yarns, like pol-yamide or polyester, that have a diameter of less than 10mm, which allow fabrics to have tiny pores. Softshells made with these fab-rics are windproof, but not waterproof, as pores do not minimise when they come into contact with water. Their water penetration resistance can be improved by the use of a silicone or fl uorocarbon fi nish.

• Tightly woven fabrics have a very dense construction that creates pores, which are approximately six times smaller than con-ventional non-waterproof or windproof fab-rics’.

DWRSoftshells’ face fabric can be treated with a Durable Water Repellent (DWR), which pre-vents water droplets from soaking into the garment, by causing it to bead and roll off. A DWR is usually applied towards the end of the fabric production process.

• The DWR can repel moisture from light rain and keep the wearer dry, but it will not withstand a heavy downpour.

• The DWR’s performance can be reduced by grime build up, cuts, or if cleaned with unsuitable detergents. Therefore gar-ments should be treated with technical cleaning products specifi cally made for this purpose.

p24 :: Outdoor


Softshell fabrics cont from p23• If a garment does not have the DWR appli-

cation, its outer surface will become soaked and cause the wearer to feel cold, or make the garment feel as if it is leaking.

• To ensure the DWR remains in working condition, it needs regular cleaning and care, such as using spray-on or wash-in prod-ucts. It can also be reapplied to the garment.

MembranesThe use of a membrane can improve a soft-shell’s breathability.• Membranes can be microporous or hydro-

philic — moisture-attracting — and moves vapour from inside, to outside, the soft-shell, while preventing liquid from entering the garment.

• Membranes are thin fi lms of polymeric material, such as expanded polytetrafl uoro-ethylene (PTFE) polymer or Polyurethane (PU) that are approximately 10mm thick. These membranes are fragile and therefore have to be laminated to face fabric.

• Expanded polytetrafl uoroethylene (PTFE) polymer membranes are microporous and have microscopic holes (estimated at 1.4-bn per m2) that are too small for liquid water to penetrate, but large enough for water vapour molecules (in the form of sweat) to pass through. o Due to its porous nature, a PTFE mem-

brane, can become soiled by dirt, oil, salt, etc.

o If a membrane is soiled it may be pen-etrated by water or if the force of liquid is great, it may be penetrated. Therefore, although softshells can be worn in light rain, these membranes will not withstand a downpour.

o The use of microporous membranes arenot recommended for activities where the wearer will come into contact with salt sprayed air — as with sea-related activities

— because salt can penetrate its pores. Salt crystals’ sharp-edged construction could cause grazing and enlarge pores, hindering them over time and may cause them to allow water to enter the garment.

• Membranes may also be hydrophilic and aremade from polyester or polyurethane, which have no pores.o Moisture vapour is moved from inside to

outside the softshell (by diffusion) where the temperature is lower.

o If conditions are hot and humid and this temperature gradient does not exist, a softshell’s breathability may be compro-mised.

o The hydrophilic membranes’ no-pore nature means it can resist water and wind penetration.

The bonding of the fabric to the mem-brane is a crucial part of ensuring that the garment maintains its breathability, as well as windproofi ng and waterproofi ng capabilities. Membranes are bonded to the softshell’s fabric by means of lamination.

• Membranes are kept in place by dots of glue to avoid negatively affecting the garment’s breathability. Glue is not a breathable substance and therefore it is used strategically to keep the membrane attached. Approximately 15-20% of the membrane is covered by glue, as less or more glue may compromise the garment’s overall breathability.

• When membranes are laminated to thesoftshells’ outer fabric, it offers good wind resistance and waterproofi ng properties.

• When using a liner, the holes created bystitching the garment, have to be seam-sealed in order to prevent leaks within the softshell.

CoatingsA coating can also be microporous or hydro-

philic liquid solutions, such as polyurethane that are thinly sprayed onto the face of the fabric with micro-jets.• Microporous coatings have a channel

structure that is smaller than water droplets, but large enough for water vapour to enter.

• It can also be monolithic and have a solid nonporous surface that attracts vapour from the skin and transfers it through the fabric’s outer surface, where it can evaporate.

• Its solid nature also prevents wind penetra-tion or dirt clogging.Coating applications requires skill as it can-not be thicker than 30 microns. If it is any thicker, it may impede the shoftshell’s ability to allow water vapour to escape — or if it is too thin, it may cause the garment to leak.

Water- and wind protectionSoftshells are designed to be water resistant, rather than waterproof, as they keep water out to a certain degree, or pressure point. Softshells are, however, designed to withstand light water pressure, while still maintaining a level of breathability.

Softshells are also designed to protect the wearer from windy and chilly conditions and the weaves, coatings and membranes used to water-proof them, also improve their windproofness.• An air-trapping weave is often used to re-

duce air fl ow into the garment, which causes heat to remain inside the garment for longer. It has a tight, compact weave structure that has no pores and does not allow air to penetrate.

• Some outer materials may be made frompolyamide or polyester microfi laments, which are windproof.

• The use of an ePTFE or PU hydrophilic membrane or coating helps improve the gar-ments’ waterproof capabilities, as well as improve its ability to block wind and insu-late the wearer. These type of coatings and membranes have no pores and therefore cannot be penetrated by wind.

A NEW smart fabric, with a whisky smell that won’t wash out, was developed for Johnnie Walker Black Label and Harris Tweed Hebrides by Heriot Watt Univer-sity’s School of Textiles and Design in Edinburgh and Galashiels. This type of development opens up many opportu-nities for the sport, outdoor and leisure industry, such as using scents that suit individual brands’ personalities to cre-ate a direct link in consumers’ minds with a smell and the brand, for example.

The Aqua Alba scent used smells of rich malt, golden vanilla, red fruit and

dark chocolate tones that are layered into the fabric throughout the fi nishing process and therefore infuses the fabric permanently, as opposed to only being able to last up to one dry clean or wash. The fabric also has the col-ours of ingredients used to produce Johnnie Walker Black Label.

Developing products with this micro-en-capsulated fragrance technology would al-low manufacturers to create fabrics with fra-grances that they feel represent their brands. Any brand could be more unique by adding a signature smell, which would cause people to associate a certain brand with a certain smell.

This technology could also be used to their advantage by using fragrances that evoke certain associations, such as happy, energised, etc., which could increase favour toward products even more.

Brands have already successfully in-troduced smells into other areas to work with their branding, for example smells developed for certain brands’ stores. Consumers start to associate a brand with a smell and when they smell that particular scent, they think of the brand.

Smelly smart fabric off ers branding opportunities


Textile trends at TextrendsFor the third year running, textile manufacturers were able to enter their products for the ISPO Textrends awards. While we have to wait until February to hear who the winners in the different categories are, there are already certain highlights that jury members say stand out in each category, reports CARIN HARDISTY

Entries to this year’s ISPO Textrends, which takes place 5-8 February during ISPO Munich, reveal textile trends that we can expect to see for winter 2017.

The ISPO Textrends awards take place annually and are judged by a panel of international experts who decide on

winners: Base Layer, Second Layer, Outer Layer, Trims, Insultation, Membrane and Coating, Accessories, and Soft Equipment.

Jury members were tasked with selecting the top ten materials as well as up to 50 additional materials, the latter which will receive the Selection status. Depending on the status bestowed by the jury, manu-facturers will receive benefits designed to help and to promote them.

Layered trendsBase layer textile manufacturers are working hard to find the perfect balance between natural and synthetic fibres to create a super light touch. Multi-blends offer the best of both worlds, from jersey through to double knit, with polypropylene a key component to enhance light-er materials and to include an eco-element. Materials featured pique structures as well as mélange fabric faces with a bonded mesh back.

In the Second Layer category, materials featured volume with brushed and sponge-like surfaces, contrasting textures and tones as well as sev-eral technical elements such as printing, bonding and brushing to cre-ate more flexibility in garment design.

The Outer Layer category saw a selection of different material en-tries: wovens made from ultra-light flat ripstop materials feature tonal or contrasting colour prints; plain weaves make use of contrasting yarns to create special effects; classic satins come in high tenacity to light-reacting changeant materials; there is no need for lining with three-layer contrasting bonded materials; and reflective prints update basic lightweight twills.

Jury members were especially drawn to the lighter weight outer ma-terials (54-90gm) that, despite the light weight, also incorporate tech-nical function and protection.

High tenacity and reflective elements stood out in the Soft Equipment category.

Reflective elements on heat transfers, rainbow-coloured stretch and rigid drawstrings, and anti-slip and gripper textured effects drew the jury’s eyes in the Trims category.

Manufacturers competed to create the most impressive elements for the Accessories category, with illuminated and reflective zipper pull-ers, lacquered coloured and printed zipper tape, waterproof and ho-lographic applications and heat transfer applications with embedded RFID chips in the reflective transfers.

Synthetic and natural fibres featured in the Insulation category. Light-weight materials made from natural fibres such as wool, camel hair and cashmere offer another insulation option to the traditional poly-ester and down. Some created hybrid blends such as duck down and polyester. Traditional synthetics are enhanced with mineral-embedded polymers for lightweight insulation with a greater degree of warmth.

Milky lamination and multi-function membranes, such as relective and new coatings on jersey bases, are among the highlights in the Mem-branes and Coatings category.

Trending groupsTextrends have grouped upcoming textile trends into five groups:• The Activation trend focuses on technical qualities in materials: ther-

mal regulation, insulation, moisture management, compression, in-creased circulation and rapid recovery.

• The Duality trend focuses on natural touch and textures, recycled fib-res, eco-friendly chemicals, eliminating processes in the textile chain to save water and energy, and interpreting natural colours and tex-tures into textiles.

• The Hardcore trend focuses on: lightweight and comfortable toughfabrics; lighter and flexible applications; abrasion resistance; shock-resistant flexible smart fabrics that harden on impact for enhanced protection; cut resistance; high performance membranes; new tones and finishes (not dominated by black).

• The Dexterity trend focuses on aesthetics: prints (Intense3D optical,illusive), bi- and multi-coloured abstract to geometric graphics, high lustre transparent and coloured membranes, traditional multi-functional bases updated with graphic details, from sublimated to hyper-realistic transfer prints, and low energy processes in the dye and print sector.

• The Circuit trend has a modern focus: safety, connectivity, high-techsecond skin comfort, lightweight performance, wovens with a crisp and modern touch, and gleaming modernity.

Active Instinct

Black 15-1263 TPX 18-5642 TPX 18-4051 TPX 12-0736 TPX

18-4005 TPX White 18-1661 TPX 19-1333 TPX Silver 14-5002 TPX

Artificial Intelligence

14-4812 TPX 18-2140 TPX 15-0545 TPX 13-2807 TPX 17-3628 TPX

The Dark Side

Black 17-5641 TPX 19-3910 TPX 19-5406 TPX 18-4214 TPX

Frosted


Synthesized


Colour palettes for winter 2017



“Yes we can!”And they did

Two South African sportswear and outdoor clothing manufacturers have shown that our factories can compete successfully with the rest of the world. The manager and owner of the K-Way factory and Impahla Clothing in Cape Town share remarkably similar recipes for success, namely switching to manufacturing top quality garments, incentivising workers, and introduc-ing values like transparency, open communication and learning from others

Anever-say-no attitude, a commit-ment to transparency and sharing of ideas, holding management, not workers, responsible for problems and investing in cutting-edge new

machines … these are just a few of the ingredi-ents that have contributed to the turnaround, and success, of the K-Way factory in Ottery.

Eight years ago, before the current manager Bobby Fairlamb said “Yes we can!” to the chal-lenge of competing profitably against high-end technical garments manufactured internation-ally, the Cape Union Mart factory was facing the same crisis as the rest of the South African clothing industry: uneven competition against cheap imports from Asia, resulting in massive

job losses and factory closures.But, Cape Union Mart chairman, Philip Kra-

witz said: “We’ll make it work — as a beacon of hope for local manufacturers.” And they did, under the guidance of Fairlamb, who is “a person who does not take no for an answer, he always believes you can do anything,” ex-plains Cape Union Mart Marketing Director Evan Torrance. “This factory is an investment in the clothing industry, it shows that we can make local manufacturing work.”

It wasn’t an option to try and compete with China by lowering wages and introducing other morally indefensible labour practices — instead, they decided to compete by upping their stand-ards and producing higher quality garments than

what came out of China. “We did it by importing cutting edge technology on the same level with European brands,” says Torrance.

Going hi-techThe K-Way factory transformed from a be-spoke tailoring manufacturer into a developer of top quality technical garments, worn by, among others, record-breaking ultra trail run-ner AJ Calitz, mountain runner Lucky Miya, adventurer Kingsley Holgate and the many staff members who regularly summit Mount Kilimanjaro.

Because the average Cape Town worker does more technologically advanced work than the average Chinese, the lower labour component

The K-Way factory in Cape Town can barely keep up with the demand for the technical softshell jackets they make for Cape Union Mart stores. They improved productiv-ity when they adopted the 5S workplace organization. Photos: Carin Hardisty



and higher value of the cost per garment en-able them to compete profitability with China. This was also made possible by increasing ef-ficiency through introducing lean manufactur-ing principles.

With the result that over the past five years, when other employers in the South African clothing industry counted worker numbers in losses, they could honour the chairman’s pledge that no worker would be retrenched. On the contrary, they have been growing worker numbers by 8% and currently employ more than 200 people. While others were clos-ing doors, K-Way was expanding floor space and investing millions in new equipment.

Fairlamb is clearly proud of the factory, which includes a design centre where they research, design and develop new products. These are often initiated by Cape Union Mart head office staff members who come across innovative new global technologies during their travels — like laser cutting, sew-free pockets, etc.

“The problem is that the East catches up fast and has a quick response to what sells — and then devise ways of making the unit cheaper,” says Fairlamb. “You therefore constantly have to be looking out for the next new thing.”

Planning wellHis productivity philosophy is that workers are ready to work, as long as management provide them with work to do. “Planning is manage-ment’s responsibility and it is management’s job to make sure the workers stay busy,” he says. He therefore holds the managers respon-sible for ensuring that there are no costly de-lays during the manufacturing process because one sector sits idly waiting for fabric or gar-

ment parts to work on.The planning department maps out the fab-

ric, trims, workflow, etc. required for each garment on a planning board, which has to be updated regularly. By consulting the board, supervisors and store clerks can, for example, see when a specific trim is getting low and remedy it before it becomes a problem.

They believe in paying workers incentives, instead of using the whip. “Our workers feel safe in their working environment and the re-sult is amazing productivity,” he adds.

To make sure that everybody shares the same work ethic and values, their entire management team and supervisors have un-dergone World Class Manufacturing training. “Each employee at K-Way understands the philosophy of Continuous Improvement and the associated impact of making small im-provements every day.”

Lean manufacturingFairlamb is chairman of the Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster (CCTC), which has the aim to assist companies in the sector to improve and change the way they do things. He believes that through Look and Learn the whole South

African clothing and textile manufacturing sector can become world class.

K-Way also participated in the CCTC pro-gramme, a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between the Western Cape government and the clothing and textile industry, to improve efficiency and standards in local factories. As part of the CCTC, consultants closely work with management and staff to suggest im-provements.

They, for example, pointed out that exces-sive motion and high work-in-progress inven-tory levels impacted productivity on the sew-free line — which was rectified by changing the floor layout and reducing bundle sizes to achieve single unit flow.

They implemented the 5S workplace organi-zation method based on five Japanese words starting with “S” that can roughly be translat-ed into sort, straighten, shine, standardize, and sustain — for example, by improving de-marcation of work areas, providing equipment next to machines to promote cleanliness, etc.

Supervisors and managers are encouraged to do regular audits to ensure that the work flows at an optimal level.

Since adopting this lean manufacturing pro-gramme in 2011, their rates of returns for repairs and rejects had dropped significantly, absenteeism had fallen and efficiency levels had shot up. The result was that their employ-ment opportunities grew by 8%.

Over the past six years Cape clothing manufacturers began recognising that they can only benefit from communicating with each other and sharing ideas. The industry is therefore upping their standards and gearing up to compete with the rest of the world. On their own terms.

Since adopting this lean manufacturing programme in 2011, their rates of re-turns for repairs and re-jects had dropped signifi-cantly, absenteeism had fallen and efficiency levels had shot up.

Bobby Fairlamb, factory manager, does not shy away from any challenge

By investing in equipment that makes the latest sew-free technology possible (middle), K-Way can compete with top end international brands.



Impahla Clothing:you have to learn to walk

before you can run2014 was a remarkable year for Impahla Clothing. They celebrated a decade in business and made a transition from manufacturing to also become the sub-Saharan Africa distributor of an international brand, and sponsor of one of our most popular teams. But they know that in order to grow a business, it first needs a solid base, reports CARIN HARDISTY

Despite starting their manufac-turing business when many were closing their doors, Impahla (clothing in Xhosa) celebrated their 10th operating year last

year. They started the business in April 2004 with 40 employees, when they took over a T-shirt factory in Lansdowne. Today they employ 452 people, 22 of whom have been with the company since day one.

“When we bought the business, the South Af-rican clothing industry was at a very low point, with people losing their jobs in droves,” says William Hughes, Impahla Clothing MD. “We re-alised very quickly that we had to find a niche for ourselves and do something different to everybody else.”

They decided to aim higher and approach brands to manufacture for them. Within the first year they were manufacturing for Puma, adidas, New Balance, Levi’s and Cape Union Mart. More recently, they were approached by Asics to manufacture Springbok apparel and they have been manufacturing Sharks’ replica for BLK since February 2014.

Impahla Clothing offers brands a quality product, made to the highest manufactur-ing standards, says Hughes — and not only in terms of manufacturing, but also social and environmental compliances. “We adopted a strategy of sustainability.”

In 2014, they celebrated their sixth year as a carbon neutral business.

Because of his farming background in Zim-babwe, where he worked closely with the labourers and their families who lived on the farm, Hughes has a lot of experience of man-aging many people. “You have to know how to treat people. You have to treat them with respect, which is fundamental to our manage-ment style.

“Our people are very crucial to us. Without them we are nothing, so we have to make sure we’re all one team with one goal. We’re la-

bour intensive, so you have to make sure your people are on your team.”

He is also a strong believer in transparency, with all aspects of the business open for scrutiny.

Growing businessIn the beginning, Impahla focused on manu-facturing clothing, but in 2012 the opportu-nity to expand arose. Millennium Socks was liquidated and Impahla bought the assets and started manufacturing socks as well. “We’re not making a profit yet, but we’re growing the business slowly,” says Hughes.

Their fabric side is also an expansion of their business. Tomotex merged with Impahla in 2012 to become their fabric division where they mainly produce cotton based fabric, but also make polyester fabrics that are used in their replica manufacturing.

Impahla recently also branched out into footwear, focusing on basics such as sandals for BLK and Sharks supporters. They even have a range of footwear for babies.

They now have three manufacturing loca-tions in the Western Cape: Maitland (head of-fice, clothing and branding), Epping (textiles) and Elsies River (socks, apparel and branding).

From manufacturing to distributingIn October 2014 Impahla Clothing became the new BLK licensee for sub-Saharan Africa. “Manufacturing is very different to distribution and we considered this move very carefully,” says Hughes. “We saw this as a good opportuni-ty to grow and improve our business. We really want to build a solid foundation and then grow the business from there: not try and run before

we can walk and then end up in a heap.” BLK, known worldwide for its rugby products,

also offers clothing and accessories for a vari-ety of other sports, such as netball, cricket, hockey and soccer. In fact, the Sharks Acade-my’s soccer division uses BLK’s soccer clothing.

“Soccer is something we’re very good at, at Impahla Clothing. We already manufacture a lot of soccer kit for Puma,” Hughes points out.

But BLK won’t be competition for Puma, cur-rently one of their main customers, he assures. BLK is much smaller than Puma and the brands operate on different levels. “Puma is a very well-established brand in Africa,” says Hughes. “With BLK, we’re starting from grass roots.”

In Australia, where BLK’s owning company WRS (World Rugby Specialists) Group is situated, team wear is about 70% of the brand’s business.

Over the past year or so, Impahla Clothing has manufactured kit for teams playing at school to national level; participating in local, Currie Cup, Super Rugby, Premier Soccer League of South Africa, 2013 CAN African Cup of Nations and 2014 FIFA World Cup competitions.

“Rugby is also taking off in the rest of Af-rica,” says Hughes. They’ve already received rugby enquiries from countries such as Zimba-bwe, Namibia and Kenya.

BLK has been the Sharks’ kit sponsor since the beginning of 2014, which is a wonderful partnership for the international brand trying to find its feet in the highly competitive South African market.

“The Sharks is a fantastic brand and popular, and it’s an opportunity for us to leverage the BLK brand and make it well known in Southern Africa,” says Hughes. “From our side, we must now make sure that we deliver so that people can be exposed to the quality and in turn ex-pose it to others.”

Most of the Sharks replica will be made by Impahla Clothing in South Africa and a very small percentage will be imported. Imported goods will be items such as BLK’s accessories

We’re not going to do things for window dress-ing — it has to add value to the business



and technical items.

Made in South Africa“The Sharks should also leverage the fact that their kit is manufactured in South Africa. It’s very important for consumers to know the prod-uct is being made locally,” reminds Hughes.

Local manufacturers offer several benefits such as shorter lead times for replenish-ment of stock and contributing to the econ-omy through job creation. Compared to when they first started, there have definitely been marked improvements in the local manufac-turing market, says Hughes.

He lists certain improvements such as gov-ernment starting to take a more active ap-proach in the clothing industry through the Department of Trade and Industry and the IDC, the weakened Rand meant that eyes turned to within our borders for manufacturing op-tions, and there has been a big push to stop illegal and unregistered importers that try to avoid paying duties on apparel. Manufacturing could again become a big industry and a big employer in South Africa, Hughes points out.

“We’ve found that several of the larger re-tailers have started looking at local manufac-turing options, and we do business with a few already — even sports lifestyle chains.”

At times it can be difficult to get hold of the necessary raw materials — especially in the textile industry. On the very technical side they have to import, but these days there is an ever increasing number of local companies to use.

When importing, it’s very important for them not to opt for cheaper material that might not be suitable for human wear, for example ma-terial that might contain hazardous chemicals or buttons that have too high a lead content, because they are very concerned about manu-facturing sustainably and being environmen-tally responsible.

SustainabilityWhen Puma commissioned an international re-port on sustainability a few years ago, ‘Trans-parency in the Supply Chain’, Impahla Cloth-ing was one of the South African companies that was invited to take part in the project. Of the South African companies involved, they are the only one to have made sustainability a permanent part of their business and since 2008 they became the first African manufac-turer to receive “World Cat Strategic Suppli-er” status from Puma.

“Sustainability has always fitted in with our thinking. We don’t do this to please somebody else — we do it because it’s the right thing to do. A lot of the things Puma asked actually made sense for us,” says Hughes. “We’re not going to do things for window dressing — it has to add value to the business, which it does.”

The Cape Town manufacturer and the South African Puma subsidiary have a long history of working very closely together. When they heard that Ronald Rink was retiring as MD of Puma SA at the end of 2013, Hughes ap-proached Rink and asked him to join the Impahla Clothing board as chairman. “He of-fers us invaluable guidance,” says Hughes.

Impahla Clothing is also a member of the 110% Green project, a Western Cape Gov-ernment initiative that was launched by pre-mier Helen Zille on World Environmental Day in 2012. The project is a “call to people to commit to the Green Economy, to act on their commitment and to make an impact. Together our actions will lead to greater change,” states the Western Cape Government’s website.

Zille was also at Impahla Clothing’s Maitland premises to open their new solar panels in 2012. The 131 solar panels can generate ap-proximately 50 MWh per year, which is roughly 5% of their annual electricity usage across their entire business.

The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) also awarded Impahla first place in the Job Creation category and first place for Sus-tainability at the 2013 Business Partner Awards.

Expanding horizonsIn the past, Impahla Clothing has exported throughout the world, and this is something they will be looking at again now that they are licensees for the BLK brand — especially into sub-Saharan Africa.

“We also have opportunities to export into Europe and the US, because of the preferen-tial trade agreements,” Hughes adds.

Because they manufacture 100% locally-made products from African cotton, and can therefore export to those markets duty-free because they comply with the trade agree-ments’ regulations, other distributors of BLK are now considering working with Impahla Clothing to manufacture their products in South Africa and export to their respective countries.

Outside of Africa, BLK is also currently dis-tributed in Australia, France, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, United Arab Emirates, the UK and the US.

“We’re also getting a lot of enquiries on the Design Your Own portal on our website,” says Hughes. Through this area, you can design your team kit with easy-to-follow instructions. The process takes about six weeks from ac-cepting the quote to receiving the kit.

The Hughes family, all involved in the busi-ness, have indeed come a long way from the Zimbabwean farm they were evicted from ten years ago by threatening land invaders. They will be entering their second decade in busi-ness with much more optimism and confidence that the many possibilities they created will be successful.

William Hughes, Impahla Clothing MD, in their Maitland factory. The company is very proud of their South African roots.



Team kits vs replicas:Which is the

most profitable?While international retailers make millions from selling replica shirts, most South African retailers find that it is more beneficial to sell team kit than replica shirts. JOHANN DU TOIT looks at the pros and cons of stocking team kit vs replica

Deciding what amount of shelf space needs to be dedicated to a product category is often a difficult decision that a retailer needs to make. The deciding fac-

tor is often which product will generate the most profit per space occupied. In the case of team kit clothing or replica clothing, it is often difficult to decide which product will give the highest income per centimetre shelf space.

Team kits are usually sold to an entire team in one go. In the case of rugby teams, full kits for 15 players, plus reserves, often need to be purchased. Therefore, a retailer can sell much more team kit at one time than rep-lica jerseys, which are purchased individually. Team kit can therefore be more lucrative to give shelf space to, even though individual replica jerseys are much more expensive per item.

It is therefore no surprise that 61.5% of the retailers responding to our snap survey say that selling team kit is more profitable for them, even though replica jerseys are much more expensive than individual team jerseys.

A locally manufactured full kit set for a soc-cer team would sell for about R1 600, while a team set from a recognised brand could cost as much as R6 000 per team set. Compared to that, a replica jersey for a local soccer team would sell for between R499-599, but international replica jerseys (e.g. Manchester United, Chelsea, etc.) would sell for between

R750-900. A retailer therefore has to sell two to three replica shirts for the price of one team set sold to a local team.

There might, however, be a limited number of amateur teams playing in the area, while a very popular pro team may generate many replica jersey sales. Therefore, close to 40% of the retailers contacted said that they find it more profitable to sell replica.

Biggest kit salesOur retail respondents indicated that a store focusing more on sports fashion will sell more replicas, while independent sports stores will be more likely to sell more team kits.

Nearly two-thirds (60%) of the retailers re-sponding to our snap survey say that they sell more team kit than replica. The demand for team kit is relatively constant, especially when you sell to schools, as growing athletes will regularly require new team kit, especially as they progress to the top teams that wear different jerseys. It is therefore relatively easy to predict what kind of sales figures one

can expect when selling to the teams in your area.

There are about 10 000-68 000 grassroots soccer clubs in South Africa, each one needing at least one team kit. Excluding school teams and unregistered clubs, there are at the very least 150 000-1 000 000 players playing at club level. It is therefore again no surprise that 60% of the retailers say that they sell the most team kit to soccer teams.

For rugby, IRB figures show there are just under half a million registered rugby play-ers in South Africa — all requiring team kits. More than 300 000 of these players are still at school and nearly 18 000 are women. This represents nearly 31 000 registered amateur rugby teams, all needing team jerseys, shorts and socks.

Yet, only 30% of the retailers we contacted say that rugby is the sport that they sell the most kit for.

Even though netball is the most popular sport among women of all age and race groups (see p46), with around 1.95 million adult and junior players in South Africa, representing about 195 000 teams, retailers did not indi-cate that they sell many netball team kits. Al-though 80% of the respondents do sell netball team kit, the demand for soccer, rugby and even cricket is higher.

Locally manufacturedAmong local manufacturers of team kits, how-ever, netball kits are selling well. Manufactur-ers such as American Man Sportswear, Kevro

Because a replica jersey is something you can wear as an everyday piece of clothing, the look and style of it also plays an im-portant role for a customer deciding to buy it or not.


and Mike Sport all indicate that netball is one of their top two sellers, with soccer kit sales in the lead.

Most local manufacturers of team wear make kits for soccer, netball, rugby, hockey and cricket — and sell the most kits in the same order. More than half of the retailers (56%) indicated that they don’t actually stock team kit, but that they sell team kits ordered from a catalogue supplied by local manufac-

turers. Kevro supplies such a catalogue to their re-

tail customers twice a year, featuring their various sports brands under the BRT label (see p2). “We are a trade only supplier,” says Mar-tin Ferreira, “but the demand is mainly from school and clubs ordering from our retail cus-tomers via our catalogue.”

The biggest demand is for their soccer (Acel-li) and netball (Sevenn) team kit, followed by

rugby (Brutal), and then BRT teamwear for cricket, hockey and athletics.

Most local manufacturers say they mainly sell team kits in standard colours and styles, ordered from catalogues, and retailers can also order imported ranges from brands like adidas, Nike, Kappa and Puma in standard colours and sizes from their catalogues.

This is the fastest and least expensive way to manufacture kits because or- To p32

Orlando Pirates’ supporters’ wear is popular among supporters.



ders are done in bulk, explains Shahin Lalla of American Man Sportswear, who specializes in soccer and netball kit under the Premier label.

They have a very large customer base, who enjoy the fast lead times and good prices they can offer by having stock in standard colours and styles available.

This doesn’t mean that personalised sales

consulting is not important to customers wanting to purchase team kits, though. “A key element of our team kit business is the walk-in or telesale client, who gets personalized service from our skilled sales consultants,” says Imtiaz Karodia from Solly M Sports, a ma-jor supplier of soccer kit.

Their popular imported in-house Fury range is supplied in standard colours and sizes from

their catalogue, and they also have a locally manufactured Fury range, which they can customise. “We can offer sizes and styles as per our clients’ request in quick turnaround time,” he says.

There is also a big demand for wholesale stock from other retailers and service pro-viders. “Due to us carrying large amounts of stock, we can supply tenders for even 200 sets of kit overnight with complete branding of logos and numbers printed.”

The highest demand for team kits comes

Team kits vs replicas cont from p31

The four national rugby captains (from left): Handré Pollard (Junior Spring-boks), Kyle Brown (Springbok Sevens), Zenay Jordaan (Springbok Women Sev-ens) and Jean de Villiers (Springboks).Credit: Derick Myburg for SARU.

61.5% of the re-tailers respond-ing to our snap survey say that selling team kit is more profitable for them, even though replica jerseys are much more expen-sive than individu-al team jerseys.


2015 January :: Sports Trader2015 January :: Sports Trader

from schools and local teams. This is due to the large number of players in younger age groups.

Schools and clubs often want in-dividual designs, says Eijvind Vlok from Hawk Sportswear, who fi nd that most of the school and local club teams that order kit from him, want individual designs.

His customers want a combina-tion of individual designs, as well as standard styles and colours from a catalogue, says Mike Au-gostides of Mikes Sports.

They supply team kit for soccer, netball, rugby and cricket from stock, says Gary Baker of LGB Distributors, but make hockey kit to order, as the demand is not so high. They mainly supply ex-stock, “but we also make bespoke for certain clubs and schools, de-pending on units required.”

Kit from brandsThe level of the team that orders kit also plays a major role in how team wear will be ordered. A sponsored team, like the Storm-ers or Sharks, will have their special designs custom made, ex-plains Paul Corbelarri from Genu-ine Connection, who makes the rugby team kit for some of these high level teams.

They do, however, also manu-facture rugby shirts with indi-vidual designs for school and club teams, he adds.

But, even some well-known international brands known for their replica, sell more team kit than replica jerseys — for exam-ple, Canterbury, which nowadays supplies more team kit to clubs and schools than replica jerseys, says Evert Ferreira of local sup-plier Brand ID.

Kappa offers soccer clubs and schools the online Kappa4Team service, from where they can or-der kit and off-fi eld clothing by clicking on the styles, colours and sizes they want. Although Kappa SA “sell a good mixture of replica and kit, our core, or main busi-ness, is general team kit sales,” says local distributor Ricky Jo-seph.

Replicas salesAn equal number of retailers (40%) report that they sell rugby as well as soccer replica, even though there are many more soccer supporters in South Af-rica than rugby supporters. This is most likely due to the cost of replica jerseys, as your typical

Our anonymous retail re-spondents to our snap survey were mainly from sport independent stores (40%), as well as sport spe-cialist stores, fashion inde-pendents and fashion chain stores.

Most of the stores are in the CBD of a main city (60%), with rest spread across big shopping malls, smaller neighbourhood centres or rural towns (10%). Most (70-80%) sell team kit for soccer, rugby, netball and cricket).

rugby supporter is more likely to be able to afford a replica jersey, while the average soccer sup-porter might not. A replica jer-sey can cost between R500 and R700, making them a signifi cant purchase for most South Africans.

Even though netball is such a popular sport in South Africa, netball replica sales are practi-cally non-existent. This is most likely due to it not being a big spectator sport.

A few retailers indicated that cricket replica shirts are also very popular, while cricket team kits are not in very high demand.

The issue of fake replicas is also of big concern, as a sup-porter might be more inclined to purchase a cheaper rip-off than the much more expensive offi cial branded one. In order to combat this, several brands offer take-down supporters jerseys, caps, T-shirts and other accessories at a price that most fans who want to show their support can afford.

Musgrave Agencies, for exam-ple, supply Springbok support-ers wear and accessories under license, as well as supporters gear for Super 15 teams like the Stormers, Sharks, Li- To p36


Contact Details7 Branches nationwide and in Namibia(Head Office (Johannesburg) , Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit, Bloemfontein, Windhoek)

Email: [email protected] Tel: 0861 1 53876Windhoek Tel: 00264 61 250 02700Website: www.kevro.co.za

The Nature of rugby is Brutal.South African rugby is tough, physical and unforgiving. Brutal has that character in a full range of rugby gear already used by four provincial teams.

Hockey range for men and woman, includes apparel and equipment. This range is elevated by vibrant colours and design in keeping with hockey’s identity.

Sevenn brings it’s own pure netball clothing and equipment, specifically developed for this high intensity sport.

Soccer is the Nation’s biggest sport. Inspired by the Italian’s flair for design, but developed for the South African environment. Acelli football wear, even in kiddies ranges, is a fusion of unique style, quality and modernism - all the elements demanded by today’s player.

Javelin, shotput, discus, hurdles to high-jump equipment, and more. IAAF approved products are part of the Garrett athletics complete range. Garrett serves the need in the market with these products.

Off-field apparel and equipment for sports teams of all sporting codes. This team-wear range is primarily a sport lifestyle collection and was designed to maximise how sportsmen and sports - women look off the field.

ons, Cheetahs and Bulls.

Replica successWhile a retailer roughly knows how many schools and clubs will order team kit from him per season, replica sales are largely de-pendent on the performance of the team. A successful team usually translates into a suc-cessful brand.

For example, in the lead up to the fi nal when the Springboks won the 2007 IRB World Cup, retailers were fast running out of Spring-bok jersey stock — while retailers in France, where the World Cup was played, could hardly give their All-Black jerseys away after New Zealand was knocked out of the tournament.

This makes predicting replica sales fi gures, and ordering stock, very tough.

“Springbok rugby is one of the biggest sport-ing brands in South Africa,” says Sarah Mundy, marketing manager for ASICS SA. “The iconic 1995 RWC win during such an emotional time in South Africa left a massive emotional im-print on all South Africans.” The brand will therefore always have strong appeal — from fans worldwide.

Retailers report a marked increase in Spring-

Team kits vs replicascont from p33

MUSGRAVE AGENCIES is excited to let retailers know that they now distrib-ute the SA Rugby range of supporters’ and casual wear.

The SA Rugby range features items for the Springboks, as well as for the Sharks/Natal Sharks, Bulls/Blue Bulls, Stormers/Western Province, Central Cheetahs/Free State Cheetahs and Li-ons/Golden Lions Super 15/Currie Cup teams.

SA Rugby off ers accessories and clothing, which provide great options for the supporter.

They have also just developed a brand new SA Rugby clothing range, which arrives in the fi rst quarter of 2015. They do have stock of other items, for example their accessories range. The accessories range in-cludes headwear, bags, fl ags, bot-tles. etc.

SA Rugby cloth-ing caters

for the whole family from men’s and ladies down to girls, boys, pregirls, preboys and infant sizes.

“It’s also not just supporters’ wear,” Shane Balcomb, SA Rugby brand man-ager for Musgrave Agencies, points out. “Within the clothing ranges, we’ve also developed more lifestyle, so it’s not just something for the con-sumer to wear to a game,” says Bal-comb. “If you want a nice check shirt to go to work in or something to wear around the braai that doesn’t have

huge team branding, we also of-fer this. The branding is nice

and subtle — not in your face.”

Balcomb has a fi rst-hand knowledge of

retail, having worked at Mr Price Sport in their outdoor

clothing and accessories department before joining

Musgrave Agencies.

brand new SA Rugby clothing range, which arrives in the fi rst quarter of 2015. They do have stock of other items, for example their accessories range. The accessories range in-cludes headwear, bags, fl ags, bot-

SA Rugby cloth-

fer this. The branding is nice and subtle — not in your

retail, having worked at Mr Price Sport in their outdoor

department before joining

SA Rugby available from Musgrave Agencies


bok replica sales after the team had won. It is as if fans then want to show their support, even after the game.

Although results are the most important fac-tor for generating large fan bases, a team can also become popular if it plays in an appealing way. For example, the Johannesburg based Li-ons rugby team are gaining popularity due to their aggressive attacking style and success in recent Currie Cup matches. “It’s all about the teams’ results and brand of rugby they play”, says Ferreira from Brand ID, manufacturers of Lions rugby replica shirts.

Because a replica jersey is something you can wear as an everyday piece of clothing, the look and style of it also plays an important role for a customer deciding to buy it or not. Part of the reason why the Bulls rugby team replica shirts sell so well is because they look so good, says James Mullen, Head of Perfor-mance for their kit supplier Puma SA. “It's a combination of great stylish kit design as well as the fact that the Bulls are one of the most successful and well supported teams in SA,” she says.

Shirts from the Super 15 teams like the Sharks (from BLK), Stormers (adidas) and Bulls (Puma) sell well countrywide, report retail-ers, while other teams such as the Cheetahs (Puma) and Lions (Canterbury) will have a much more locally based appeal.

Soccer replicaWhen it comes to sales, the highest demand from South African customers is for replica shirts for local soccer teams (according to 33% of retailers), followed by the demand for lo-cal rugby teams and Springbok shirts (22% of retailers). Few retailers (11%) reported a high demand for cricket franchise replica, while none did well from netball replica, despite the introduction of the netball league.

In soccer, replica shirts for PSL teams like Kaizer Chiefs (Nike) and Orlando Pirates (adi-das) with huge supporter bases are by far the most popular sellers. Chiefs reportedly have more than 14-m supporters, belonging to 300 supporters' branches. It is estimated that they are supported by about a third of South Afri-cans, followed by Orlando Pirates, supported by about a quarter of the population.

Most South African PSL teams nowadays have sponsors that provide replica shirts for fans.

Bloemfontein Celtic replica shirts sell well because “they are an extremely well support-ed club with a large fan base,” says Joseph.

Kappa SA also supplies replica shirts for Tel-kom Knockout champions Supersport United, as well as Amazulu and Bidvest Wits.

Nike also supplies Mamelodi Sundowns and adidas Ajax Cape Town supporters wear. Puma provides Moroka Swallows replica, while Um-bro is the technical supplier for Mpumalanga Black Aces, Ama Tuks and Maritzburg United. Local brand Acelli, available from Kevro, is the technical sponsor for Platinum Stars and Polokwane City.

International soccer clubs, especially teams based in England, also sell many replicas in South Africa, even though they are generally more expensive — around R800, as opposed to the R500-600 that a local jersey would cost. The biggest demand for replica shirts in his store are Liverpool, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Arsenal and Chelsea, reported a re-tail respondent, although shirts of most of the popular international teams are sold locally.

Many retailers stock both replica shirts as well as team kits, as the markets for these two products are somewhat different. Decid-ing how much store space to devote to these two products will depend on a variety of fac-tors, such as the type of store you are operat-ing, the type of sport you are focusing on, how many sports teams are in your area and how successful some sports teams are in a season.

Ultimately the decision will be different for each individual retailer.

The level of the team that orders kit also plays a ma-jor role in how team wear will be ordered.


adidas launch mirosar10boots in honour of Leo Messi’s childhood cityNew Messi boots inspired by Rosario upbringing

adidas has revealed a new pair of boots to celebrate the childhood of Leo Messi. The all new adidas Messi mirosar10 boots, are inspired by Leo’s upbringing in Rosario, Argen-

tina, where he learned the game and scored his first goals, before taking the road to glory.

The name mirosar10 translates from Spanish to my Rosario with the number 10 given prom-inence in the naming, in the same way Leo has himself given prominence to this number for both club and country.

Uniquely designed and truly inspired by Leo’s childhood, the boot reflects the roots of his legend. The orange of the boot signifies his first ever club, with the green representing

their fiercest rivals, who Leo scored 4 goals against in his first significant 11-a-side game as a young child. The boot insoles are printed with a map of Rosario, Messi’s home town in his beloved Argentina, which is highlighted throughout along with the Batallón pitch — an abandoned military base field that Leo used to sneak onto through a hole in the fence to play football with his friends when he was a small child.

Four-time Ballon d’Or winner Leo Messi has torn up the history books in recent years, breaking many records in the process and his incredible goal haul at the age of just 27 confirms his place as one of the best players to ever play the game. Having eclipsed Gerd

Muller´s 85 goals in a single year in 2012, Messi has gone on to score over 400 career goals, and these unique boots are testament to where it all began in Rosario, Argentina.

The Messi mirosar10 boot forms part of a wider adidas campaign which aims to tell the story of Messi’s legend through retail, online, digital and via social media. As part of the integrated experience, fans will be encour-aged to create their own personalised insole of their home town for their chance to win it.

Join Team Messi at facebook.com/teammessi or join the conversation on Twitter @teammessi.

For more information contact adidas SA on Tel: 021 442 6200.


p38 :: Advertorial

39


Our cut-out-and-keep series to assist retailers with product knowledgeWords: YAMKELA MKEBE. Compiled with the help of Grant Stephen of Legacy Sport and Leisure, Ricky Joseph of Kappa SA and http://irbplayerwelfare.com; www.asics.co.za/rugby/knowledge/rugby-boots-for-different-positions); www.sportspo-diatrists.com.au; www.soccer-academy.net/soccer-shoes; www.soccercleats101.com; www.si.com/more-sports/cleat-de-sign-technology

Team boot soles explainedVisit Sports Trader’s website for more product knowledge: www.sportstrader.co.za

Choosing suitable gear is crucial for any athlete who wants to perform at his best, and prevent injuries. Iden-tifying the right boots for the sport, terrain and position of the player is

no different. Playing in uncomfortable and un-suitable boots can lead to under-performance and injuries, amongst other things.

Players in the different positions in a soccer or rugby team will also have different requirements for their boots. Rugby backs and hockey players often buy soccer boots to play in — but there are very good reasons to recommend that they rather choose a boot specifi cally designed for the sport, conditions of play, or position.

It is important for retailers to be able to rec-ommend certain stud confi gurations based on the use of the boot.

Soccer solesThe fi rst question a retailer will ask a soccer boot buyer is whether he will be playing on fi rm ground (FG), soft ground (SG), hard ground (HG) or artifi -cial ground or turf (AG) as this will determine the type of stud and the confi guration he will need. Firm ground refers to a natural grass fi eld, which is not too hard, and not too soft. This type of surface provides good traction, but it is not muddy or slippery. Boots with fairly shallow moulded conical studs or blades that provide trac-tion, but do not dig too deep, are usually worn. If the studs dig in too deep, the foot can get stuck, and the player can get a hamstring strain or other injury when he pushes off fast, or if he falls when another player bumps against him. Soft ground boots are suitable for play on a soft, natural, playing surface, that could be a lit-tle wet or muddy. The studs usually have a lot of depth so that they can dig in and prevent slipping, and are often replaceable. SG studs are usually longer, made of metal and can be screw-in. Fewer studs are used on SG — the traditional SG soccer boot has four big metal studs in the forefoot and two big studs in the heel.

There are new variations on the market, with the traditional confi guration combined with extra plastic studs or blades for a little more traction. SG studs are not recommended for FG, even if the metal studs are replaced with plastic, because each screw-in area is a pressure point that will be uncomfortable on FG. Hard ground (HG) or multi-ground (MG) stud confi gurations are suitable for hard sun-baked grassless surfaces, or hard, artifi cial turf. They usually have many short studs that are evenly dis-tributed across the entire outsole. Artifi cial grass (AG) provides good traction because it is usually very abrasive and FG or SG studs can therefore dig in too deep and grip too hard, not allowing the player mobility. This can

cause injuries. It is not recommended to use any boot other than a specifi c AG stud confi guration on artifi cial grass. The AG studs are small rubber blades or studs with a special design that will not grip too much on artifi cial grass.

Soccer or hockey boots worn on artifi cial fi elds usually have many small, rubber blades or rub-ber studs. These soles are highly durable for use on the abrasive surface and the small studs offer a good grip on the surface, ensuring more speed and agility. AG boots sometimes have hundreds of small blades, instead of round moulded studs. Indoor boots are also worn on dry artifi cial surfaces. It will traditionally have a gum rubber fl at outsole with many small zigzag grooves. This type of sole, also called fl ats, is made of a single moulded gum rubber with the grooves providing a better grip. The soles are light and allow the player good side-to-side movement.

Rugby solesThe main concern for rugby authorities is whether a stud or blade will cause injury to another player. • The IRB Laws of the Game specify in Law 4(3)

that studs of players’ boots must conform to

the IRB Specifi cation set out in IRB Regulation 12. Moulded rubber multi-studded soles are acceptable provided they have no sharp edges or ridges.

• Law 4(4) further specifi es that a player must not wear any item that is sharp or abrasive and a player must not wear a single stud at the toe of the boot.

• IRB Regulation 12 further stipulates that studs must be made of a material that will not dete-riorate due to abrasion, impact, or wear that can cause a hazard – nylon is therefore not rec-ommended because it can cause burring.

• The stud or cleat may not be longer than 21 mm, and the minimum width must be 10mm. Although the IRB does not ban the use of blades, it will be uncommon to fi nd a 10mm wide blade that will be legal on a rugby boot.

• All edges of a cleat must be smooth.

Studs for rugby positions• Screw-in studs are preferred by rugby forwards.

Players in these positions need more power and stability, which the screw-in studs pro-vide. This allows for more grip needed when contesting the scrums. In some cases moulded studs with metal tips are also recommended for the same positions.

• Six studs are recommended for rugby playersplaying in back positions. Four studs are tradi-tionally placed on the forefoot and two studs right at the back under the heel.

• Eight studs are suitable for players playing infront positions, usually with six placed in the forefoot and two studs on the heel of the boot. Rugby forwards are big players that need a lot of traction, grip and stability for scrumming.

• Shorter moulded studs are preferred for the backs. These allow for the speed and agility needed in the back positions. Players in the back positions are most likely to be making more runs in the attack and stability and bet-ter grip is also needed.

Stud numbers and patternsThe more studs used, the more balance is pro-vided, especially for players in the positions that do not require much running and attacking. More studs provide better grip because they cover a larger area of the playing surface Multiple studs work better on dry, hard fi elds, because they don’t give good traction in wet, muddy conditions. These can be found in differ-ent materials, including screw-in metal, screw-in plastic and moulded. Boots with fewer studs, like 6 or 8 studs, are more suitable for running and speed. Fewer studs provide less grip on the surface, compared to boots with more studs. An attacking player or a wing is best suited to playing To p40

p40 :: Sport


in six studs because is it all about speed, light-weight and touch. Eight studs provide more trac-tion.

The confi guration plays an important role in determining the number of studs a player in a specifi c position should use, depending on the particular surface conditions. The consequences of playing in boots with the wrong stud pattern can lead to injury and the player not enjoying the game. Forefoot placement: Studs placed in the fore-foot provides better traction. The studs placed under the tip of the toe are specifi cally designed for immediate penetration of the surface. Midfoot placement: The studs placed in the middle of the forefoot hardly dig into the ground when the player is running. They provide extra traction when the studs on the sides of the fore-foot penetrate the ground at the beginning of the player’s run, allowing faster acceleration. Backfoot placement: The studs placed in the back of the sole provide balance, keep the feet stable on the ground and support the heel.

For defenders, a boot sole providing benefi ts like consistency, traction and touch, amongst others, is ideal. Due to a lot of activities on the left or right back it is essential for the players to wear a boot with a sole that ensures consistent performance. Screw-in studs are ideal for de-fenders and the number of studs vary.

Moulded studsMoulded studs are permanently attached to the boot’s sole and cannot be replaced or removed. Moulded studs are made of different materials, including rubber and plastic. • A boot is most likely to feature 10–20, or 12–16

round moulded studs, depending on the brand as each will have a different pattern.

• They also come in different shapes, including rounded and bladed. However, blades are also available as screw-in studs.

• Moulded studs minimise the risk of blisters, be-cause a larger number of studs are usu-ally used, which distributes the weight more equally across a player’s foot.

• They are suitable for a hard and dry pitch.• They are low maintenance and last longer than

detachable studs that need to be replaced more often.

• With moulded studs a player will need to buy anew pair of boots when they are worn out, damaged, or broken. With screw-in studs, only the studs need to be replaced.

• Moulded studs cannot grip well or providegood traction on surfaces with long grass. This gets worse in wet and muddy conditions. Un-like detachable studs, moulded studs do not allow a player the fl exibility of changing studs to suit different surfaces.

Screw-in/detachable studs:Screw-in studs, also known as detachable studs, are changeable and can be removed and replaced with a stud type that best suits particular fi eld condition or position. • Longer screw-in studs are advisable in muddy

and wet pitch conditions, as they minimise the chances of a player slipping. They will also prevent the boot becoming bogged down in

the mud, which might affect performance. • The most common number of screw-in studs

most likely to be found in a boot is seven — two studs are placed on the heel, four are placed around the ball of the foot and one stud is placed in the far front under the toes.

• Some boots will have more than ten studs. However, just like with moulded studs, the pattern will differ from one brand to another.

• Detachable studs are available in different sizes and lengths and can therefore be sold to comply with a sport’s rules and requirements. Longer detachable studs are more likely found in rugby than soccer boots.

• They are versatile, as they allow a player to change studs to suit the playing surface. They therefore allow a player to have a better grip and traction as studs can be replaced to meet particular condition of the pitch.

• A player suffering from blisters on hard groundcan replace longer screw-in studs with shorter ones, designed for such playing conditions.

• Screw-in studs are not recommended for young players with growing feet. It would be bet-ter for a young player to buy a new pair of moulded stud boots than having to change and remove screw-in studs until he is older.

BladesThe shape of a blade is completely different from the traditional rounded studs. Blades are fl ex-ible as they are mostly moulded in one piece, but they can also be replaced, just like screw-in studs. The depth of blades will vary from brand to brand. • Blades are more suitable for use on soft fi elds. • They are designed for speed, with the result

that attackers in a soccer team, or rugby backs, might select blades rather than studs.

• The number of blades featured in the boot’s outsole is normally less than the number of moulded studs featured in a boot. There are usually 8–15 of the narrow blades in a soccer boot, whereas moulded studs usually exceed that number.

• Blades are designed to provide grip while pro-viding better turning ability at the same time.

• Blades are designed for speed. They penetrate and exit the surface quicker than the rounded studs enabling a player to run faster than one using rounded studs.

• Blades are especially suited for strikers in soc-cer, as they allow fast acceleration, for exam-ple, when wanting to beat a defender.

• Some designs allow for the blades to bechangeable to adapt to the conditions of the fi eld or surface.

• Blades do not provide the same amount of sta-bility as the traditional rounded studs.

• On wet and muddy surface conditions theytend to be slippery, especially the plastic blades.

• Blades are viewed by some soccer players as dangerous. There was the incident in the English Premier League involving Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, who was cut so badly by a blade during a tackle that he was out of action for some time. This resulted in calls by some professionals for the blades to be banned.

Boot stud placement cont from p39

Team boot News

To celebraTe the 20th anniversary of their Predator boot, adidas launched the Predator Crazylight and Predator Supernatural, two of the 14 special edition Predator Instinct boots introduced during 2014 as part of the anniver-sary. The Predator Crazylight offers the control of the Predator Instinct and the light weight (140g) of the adidas Crazylight range. It fea-tures the lethal zone, control and pass pad technology of all the Predator Instinct boots, but has the added benefit of new Sprintframe technology, which reduces weight, without re-ducing control.The new Predator boot forms part of the adi-das Crazylight Pack that includes new versions of the Predator, f50, 11pro and Nitrocharge boots. Adidas also introduced the new special edition

The Predator Crazylight (left) and f50 Su-pernatural (above) are new adidas boots.

Celebrating Predator’s 20th anniversary with lights and fright20th anniversary Predator Instinct Supernatu-ral, as well as the adizero f50 Supernatural, in “frightening” luminous colours and patterns in time for Halloween on 31 October. The skin of the Predator boot adapts so that the bright, shiny colours can scare off defend-ers even on the darkest nights. It has all the usual Predator Instinct perfor-mance technologies.The adizero f50 Supernatural has a special light weight new-generation skin with a Hal-loween theme, which reduces the weight on the uppers, without affecting their quality and performance. This lightweight skin is also available on the adidas 11pro boots.

The latest addition to the adidas range is the Messi Mirosar10 boot (see p38), which com-memorates Lionel Messi’s home town Rosario, in Argentina, and his first game.

PUMA evoSpeed in new coloursThe classic PUMA evoSpeed 1.3 is now avail-able in new black, white and green colourways.

The lightweight boot is ideal for quick strik-ers and midfielders as it allows control and touch of the ball, while keeping high pace on the pitch. Lightweight materials allow more efficient movement, while a thin microfibre increased its control and grip. An external midfoot cage that wraps around the outside of the boot and an improved footbed, offers comfort and stability. Players like Sergio Agüe-ro, Radamel Falcao and Antoine Griezmann are wearing this boot.

Puma has also launched a limited edition evoSPEED 1.3 MR boot (see p9 and image be-low) that represent the values that inspire midfielder Marco Reus. The words hope, love, believe and dream in English and German on two clasping hands are part of the design. Ten pairs of these boots will be available in South Africa from Rashid Cassim Sports.



New forwinter team balls

CARIN HARDISTY asked brands to reveal what is available in their winter team ball ranges

Even in team balls, manufacturers are constantly striving to introduce inno-vations. Two new balls on the mar-ket, for example, combine the du-rability of laminated balls with the

performance of stitched balls. And team balls are becoming eco-friendly as balls made from recycled tyres, are now also on the market.

The technology in the Acelli Thermo soccer ball (distributed by Kevro) as well as the hy-perseam technology in Mitre balls (distributed by Legacy Sport and Leisure) combine the durability of laminated balls with the perfor-mance of stitched balls.

A stitched ball traditionally offers the fol-lowing benefits:• Accuracy: the increased seam depth means

greater mid-air stability and a truer flight. The stitches and tension in the panels also reduce the resonance when striking, which translates into more accuracy during flight.

• Speed and power: the thicker outer panelsare under pressure because of the stitching,

which increases speed off the foot as well as more efficiency — that results in greater ball power.

A laminated ball, on the other hand, has its own set of benefits:• Control: the deep foam backing increases

the contact time on impact, which improves control.

• Air retention: the Butyl bladder offers im-proved air retention compared to a latex bladder, which means less frequent ball in-flation and maintenance.

• Consistency: the deep foam backing alsomeans a soft feel and touch and the Butyl bladder means a consistent rebound in all temperatures and conditions.

• Water repellent: the seam is sealed, whichmeans there is virtually no water uptake.

Hyperseam technology enables Mitre to ther-mally bond the panels — eliminating the need to stitch them together! It combines the posi-tive qualities of the two types of balls into one versatile ball.

The Acelli Thermo combines the features of two types of balls into one. “Normally the cas-ing is laminated to the outer, but with Thermo the bladder itself is laminated,” explains Mar-tin Ferreira of Kevro. The ball features indi-vidually laminated 4mm foam panels that are thermally bonded — no hand-stitching is used. The result is a durable ball, with an extremely soft feel and improved aerodynamics.

Because the bladder, instead of the casing, is laminated, Thermo retains its feel and re-sponse. The ball will also keep its shape very well, because it is held together from the inside, Ferreira points out. Thermo is also al-most fully waterproof, is manufactured to FIFA approved standards and is developed for all international levels of play.

Eco-friendlyTeam balls are also following the eco-trend. “We are currently looking into a new technol-ogy that is emerging in the market called re-cycled tyre balls,” says Lauren McCleland of

adidas Marhaba

p42 :: Sport


Orbit Sports Manufacturers, distribu-tor of Stormforce. “This is the most eco-friendly form of ball produced on the planet.”

Both their rugby and net-ball balls make use of the re-cycled tyre technology. The recycled rubber compound is calendered — a series of hard pressure rollers used to form or smooth a sheet of material with heavy layers of fabric — before it goes in to a hot press for baking (aka vulcanisation).

The dimples on the outer are also created during the calender process, when the mould is placed over engraving plates. After vul-canisation, the rubber sheet is cut into panels (four for rugby, 18 for netball), which are hand sewn together.

Several other ball manufacturers have also introduced innovations in their ranges.

adidasThe new adidas tournament match soccer ball for 2015 is conext15, which will replace Bra-zuca. It will be used in competitions such as the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada, as well as various league and cup competitions worldwide.

The conext15 ball design is inspired by ele-ments from nature (earth, wind and fi re). The fl owing green, red and blue design refl ects the balance of these three natural forces.

Marhaba is adidas’ offi cial match ball for the Orange Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place in Equatorial Guinea in 2015. Its design was inspired by the intricate history of the tournament, its passionate fans and the land-scapes of the African continent: the gold and blue colours on the ball represents the various contrasts in landscapes, from the Sahara de-sert to the bright blue sky.

Both Marhaba and conext15 feature the same technology as Brazuca (the offi cial match ball for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil).

The adidas miCoach Smart Ball — a Bluetooth Smart and app-enabled soccer ball with inte-grated sensor technology for dead-ball kick-ing training — received the Best of Innovation Honoree award in the Fitness Sports and Bio-tech product category at the 2015 CES Innova-tion Awards.

The ball relays data such as how hard it was hit, visual fl ight trajectories, ball spin, and impact points via the adidas miCoach Smart Ball app.

De Wet SportThe Medalist range of rugby and netball balls, availa-ble from De Wet Sports, feature eye catching new colour ways.

For 2015, the Medal-ist Super Grip training rugby ball has been given updated cosmet-ics — it is now available

with a stylish blue stripe pattern. The ball is available in sizes 3, 4 and 5.

The nylon wound rubber Jazz netball ball is available in sizes 4 and 5 and features updated cosmetics in vibrant neon colours: the two new excit-ing colour options are yellow/

green and magenta/cyan.

KevroKevro’s newly-launched team sport catalogues offer a handy guide to

make it easier to select the right ball for the right play (or player). The reader can refer-ence the right Brutal rugby, Acelli soccer or Sevenn netball ball based on the age group for size and match and training level of play, as well as based on the conditions (hard or soft ground) for soccer balls.

Brutal’s MV5 rugby ball is recommended for professional matches. The Bc7 is for 19+ year old players who will be using the ball in a pro-fessional training environment and at an ad-vanced senior level of match. Bc5 can be used by 19+ year olds for training and 16-18 year olds in matches. Bc3 can be used by ages 6 and up: by 16-18 year olds for training and by 6-15 year olds in matches. Brutal’s S001 rugby ball is for use in training by ages 6-15.

Sevenn’s Miya Trainer is ideal for training by 6-18 year old netball players, the Miya Clas-sic is for use in training by ages 16+ and in matches by ages 6-18, and the Miya League is used for training at professional level and in matches by 19+ year olds and in professional level matches. Miya Signature is rec-ommended for professional level matches.

While all of Acelli’s soc-cer balls are great on soft ground, their Vision T45, Vision M9 and Vision Interna-tional as well as their Arrow M90 and Arrow Premier balls are also great for hard ground play.

The Acelli Arrow Premier and Vi-sion International are for use in profes-sional level matches. Arrow Premier can also be used by 19+ year olds in matches. Sigma League and Vision M90 are ideal for pro-fessional level of training and by 19+ year olds in matches. Vision M90 can also be used by 16-18 year olds in matches. Arrow M90 is ideal for use by 19+ year olds for training as well as by 12-18 year olds in matches. Sigma M90 can be used by 16-18 year olds in training and 12-15 year olds in matches. Sigma T45, Arrow T45 and Vision T45 can be used by 6-15 year

olds for training (Sigma), 12-18 year olds for training (Arrow), and 16-19+ year

olds for training and 6-11 year olds in matches (Vision).

Kevro also offers the option to cus-tom brand their netball, rugby or soccer balls, for teams or promotion-al use, with logos and colours.

Legacy Sport and Leisure

“The Delta V12S soccer ball is the top of the range ball in the Mitre range,” says Grant Ste-phen of Legacy Sport and Leisure.

It is the offi cial ball for the English 1st-4th Divisions, Scottish Professional Football League, the Welsh Premier League as well as the National Premier Soccer League in the USA.

The 12 panels and textured grain sur-face work together to keep the ball stable, even when travelling at over 70mph. It features a hand stitched soft-touch Clarino microfi bre, and retains its shape and performance weight no matter what the weather.

Opal SportsSummit, locally distributed by Opal Sports, has several options for keen soccer, netball and rugby players.

Summit’s Club Trainer is a quality hand stitched 30 panel soccer ball with a three-ply PVC outer. It’s available in sizes 3, 4 and 5. The ball is available in three colour ways: white, bright pink and yellow.

The Classic soccer ball is ideal for everyday use, with its 30 panel gloss coated PVC ma-chine stitched outer. It’s available in sizes 3, 4 and 5.

Summit’s Liz Ellis Evolution Attacker and Advance Defender netball balls are new 12

panel balls that offer better response and grip. The Evolution Attacker

is made to match spec with a superior quality outer grip. The Advance Defender is ideal for intensive training, with its hi-spec outer, and dynamic all-weather grip.The Classic Shooter netball

ball is a classic training ball with a synthetic outer. It also fea-

tures the new 12 panel design. As the name suggests, the Adv 5

netball ball is designed specifi cally for the new 5-a-side format of the netball game. It features 18 hand stitched panels in power ply rubber and explosive graphics to match the intensity of the game. It’s available in two colour ways: white and pink/blue

The Evolution International is Summit’s most advanced rugby ball. The ball can go even fur-ther due to the combination of improved rub-ber compounds, linings, adhesives, balance and mass centralisation. Their four-layer poly-ester cotton lining helps with shape retention and energy return and makes the ball more re-sponsive when kicked. Its unique blend of rub-ber, synthetics and silicone as well as a unique pimple pattern creates excellent grip in all conditions. The use of high tensile polyester thread provides maximum strength for better shape retention. The use of Titanium means increased visibility, and protection To p44

The Medalist range of rugby and netball balls, availa-ble from De Wet Sports,

ics — it is now available

T45 and Vision T45 can be used by 6-15 year olds for training (Sigma), 12-18 year olds

for training (Arrow), and 16-19+ year olds for training and 6-11 year olds in

Legacy Sport and LeisureMedalist Jazz

Orbit Sports Manufacturers, distribu-tor of Stormforce. “This is the most eco-friendly form of ball

pressure rollers used to form or smooth a sheet of material with

with a stylish blue stripe pattern. The ball is available in sizes 3, 4 and 5.

Kevro

Acelli Vision Thermo

English 1st-4th Divisions, Scottish Professional

face work together to Mitre Delta V12S

Summit Liz Ellis Evolution Attacker

Sport :: p43


against aging and yellowing. Their Pathway Advance senior rugby ball is

ideal for intensive training. It’s hand stitched, and features a synthetic outer with Evo grip.

Orbit Sports ManufacturersStormforce now offers customers the option to design their own customised rugby balls. Customers can choose from a variety of grips and can also have their own per-sonalised branding printed on the balls.

Their rugby balls are available in three rang-es (practice, match, promotional) in three sizes (3,4, 5).

“Our rugby balls are made of a blend of synthetic and natural rubber that can come in either a two, three or four layer system. The rubber used creates a durable all weather conditions ball,” explains McCleland.

The Stormforce practice balls weigh 410gm while the match balls weigh between 440-450gm. Practice balls are ideal for club, school and junior daily practices. The match ball can be used by club, school and provincial teams.

The Stormforce soccer balls (available in size 5) are made from a polyurethane (PU) com-pound, which means the balls are both more durable and performance-orientated. “We use the best quality Korean Polyurethane with mi-cro fi bre,“ says McCleland.

The PU is hand laminated with four layers of polyester viscose fabric, which helps to main-tain the shape of the ball over long periods of time and increase durability. The fabric itself is also laminated with natural liquid rubber, reinforced with chemicals to enhance strength and bounce.

The laminated sheet is cut into panels, which are printed with Japanese inks. After this, the ball is hand stitched and fi tted with either a hi-tech latex or Butyl bladder. Hi-tech latex bladder is used when bounce is more im-portant than air retention, and a Butyl bladder is used when air retention is more important than bounce.

The balls are available in three-four ply balls.

Stormforce netball balls are available as match and practice versions in sizes 4 and 5.

Pat Wiltshire Sports“The Mikasa S5 Turbo hard ground soc-cer ball continues to dominate the entry level of the moulded/laminated segment of the market,” says Nick Wiltshire of local distributor Pat Wilt-shire Sports. Turbo is a tradi-tional 32 panel moulded ball, available in fi ve colour varia-tions that appeals not only to the players, but to the specta-tors too.

Turbo is manufactured under strict quality control measures.

Mikasa is known for their wound ball tech-nology. “Mikasa balls utilise fl awless scuff-resistant, waterproof top grained Mikasa Hyde man-made materials for the outer cover and all Mikasa balls utilise a Mikasa made fl oating Butyl bladder and a Mikasa made one-piece valve core for superior air retention,” ex-

plains Wiltshire. Nylon cord is wound in various de-

niers and amounts, depending on the type and use of the

ball, under controlled conditions.

“Mikasa understands the pas-sion and inspiration it takes to be an athlete, no matter what level. Mikasa feels the same way about their athletic game balls and there-fore put that same passion and inspiration, coupled with the best technology, into every ball made,” says Wiltshire.

PumaPuma’s evoPower range of soccer balls offers a variety of solutions for players — from training to tournament. “Our evoPower range of soccer balls have various professional tiers, from FIFA-approved to hand-stitched to machine-stitched,” says Gavin Benjamin of Puma SA.

“The High Frequency Moulded construction used in the evoPower range pro-vides excellent form retention, durability and a decrease in water uptake,” says Benjamin. All in the range, with the exception of the evoPower1 Futsal ball, feature the Puma Air Lock (PAL) valve.

Their 22 panel FIFA Approved evoPower 1 Statement competition soccer ball will be used by national clubs and premier leagues around the world, including Puma’s Italy, Uru-guay, Switzerland, Austria, Ivory Coast, Came-roon, Arsenal, Newcastle, Borossia Dortmund, and Moroka Swallows.

The unique twin outer abrasion-resistant PU surfaces feature Puma-developed stress-free dimple technology for improved aerodynamics during fl ight, and two large textured PU 'dead ball' target areas for added accuracy. The newly developed duo-density foam beneath the surface provides a soft touch, improved

rebound consistency and explosive pow-er. “The high quality rubber bladder

and Perimeter Balance Technol-ogy (PBT), combined with the PAL valve, further enhances the ball’s superb fl ight char-acteristics,” adds Benjamin.

The 22-panel FIFA Approved evoPower 2 Match is built for

better fl ight and speed. The ball has been reinforced with a

special multi-layered anti-stretch

polyester lining to ensure the shape and cir-cumference stay intact, and the PAL and PBT work together with the rubber bladder to en-hance air retention, as well as the fl ight and shooting characteristics of the ball.

The 22-panel confi guration means fewer seams and larger panels for a surer touch and softer feel.

Puma’s 32-panel FIFA Inspected evoPower 3 Tournament match ball is ideal for all condi-tions. The multi-layered polyester, viscose and blended backing provide enhanced stability.

“The Dimple III confi gured PU on the evoPow-er 2 Match and evoPower 3 Tournament balls improves the fl ight characteristics, and also increases the shooting speed,“ says Benjamin.

As the name suggests, Puma’s evoPower 5 Hardground is a durable hardground training ball. The moulded construction provides added durability and reduced water absorption, while the multi-layered backings aid stability, shape retention and provide good fl ight dynamics.

The Elite range of hand-stitched match balls (FIFA Approved Elite 1 and FIFA Inspeced Elite 2) are constructed from 32 panels with equal surface areas for reduced seam stress

and near perfect round shape. The PU outer offers a soft touch and

high abrasion resistance and the panels are strengthened with multi-layered polyester, vis-cose and blended backing for enhanced stability. The seams

allow an even fl ow of air for a perfect aerodynamic performance

and the balls each feature a six-wing latex bladder for superior touch.

W.E.T. Sports ImportersThe Matrix match quality soccer ball has en-joyed a facelift and features three new col-ourways. The new Matrix range is available with a yellow ball for night games and two white variations. “This ball has been our best selling soccer ball for the past two seasons and we're excited about the new look,” says Pat-rick Franck of local distributor W.E.T. Sports Importers.

The Munchen has stood the test of time, says Franck, and is an affordable nylon wound soccer ball in size 4 and 5 — ideal for all hard grounds. Their Munchen soccer ball is also available in three col-ourways.

The new three-ply Club rugby ball has a new pro-nounced dimple fi nish to help with superior grip in wet and dry conditions. This has, however, not compro-mised its shape retention.

“The ever-popular three-ply Tournament netball ball is an ideal match ball for schools and clubs and now comes in a high visibility pink and white or blue and white cosmetics,“ says Franck. “This ball has also proven very popular with indoor/action netball venues.”

Winter team balls cont from p43

balls. Customers can

Their rugby balls are available in three rang-

valve core for superior air retention,” ex-plains Wiltshire. Nylon cord

conditions.Stormforce match balls

“The Mikasa S5 Turbo hard ground soc-cer ball continues to dominate the entry level of the moulded/

tions that appeals not only to the players, but to the specta-

rebound consistency and explosive pow-er. “The high quality rubber bladder

and Perimeter Balance Technol-ogy (PBT), combined with the

better fl ight and speed. The ball has been reinforced with a

special multi-layered anti-stretch Mikasa S5 Turbo

Puma evoPower 1 Statement

wound soccer ball in size 4 and 5 — ideal for all hard grounds. Their Munchen soccer ball is

has, however, not compro-

W.E.T. Sports Importers Club

p44 :: Sport


Netball has always been by far the biggest participation sport for South African women — but it has been a Cinderella when it came to media coverage, fan support

and product sales. Unappreciated and unac-knowledged.

The indications are that this is now starting to change.

According to figures from BMI, more than 1.9-m people in South Africa took part in net-ball in 2012. That is a growth of about 100 000 participants since 2007, when BMI estimated that netball had 846 600 junior and 991 000 adult participants.*

In 2007 netball, with 1.8-m participants, was the second biggest participation sport in South Africa after soccer, with 3.5-m partici-pants — and there is no indication that this has changed. Far more South Africans there-fore play netball than the 941 400 cricket or 689 500 rugby players. The sport also ranked as the most popular sport among females of all races, much more popular than other sporting activities like aerobics and tennis.

Strong schools association structures in the country have made a big difference in im-proving participation interests, says Martin Ferreira of Kevro, local distributor of Sevenn netball.

In many schools — from primary level to high school — netball or hockey participation is compulsory, points out Wessel Oliviers from De Jagers in Stellenbosch. The renewed efforts by the department of Sport and Recreation SA (SRSA) to introduce sport in schools that did not offer it previously, have made a big difference to netball participation numbers, especially when players become involved at a young age in primary school.

As can be expected, the growth in participa-tion numbers contributed to sales growth of netball products over the past three years,

report some retailers. Some of them believe that more coverage

from the media have contributed to their sales increasing. Netball sales at Kloppers in Bloemfontein had grown about 15% year on year, says Dirk Klopper. “I think the reason for this is more national netball shown on the tel-evision and coverage of Varsity Cup netball,” he explains.

The increased television exposure and a lot of new players from all spheres have contrib-uted to the growth of netball product sales at Mass Discounters, says George Sarris.

The growth is, however, not universal across all areas. In places where netball products have always been sold, some retailers have found that their product sales have either re-mained stable, or dropped. They attribute this to a lack of new product introductions, more companies entering the netball market, and competition from sports like hockey that are growing in popularity.

In recent years netball has managed to at-tract big sports brand sponsorships, which is another indication of growing public interest in the sport. Sponsorships and partnerships have been driving factors in sales increases as well as creating interest in their brand, report the sponsors.

“Partnering with the National SA team has most definitely contributed to increased awareness in our products,” says Janine Stokes from Asics SA, clothing and footwear sponsor of the Protea netball team.

Being the official ball sponsor for Namibian netball and sponsor of the national team in new Fast5 format competitions, have created a demand for the Sevenn brand, says Martin Ferreira from distributor Kevro.

The fact that Gilbert first supplied the of-ficial netball ball, then Mitre, and now Gilbert again, has caused confusion and opened the market up to other brands, he believes. Their Sevenn brand, a specialised netball brand, has enjoyed big sales growth.

Media coverageMedia coverage is, however, a prerequisite for keeping sponsors happy — who in turn provide the funding to the sport to grow participation, which results in more product sales.

Netball nowadays gets much more exposure and the more exposure it gets, the more de-mand will be created, explains Ferreira. As the popularity, television coverage, etc. in-creases, the product demand will increase as well, he says.

Retailers agree and feel that due to new developments in terms of leagues and format changes, the sport will attract more atten-tion by next year. “I think there will be spe-cial interest now that there is a professional league,” says Tumelo Mokobane from New Bal-ance South Africa.

Recent tournaments like the Brutal Fruit Netball Cup finals, Commonwealth Games and the Fast5 World Series, etc. were broadcasted by SuperSport, SABC, etc. while radio and tel-evision shows like kykNET, Thobela FM, Five FM, etc. have interviewed prominent players from the national team.

Netball is therefore receiving more media exposure than in previous years. Like any oth-er sport, netball will “get most of its coverage during competition time”, says Trevor Neeth-ling, of Netball South Africa (NSA).

He is therefore optimistic that the Interna-

The growth in netball participation numbers, an increase in competition types and styles, and growing interest from the public, has led to a growth in netball product sales, report RHIANAH FREDERICKS and YAMKELA MKEBE

Is netball losing its Cinderella status?

The introduction of new leagues and formats of the game have also reinvigor-ated the public and media interest

p46 :: Sport


tional Netball Federation (INF) Netball World Cup held in Sydney 7-16 August 2015 will gen-erate media interest, due to the recently im-proved TV coverage “netball has been able to build good relations with Johannesburg-based media, which is providing us with the bulk of our coverage,” he says.

The projected hype and TV involvement will also increase interest in netball products and kit locally, says Sarris.

But, netball matches often coincide with rugby, soccer or cricket matches and clashes in the broadcast times of TV programmes compromise viewers‘ interest in watching the sport, says Singatwa Magida, chairperson of Eastern Cape Schools Netball.

She does not expect much interest from journalists in covering the Netball World Cup “as media has not covered many of our events in the past years,” she explains.

It is not necessarily that media companies are resistant to publish or broadcast news about the sport, but there is rather a general lack of media interest in netball, agrees Sonet van Rensburg from SASN.

“Invitations are sent out to about 30 different media/television bodies prior to big national tournaments or events. Unfortunately, we ex-perience reaction and attendance from only about seven to eight of them.” she explains.

There are some retailers who share their skepticism that the interest in netball prod-ucts and kit will increase come the INF Netball

World next year. Poor marketing has contrib-uted to the lack of interest in the sport, says Ashley Appleby from Excodor sports. The lack of, or the wrong advertising mediums, has also contributed to the lack of interest in the World Cup, agrees Oliviers.

Leagues and newer formatsThe introduction of new leagues and formats of the game have also reinvigorated the public and media interest, say South African netball association members.

The NSA’s social media platforms’ user base has nearly doubled to 100 000 unique users since the introduction of the Netball Premier League (NPL), says Peter Boshoff, social media partner of NSA.

More than 20 national media representatives attended the launch of the NPL, says Neeth-ling. It was the first time netball attracted that many media houses to a single event and the competition gained more than R11-m in media coverage (based on exposure value), he says.

The Fast5 format - which is a fast paced, high-intensity, and quick thinking form of the game that can be compared to T20 in cricket and Sevens rugby — has been played interna-tionally since 2009. South Africa played their first Fast5 World Series in New Zealand in 2012.

It was a first for the general public and NSA stimulated interest by publishing the game rules on Facebook. The broadcasting of the

particular format helped increase interest in netball, says Van Rensburg.

At school level, students are still playing the “normal” format of netball, but the newer Fast5 format has been introduced in other tournaments like the TUKS series - which is hosted by the sports department of the Uni-versity of Pretoria in Gauteng - and she be-lieves it is enjoyed by many spectators.

“There will be more interest, the more this format of the game is played and marketed and broadcast in South Africa,” says Boshoff. The Fast5 competitions that were held to date have been played internationally and had therefore been broadcast at times when the South African public were sleeping.

“If this tournament were to be played in Western Australasia, Africa or England it will definitely have a larger following,” he be-lieves.

“If there was a domestic Fast5 competition as well, I’m sure the fans and media would take to it,” agrees Scott Robhof of NSA. A lo-cal Fast5 competition would also allow more sponsors to become involved, he adds.

Popular productsWhile netball footwear, balls, teamwear and

equipment sell well for suppliers and bibs and nets are also popular for retailers, there is not yet any demand for league replica.

There is also a great demand for netball skorts (a combination skirt and short), but kits are just bought every other To p52

Photo: Barry Lamprecht / Image SA

Sport :: p47


Dave Harrington, right, has been in the industry for 20 years — the last few years as owner of a triathlon store, Tribe Multisport. He is a good salesman in the multisport retail environment because he partakes in multisport events, from triathlons — he’s completed numerous full and half Ironman events — to multi-stage mountain-bike events, to Xterras and Duathlons. He therefore un-derstands what it takes to prepare for the event, what you’re mentally going through during the event up until recovery afterwards. “He can relay this information back to you, whether you’re an elite, intermediate, or begin-ner in the sport,” says Christo Snyman, sales director at Ultimo in Gauteng. “Dave also has the ability to sell you exactly what you need — he won’t under or oversell you”.

11Sel

lin

g tips from top salesmen

Selling more...triathlon gear

Being a successful salesperson takes a bit more than a love and passion for the sport for which you are selling products, explains Da-vid Harrington of Tribe Multisports

in Johannesburg. The way you greet and approach customers

definitely influences whether they will make a

purchase or not. You should have a warm and friendly approach, he says.

“Good sales people become part of the en-vironment of the products they sell,” says Harrington. If you use the products and are actively involved in the sport you will be good at your job, he says. His own experiences with triathlons have definitely contributed to his

knowledge bank when it comes to giving tri-athlon advice.

Product knowledge can also contribute to-wards making a sale, he says. You can gain product knowledge by using the equipment you stock, as he does, by reading about the products and how they work and through the training sessions that suppliers give.

More about David HarringtonDaviD Harrington and his partner Steve Pettitt opened Tribe Multisports, a triathlon-specific store, in Bryanston, Jo-hannesburg, three years ago, because they could find very few stores that catered for the multi-sport discipline that includes swimming, cycling and running.“We opened the store, after seeing a gap in the market,” he explains.They saw it as a service to improve triathlon and mainly wanted to assist women in the sport as participation was moving from male-dominated to a 50/50 split between males and females.“We wanted to help female participants in a professional man-ner” says Harrington, who found that some stores treated women differently to men taking part in the sport.He also wanted to improve service to first-time participants who are

nervous and apprehensive about the sport. “We listen to them and give advice to help improve their enjoyment and experience of the sport,” he says.Harrington has worked in other retail envi-ronments for 20 years and still does import-ing and distributing of international brands.His involvement in selling triathlon products came “out of a pure passion for the sport,” he says. He has a great interest in the sport and follows, as well as participates in, many competitions because “I love the sport and have a passion for it,” he explains. He has participated in events like several

Iron Mans, Xterras, road races, and many more. He believes his passion and interest in sports like running, having worked in different retail environments with cycling products, etc. these all help him to offer his customers useful advice.

p48 :: Sport


Tips for selling triathlon gearThere are some products that customers will have to have in order to compete in any triathlon – and these items may be different to the equipment and clothing you will sell for competing in swimming, cycling and running as individual sports.

The main difference between selling equipment for a triathlon and the individ-ual sporting codes is the fact that a fast transition is needed in triathlon.• Triathlon-specific clothing like a triathlon

suit, which is a body hugging all in one, offers a fit that allows the wearer to per-form optimally throughout all the stages of a triathlon. It is an investment and cuts down on a wearer’s transition time as they won’t need to change in between stages. These ‘tri suits’ are more often used by advanced triathletes who know what they need in order to be most ef-ficient in each leg of a triathlon.

• Specific triathlon shoes, which are easy topull on or off, will improve transition times between the cycling and swimming stages.A customer who is new to triathlon

might, however, not be inclined to buy tri-athlon-specific gear until he or she is sure that they will participate often.

There are, however, certain factors to keep in mind when selling individual swimming, cycling and running equip-ment to a customer who will be partici-pating in triathlons.

Swim stage:Finding the right equipment for the swim leg of the triathlon means more than just goggles and a suit, it’s about how well they fit the wearer.• When swimming in the sea, goggles haveto fit well so that the waves don’t cause them to move around. When fitting gog-gles, advise customers to try on as many as possible in order to ensure they get the fit that is most comfortable for them. If it is comfortable when fitting in store, it will be just as comfortable in the water.

• Tinted lenses are ideal for use during tri-athlon races as participants are most like-ly to encounter more sunlight than when swimming in a pool indoors, where clear lenses would be fine.

• Advise customers to invest in chlorine-resistant swimsuits that will not wear out from training in chlorinated pools and can be used for competition as well.

• It is also advisable to select a training swim-suit made of more durable materials like polyester, which would last longer than nylon that thins and stretches easily.

• When swimming in low temperature wa-ter, a wetsuit is strongly recommended to keep the wearer warm and because it gives buoyancy in the waves, but advise customers that it may slow down their transition rate as it will take longer to remove a wetsuit.

• It is important that a wetsuit doesn’t bulge in are as as it will collect water and slow the wearer down. The wetsuit should also have enough stretch to allow necessary shoulder movements. You can ask custom-ers to mime swimming movements to check.

• To keep a swim- or wetsuit in its best shape for longer, customers should always rinse them after use. It is not recommenda-ble to wring them because they will stretch.

• When selecting a swimming cap, latexis the most affordable, but silicone caps are more durable. Lycra, on the other hand, is the most durable, but will cause the most drag while swimming.

Cycle stage:When selecting a bicycle for the cycle stage, knowing the type of terrain customers are com-peting on helps determine the gear they need.• For varying terrain a road bike may bebeneficial as it offers the necessary speed for triathlon racing, as well as a large vari-ety of styles and price points. On the other hand, if a customer wants speed and cost is not a factor, a triathlon-specific bicycle is more aerodynamic and exercises the hamstrings more, which will prepare them

for the last leg of the race. If the cycle takes place on a trail, however, a moun-tain bike would be ideal.

• Cycling shoes that clip into bicycle pedalsprovides pedalling strength, but if a cus-tomer knows pedalling is their strength, they may benefit more from a stiff-soled cycling shoe that can also be used for the running stage.

• When fitting a customer’s helmet, make sure it is compatible with the sunglasses they will be using and recommend that they use sunglasses with photochromic lenses, which will automatically change to their surrounding conditions, ideal for the changing light conditions one may en-counter during a triathlon.• Advise customers to also carry a mini re-pair tool kit in case of a flat tyre or other problems they may encounter.

Running stage:At the end of the race, it’s all down to shoes, therefore advise customers to look for support, cushioning and comfort, based on the specific race length and terrain.• Toggles and stretch laces are recommend-

able time-savers that allow the wearer to easily pull shoes off or on.

•Using socks is a personal choice, but if yourcustomer finds his feet often blister during his run, socks made of moisture-wicking material would be advisable, even though it will take more transition time to put them on.

• A hat or visor may be useful for keeping sun or rain out of the eyes.

• Remind customers that they should take care of themselves on race day by staying nourished, applying sunscreen and having first aid supplies on hand in case of minor accidents, especially anti-chafe products.Wearing any new items on race day is

not recommended as it could cause many problems. Therefore, advise customers to stick to what they know and have used during practice sessions.

Managers and store owners should be en-couraging sales reps to train staff, he says. Brands come and train his staff, which he be-lieves has only been beneficial for them. He also notes that gaining knowledge about

the products you sell should be seen as con-tinuous education, as you can never know too much about anything in your store.

Although the above contribute to being a successful salesman, you should always listen to the customer, he emphasises.

Forcing customers to buy what you want them to buy is definitely not the way to go. “Ask questions, listen to what their needs and wants are, so that you can pitch your sale to that,” he explains.

Once you have found out what they want, you move on to the stock your store offers that suit those needs. At the end of the day, you’ll win or lose some, but that’s a fact of how the retail environment works, he explains.

A passion for what you are selling, and the environment you are working in, are impor-tant. He has found this to be 100% true for himself.

When selling triathlon equipment, some of the main questions to ask customers shopping for triathlon equipment are whether they are new to the sport, or growing in it, says Har-rington. Once you know the level they are on “you

can guide them to the equipment they re-

quire,” he explains. Another important question to ask is what

type of triathlon events they are considering entering - for example, is it an ultra-distance or standard distance, as this will give you an indication as to what they may need.

The different triathlon categories, such as swimming, cycling and running, means that customers require products suited for their specific style and needs in every section. This may be one of the hardest parts about selling triathlon products, Harrington feels, because every customer that walks in may open a world of possibilities, that are totally differ-ent to the next customer.

Sport :: p49


England’s Manu Tugliagi will be re-membered for be-ing fi ned £4 800 (R87 000) dur-ing the 2011 IRB World Cup because he wore branded mouthguards.

Mouthguards: What is Plan B when things go wrong?

Several mouthguard manufacturers offer warranties that include com-pensation for customers who get injured when wearing their products correctly. But, there are very strict conditions to these warranties to prevent fraudulent claims, reports JOHANN DU TOIT

Amouthguard is a compulsory piece of equipment when participating in many contact sports, because it acts as a shock absorber to dis-perse the energy resulting from

a blow to the jaw or mouth. The aim of the mouthguard is to prevent painful injuries to the teeth and jaw that can result in expensive medical and dental procedures.

An athlete can, however, become injured even though he is wearing a mouthguard.

Although no mouthguard manufacturer of-fers a guarantee that their product will pre-vent injuries, only that it will minimise the impact, customers might consider that a product worn to provide protection failed if they do get injured.

Warranties offeredIn today’s increasingly “sue fi rst, talk later”

society this could result in the retailer who sold the mouthguard, or the manufacturer, being held responsible for the injury. Several mouthguard brands therefore provide warran-ties on upper-end products.

Opro, manufacturer of the “custom self-fi t” mouthguards, for example, offer what is con-

sidered to be the most comprehensive dental warranty for self-fi t mouthguards. Fox40 also guarantees that they will, under certain cir-cumstances, compensate customers should they get injured while wearing their mouth-guard.

Opro provides a limited one year warranty allowing the user to claim for costs of remedi-al dental treatment of up to ₤1 000 (R17 693), depending on the type of mouthguard the cus-tomer bought (see below).

Fox 40 also has a limited one year mouth-guard warranty to cover the cost of profes-sional dental services, up to $3,200 (R36 700), incurred when using the mouthguard. The warranty guarantees that the product has no defects in materials or workmanship, which could cause injury to natural teeth while

wearing the mouthguard properly in an ath-letic contest (see Example of the Opro war-ranty).

Some other mouthguard brands offer also of-fer a warranty that their products are free of defects and that they will be replaced if any product with a defect is returned.

This, however, does not mean that a cus-tomer can claim thousands if any injury occurs while wearing the mouthguard.

It is important that customers realise that there are strict conditions to warranties be-fore purchasing. It would be a mistake for customers to be tempted by a cheaper lower quality mouthguard just because it has a high-er limit on warranty claims.

No get rich schemeWhile a warranty of R50 000, as some brands are offering, may sound great, it is important to consider the fi ne print. It will always be better to ensure that your teeth are adequate-ly protected, rather than assume your medical costs will be covered by the warranty. A severe mouth injury also has many non-monetary im-pacts such as time off of work or school, and of course the excruciating pain. To p52

It will always be better to ensure that your teeth are adequately protected, rather than assume your medical costs will be cov-ered by the warranty

p50 :: Sport

Untitled-2 1 2014/12/08 06:46:59 PM


The warranties usually only cover injuries resulting directly from mouthguard defects themselves, and not from normal sports related injuries. Another common condition is that a payment won’t be made if the cost of the medical or dental procedure that is needed to fix an injury is covered by an insurance policy.

It also does not apply to any orthodontic treatments, injuries resulting from professional athletics, or injuries from participating in a sport while not wearing an ap-proved mask or helmet. The mouthguard must also be properly fitted in order to qualify for claims. Even if an injury occurs in this event, many warranties only cover injuries resulting from manufacturing defects, and they don’t guarantee that a mouthguard will prevent an injury.

The warranties usually only cover the exact costs of medical and dental procedures, so any kind of negli-gence claims will not fall under the warranty. Proving negligence in court will be the only way to be compen-sated for non-medical costs. We could not find any case in which a manufacturer of mouthguards was accused of negligence after an injury.

Most warranties are also limited by a per-tooth cost. For example, a warranty of up to $5 000 (R56 787), is really limited to $156.25 (R1 775) per tooth. Losing all 32 teeth is the only time the manufacturer would have to pay a customer nearly R57 000, which is very unlikely.

Most warranties offer monetary compensations for inju-ries, but these compensations are unlikely to cover the lifetime costs of a severely injured mouth. Some American dentists have estimated that the lifetime cost of fixing a serious injury of a single tooth can be as much as $10 000 (R113 575) to $15 000 (R170 363).

Ultimately, it is up to the wearer to insure the mouth-guard is fitted properly, that they use the required pro-tective sporting equipment and that the injury occurs while playing an official sport in an official supervised sporting event.

How the Fox40 warranty works

Fox 40 also has a limited one-year mouthguard warranty from the date of purchase, guaranteeing that the prod-uct has “no defects in materials or workmanship, which could cause injury to natural teeth while wearing the mouthguard properly in an athletic contest”.

The monetary limit of the claim is $3,200 (R36 700), and Fox40 will pay $100 (R1 150) per injured tooth – provided that the injury is not covered by any other insurance policy.

The claimant must also provide independent medical evidence, from a licensed dentist, of the injury he sus-tained, as well as provide written verification from the athletic official present when the injury occurred. This verification and evidence must be returned to Fox40 within 30 days, together with the mouthguard that was worn.

The warranty will not be valid in cases where the wear-er had received orthodontic treatment, the injured tooth had been used as an anchor for a bridge, or the injury re-sulted from professional athletics.

The warranty is also not valid if the injury was incurred in a hockey competition, or practice, unless worn in com-bination with an approved face mask and helmet.

Example of the Opro warrantyOpRO says that they offer the most comprehensive warranty to compensate in case of injuries. But, the brand also clearly states that they “make no guarantee that the mouth-guard will prevent any particular injury, or limit the impact of any trauma or other impact to the teeth, mouth or head.“

They do, however, tell customers that “in the unlikely event of an accidental tooth loss or injury notwithstanding your wearing your Opro, you may submit a claim toward the cost of remedial dental treatment.”

They have different warranties – mainly pertaining to the amount that may be claimed - for their platinum and Fangz, Gold, silver and Bronze mouthguards. The warranty for the platinum mouthguard would, for example, cover a much higher amount than the Bronze warranty, because the higher end mouthguard was made to offer more protec-tion.

They will, however, only pay for treatment that is not covered by any other insurance policies. The warranty will also only be valid when the mouthguard had been moulded and used strictly according to the instructions provided with the product – and the claimant should send the mouthguard worn with the claim. The warranty also only ap-plies to newer products, not a mouthguard that is older than a year.

They also stipulate that the injury must have occurred during a supervised and official school or club sporting activity and a supervising teacher or official, like the coach, must verify the injury. Therefore, no chance of claiming for teeth knocked out in a playground fist fight.

Opro will also not pay any compensation when disease, natural conditions like ageing, intentional self-injury, or a gradual condition (like gum disease) contributed to the dam-ages incurred. They will also not pay for the treatment of teeth that received root canal treatment before the event, had been crowned, or filled.

authorisation must be obtained before undergoing any dental treatment that will cost more than R150 (R2 653).

season, say retailers. Netball-specific shoes are also a request that many retailers get from customers. A good name, quality and lateral movement support, a durable outsole that provides grip and a non-slip sole, are some of the key features custom-ers want when purchasing their netball shoes, say retailers. Other features like extra ankle support and cushioning are also things they look for when purchasing shoes.

As part of their sponsorship agreement with NSA, ASICS SA are conducting workshops with players to educate them why it is important to wear proper netball shoes, and not play in tennis shoes or trainers. “Netball shoes have non-marking outsoles that are created for court use and they are also harder-wearing than running shoes,” says Dawid Visser of Asics.

Netball shoes have a higher midsole density, which make them more stable and sturdy than running shoes, he adds. They also feature more overlays, such as leather and synthetics, which give the wearer increased stability, and do not have as much mesh in their uppers.

“The entire shoe is constructed to offer players more stability and to make it less possible for a player to twist an ankle during a game. Netball shoes pivot points and grip is specific for netball use in so as to give adequate grip especially in sideways and forward/backwards movements, where running shoes grip is only made for forward movement,” adds Visser.

Customer profileMost suppliers and retailers agree that mainly school teams are buying netball prod-ucts and because there are more netball players in schools than in adult teams, most sales are to school players.

Kevro has experienced a great increase in team sales because they have offered and brought something else to the market, says Ferreira. Their products are specifically developed for the netball market and wasn’t just an afterthought, he says.

While retailers mainly sell to schools, some have found that there has been a grow-ing demand from businesses that sponsor local teams with netball apparel or team kit, or companies that buy kit for staff teams.

Other retailers don’t, for instance, keep netball stock for adult teams, due to time constraints. The team members must all come to the store, the retailer must get the right colours and style, give them a quote and make up a sample — it is an extensive process and customers aren’t always willing to wait. These teams are therefore more likely to order directly from manufacturers (see Teamwear vs Replica article p30).

* 2007 BMI figures collected from A case for Sport and Recreation: An active and winning nation.

Netball growing cont from p47Warranties from p50

p52 :: Sport


“I would under normal circumstances not resort to approaching the me-dia, but it has become difficult to effectively consult and communi-cate with the relevant officials at

fisheries,” he writes. “We have made written re-quests and have not received any feedback, and as the recreational fishing season has started, we have no alternative but to approach the minister via the media.

“I am specifically concerned about the West Coast rock lobster recreational season. For at least the last 10 years I have attended scientific work groups, management work groups and consulted with DAFF with regards to the West Coast rock lobster. About two years ago a study was done by Ryan Bax of Mthethe Consulting, commissioned by the former Chief Director: Marine Resource Management at DAFF, dr Johann Augustyn, about the socio-econom-ic impact of the recreational West Coast rock lob-ster season on the coastal regions of the Northern and Western Cape. Desmond Stevens (the contro-versial senior DAFF official currently under investi-gation – ed.) compared the importance of the study to a parking problem within the DAFF building.

“It was never made available for public scrutiny. I twice followed the request for access to infor-mation procedure, but was denied access. As this study is pivotal to the cause of the recreational fishing sector, I ask that this study be made public.

“In the light of the economic importance of the recreational West Coast rock lobster season, es-pecially to small coastal town businesses, I would like point out that the total allowable catch for the recreational lobster sector was reduced by 51% in the 2012/13 season, from 183 to 81 tons. Because of this, the current season, which was decreased by another 16% to 69,3 tons, equates to 21 days fishing. We were unhappy with the allocated 69,3 tons, but in the light of the recovery target of 35% by 2021, and the fair spread of reductions in all the sectors, we agreed to the reduction.

“We did, however, ask that the 21 days be spread out over the duration of the season and not in a two week block in December, where the weather in the form of the southeaster wind could scuttle the season in one blow (see Economy challenges diving industry, Sports Trader November 2014, for effect on industry).

“Furthermore, we requested that if the weather is of such a nature that no effort could be made to capture lobster, alternate days should be allocated.

Open letter to fisheries minister:

Thus far, your officials at DAFF have not responded to any of our requests. Over 90% of the feedback we received from the public indicated that they wanted the catching days spread over the duration of the season.

“By denying that spread, the quiet winter busi-ness season has effectively been extended by three months. What must the small coastal businesses do in January, February and March?

“The commercial sectors (off- and near–shore commercial, and small scale) have six months to fish every day to fill their quotes. This is seen as unfair by the recreational sector, who only have 21 days, and may only fish from 08h00-16h00 on the days allocated.

“In the past, my organisation submitted catch re-turns, with the associated data. These catch returns and data were viewed as anecdotal. A DAFF official, Dennis Fredericks, recently suggested that the rec-reational sector be held responsible for supplying data to the scientific workgroup, in order to enjoy the right to use the marine resource recreationally. He also stated that proper surveys should be done by the recreational sector to determine the recrea-tional take.

“I would like to remind Mr Fredericks that it is his responsibility, by the very mandate of his job description, to make sure that these systems are in place and are functioning as they should, and not suggest that another entity, outside the gambit of Fisheries, do his job. If he does want the recrea-tional sector to do his job, we are more than willing to take over his responsibilities, even though we are taxpayers.

“Furthermore, stop making promises: put a smart card system in place, or a system that gives catch returns. Stop talking about it, just do it.

“The recreational sector is more than willing to help with data collection, as we have indicated on many occasions in the past. Officials must stop us-ing the recreational sector as a political scapegoat. People from all the ethnic groups use marine re-sources recreationally.

“It troubles the recreational sector that DAFF ac-

commodate the commercial sector at every turn. For example, the carapace size limit for the lob-ster was reduced to 75mm for commercial catches. Surely the alarm bells should have started ringing when scientists realised that the average carapace length has decrease over the years? The size limit for the recreational sector remains 80mm.

“Super Area 7, a West Coast lobster fishing area, has reached what the scientists call exceptional cir-cumstances — it has collapsed and been shut down by the scientific work group as it is totally overfished. First it was suggested that the commercials receive a 20 ton research quota in that area, but the com-mercial sector negotiated a 80 ton research quota for the 2013/14 season. This season (2014/15), the quota was set at 72 tons.

“However, when the recreational sector request-ed a small allocation (2 or 3 tons) in that area, it was turned down. Considering that the research quota for the area is 72 tons, the denying of the re-quest for a few tons to sustain the socio-economics viability of that specific small area for businesses dependent on recreational fishing, seems grossly unfair.

“The recreational sector receives the smallest slice of the pie, namely 3-4 %. It is therefore of little threat to fishing resources, and has an ex-tremely positive effect on the socio-economics of the affected communities.

“In America the recreational fishing sector gener-ates 200% more revenue than the commercial fish-ing sector. When is our government going to realise the importance of this industry, stop using the rec-reational sector as a political bargaining tool, and help develop what we already have?

“Recreational fishing is not a rich, white, elitist sport. Take a closer look and you will see. We are now 20 years into our new dispensation, yet, some officials at fisheries still believe that recreational fishing is a white, elitist, activity. What nonsense! It’s time to move forward.”

Cape diving industry under threatCary Steele-Boe, chairperson of Recreational Fishing Services, has written an Open Letter to the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), Senzeni Zokwana, on behalf of the organi-sation, which represents South Africans who participate in recreational fishing, and directly or indirectly benefit from it. At last count this sector was worth R18-bn, he says

It troubles the recreational sector that DAFF accom-modate the commercial sector at every turn

Outdoor :: p53


Retailers can be on the look out for innovative and improved technologies in outdoor cookware that should appeal to their customers who’ll be making the best of the summer weather to cook outdoors, or will be away from home during the Easter holiday season. YAMKELA MKEBE finds out from suppliers what new developments they introduced in the outdoor cooking market.

New developmentsin outdoor cooking

During the good summer weather your customers will be enjoy-ing the outdoors – and will most likely be searching for new and innovative cooking and braaing

equipment. In summertime South Africans love to cook

outside, whether braaing at home, or looking for new gear to take on a camping or hiking trip.

We offer a glimpse of what is new and inter-

esting in the outdoor cooking market. These include products retailers can keep

in mind when planning stock for the Easter holidays, when families enjoy the last good weather before the winter, or go away during the school break.

New braais from Campingaz Campingaz, available in South Africa from Jarden SA, introduced a selection of new burner system technologies for their gas

braais. The new systems offer various ben-efits, like healthier cooking, better heat distribution, less smoke and fewer flare ups, amongst others.

The new cast iron burner system holds heat longer and distributes it more equally than other systems. It is ideal for preparing steaks, ribs or skewers as it provides powerful heat that spreads to the entire cooking surface.The integrated burner tent ensures good heat distribution, and a longer lifetime.

The latest outdoor cooking products are introduced at the OutDoor Show in Friedrichshafen. Photo: Messe Friedrichshafen

p54 :: Outdoor


Their Radiant burner system technology provides healthy cooking with less smoke and fewer flare-ups. It also supplies equal heat distribution for longer use of the cooking sur-face compared to traditional burner systems: about 97% of the system’s cooking surface heats up equally at 250°C, which is a suitable temperature for direct grilling.

It also features two separate, adjustable, ceramic burners, a central reflector that re-distributes the heat equally across the cook-ing surface and InstaClean — a brand new cleaning system that ensures that grease drips into removable collectors. A user can simply remove all dishwasher—safe parts and wash them in a dishwasher.

The Campingaz stainless steel burner sys-tem is especially designed to grill all types of foods, whether you need powerful heat for grilling and searing, or adjustable heat at a low temperature for indirect cooking. The burner’s tube can be adjusted to create smaller flames that are perfect for keep-ing low heat for extensive indirect grilling.

The brand introduced various accessories to complement the use of their braai burner systems. The new 3-Fish Grid is an accessory that keeps three fishes intact when turning from the heat, their grill-ing gloves provide total hand mobility and are able to withstanding heat up to 350°C, while a vegetable grilling basket and a roast basket enable better vegetable grilling and provides an oven-roasted flavour during the braai. An additoional smoking box gives a smoky fla-vour to the grilled meat.They also supply a stainless steel barbecue utensil kit that in-clude tongs, a fork, brass brush and stainless steel spatula.

Jetboil’s latestThe new outdoor cooking system for back-packers and campers travelling light that Jetboil introduced at the 2014 OutDoor show in Friedrichshafen, is now available in South Africa from Ram Mountaineering.

The Jetboil Joule is a cooking system that performs strong even in extreme cold weath-er. The system includes a stove burner, pot, fuel canister with Liquid Feed regulator and a see-through lid with built-in strainer. The sys-tem is fuel efficient, portable, easy to setup and reliable.

It has a 10 000 BTU (short for British Ther-mal Unit, a basic measure of thermal energy) burner that provides the raw power for rapid boil times of two minutes 40 seconds per litre — while still offering better simmer control for cooking.

Joule features a 2.5L insulated FluxRing pot. It is quick to setup and does not take long for a user to prepare hot beverages, to cook meals for a number of people or to melt

snow and ice. The proprietary regulator tech-nology enables the stove to offer consistent heat output down to 10°F/-12°C.

The fuel is sold separately. The Jetboil MiniMo is a cooking system with

a small frame of 127x152mm, weighing only 415gm, that does much more than just boil water.

The system consists of a canister stove and a litre pot that is shorter and wider than pre-vious Jetboil models, which makes it easier to eat from. MinoMo’s pot occupies the same space as the Jetboil Sumo pot and offers the same capacity as the Jetboil Flash (1litre).

A needle on the valve offers the user more control and flexibility over the intensity of the flame and it is therefore easier to maintain a simmer. The system is regulated, meaning that the flame doesn’t lose power when the

gas starts running low. It will work constitently all the way down to 6°C.

MiniMo’s new metal handles fold away for easy storage and makes the pot easier to grip.The entire cook-

ing system packs away nicely into the pot. It will be available in South Africa early

from April.

Sea to Summit collapsible potThe X-Pot from Sea to Summit is a collapsible cooking pot that will appeal to space-con-scious hikers or campers, which combines the heat-distribution qualities of an aluminum base with the light weight and flexibility of silicone sides.

It will land in South Africa in March, says Morne Strydom from local distributor Adven-ture Inc. — in time for the Easter holiday pe-riod.

“The aluminum is nicer to cook in than steel.This is because of its uniform distribu-tion of heat - and it is much lighter too,” he says. It also has a very fast boil time.

The hard anodising of the base surface solves problems like food sticking or burning, which can occur when softer aluminums are used.

The tall silicone walls, which are excellent for stirring, can withstand temperatures of many hundreds degrees, even the flames of a camp stove – although it is not recommended to expose the sides to open flames.

The strong, polycarbonate lid is translus-cent to show what’s cooking and has strainer holes to assist with draining pasta or rice, or to allow steam to escape, says Strydom.

The X-pot collapses from a 2.8L to a 200mm x 27mm disc for easy storage in a backpack, etc. There is also enough space to store oth-er X-series kitchenware inside the collapsed pot.

New and interesting prod-ucts retailers can keep in mind when planning stock for the Easter holi-days in the outdoor cook-ing market.

021 532 0549www.rammountain.co.za

PIEZOIGNITER

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COMING SOON

Outdoor :: p55


The winners of the eight categories in the 2015 BrandNew competition held in cojunc-tion with ISPO Munich were chosen from 431 entries. Only products or companies that are new to the market may enter this competi-tion.

The top 50 products will be exhibited at ISPO Munich (5-8 February). The entries were judged by an independent jury of for-mer winners and new winners will receive assistance from ISPO BrandNew in entering the market successfully.

The Overall winner was the tefl on-coated Loden jacket from Onoo (right) that combine style and functionality for urban people. The smart jackets in the range look modern and relaxed and feel like any other woollen jack-et, but the materials used offer functional features like breathability, and protection against wind and cold. A tefl on coating on the fi ne felted wool ensures protection against wind and bad weather.

Innovation at ISPO BrandNewA TEFLON-COATED jacket was the overall winner of the 2015 ISPO BrandNew award. Among the other category winners are tents that can be pitched between trees (Hardware Summer winner), a drone that re-cords aerial footage (Accessories winner), and a fl exible wall mount to store surfboards, skateboards, etc. (Style award).

The Tentsile Tree Tents can be pitched like a hammock between trees or on the ground as any traditional tent.It was the Hardware Summer Award winner. The spacious Tentsile Stingray is a three-person tent with fl oor hatch and front door access, a removable fl ysheet, and a full insect mesh roof for maximum ventilation.

The Antelope fi tness range from Wear-able Life Science has its own training session built in: the sportswear range features integrated electrodes, sen-sors, and a control unit. It won the ISPO BrandNew Sportswear Award. Based on EMS (electro muscle stimulation) technology, the clothing provides addi-tional muscle stimulus during activities. The range include products for running and biking. The manufacturer promises that the clothing will ensure faster pro-gress in a shorter period of time for a reasonable price.reasonable price.

The Antelope fi tness range from Wear-able Life Science has its own training session built in: the sportswear range features integrated electrodes, sen-sors, and a control unit. It won the ISPO BrandNew Sportswear Award. Based on EMS (electro muscle stimulation) technology, the clothing provides addi-tional muscle stimulus during activities. The range include products for running and biking. The manufacturer promises that the clothing will ensure faster pro-gress in a shorter period of time for a reasonable price.

The Dash from Bragi, an unique cordless in-ear stereo headphone with smart fi tness tracking functions, won the Digi-tal Award. Its biosensors track pace, steps, ca-dence, heart rate, calo-ries, and oxygen satura-tion during the workout and provides real-time audio feedback. The Dash also plays music from a mp3 player with a Bluetooth connection.

The stylish Harper fl exible wall mount storage system for sports equipment from Ulrich & Kraft won the Style Award. It consists of a plywood base with an oak fi nish, sticks that fi t into the base plate, various hooks, metal shelves, wooden boxes and a fabric loop for the storage of sports equipment and accessories.

The HEXO+ drone, an autonomous fl ying system that shoots aerial footage, won the Accessories Award. The judges believe that it will change the way action sports are fi lmed. Using the GPS function of a smart phone, the drone follows and fi lms the athlete in the most remote plac-es. It was developed by the French pro snow-boarder Xavier de Le Rue, who fi lmed his own daring freerides.

p56 :: Trade shows


Trade show news

Advertisers index

Asia BikeA RECORD number of 487 exhibitors from 21 countries participated in the 2014 Asia Bike trade show held in Nanjing, China. A total of 15 796 visitors attended — 8 812 industry visitors and 6 984 bike enthusiasts. The floor space increased by 36% to 38 000m2 as exhibi-tors grew by 24% compared to last year.

The fifth edition of the show will be held from 9-12 October (Demo Day on 8 October).

Bread & ButterBREAD & BUTTER has announced that their January show is cancelled.

Organisers have not been able to “moti-vate a sufficient number of exhibitors to par-ticipate this season,” says managing director Karl-Heinz Müller.

“I am convinced of the fact that our success concept cannot be continued by repeating the past. Maybe something great has to end so that something new can arise. Our whole fashion industry is at a point of radical change. This is why challenges of the future have to be met with new solutions.”

“For now, I would like to express my grati-tude to all those who have supported and ac-companied us in the last 14 years, above all to my numerous long-term employees and busi-ness partners. I owe special thanks to those in charge in the cities of Berlin and Barcelona.”

COA at Asia OutdoorTHE OUTDOOR China Summit will take place 21-22 July, just ahead of the 10th Asia Outdoor trade show, which takes place 23-26 July in Nanjing.

The Summit will be hosted by the China Outdoor Association (COA) that joins Asia Out-door for the first time. The decision to have the association at the event follows American and European models to take part in outdoor-focused fairs. The conference segment of Out-door Asia will then form part of the COA where experts will discuss the future of the outdoor market.

EFTTEXTHE REGISTRATION process for EFTTEX 2015 is moving at a fast pace. Exhibitors are urged

ATF trade exhibitionTHE 16TH international Apparel, Textile and Footwear Trade Exhibition had a slow day one when it opened on 19 November, when the Sports Trader team had a peak.

The show, held in Hall1 at the CTICC in Cape Town, showcased products and services from more than ten countries, including African countries such as Zambia, Ethiopia, Madagas-car, etc. But, it was dominated by Chinese ex-hibitors, who made up approximately 54% of the exhibitors list and took up almost half of the exhibition space.

A variety of fashion and lifestyle women’s, men’s and children’s garments were on dis-play, but very few in the technical sporting and outdoor categories.

J.M.V Textiles, manufacturers of sport ap-parel fabrics, introduced some of their latest textiles, for example new jacket fabrics, said Ajit Valjee.

Approximately 12% of the exhibitors were from South Africa and offered imported and locally made products, as well as services such as couriering, and next year’s Source Africa ex-hibition.

IFSEC and OSH rebrandedTWO WELL-KNOWN expo’s will be rebranded in 2015.

The security and safety show IFSEC South Africa will be reintroduced under the Securex brand, which will be the largest show in Africa aimed toward business and personal security, protection and safety.

The OSH Expo Africa will become the A-OSH (African Occupational Safety and Health) Expo and will focus on environmental issues affect-ing health and safety professionals in the Afri-can market.

Both shows will take place 12-14 May at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Huntex Cape Game FairTHE HUNTEX Cape Game Fair, held 26-28 Sep-tember at the Nelson Wine Estate in Cape Town, attracted 6 620 visitors — 35% more visitors than last year, when it was held over two days.

The next show will take place 24-27 Septem-ber 2015 and cover categories such as accesso-ries and optics, archery, knives, etc.

to register immediately as exhibition space is filling up quickly. EFTTEX takes place 11-15 June in Warsaw, Poland.

GDS and tag it!GDS, THE international exhibition for shoes and accessories, and tag it! the private label purchasing show, will run concurrently from 4-6 February 2015 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Innocentia Ndimande, the Messe Düsseldorf representative at the Southern African-Ger-man Chamber of Commerce can assist South Africans to visit the show. Contact Ndimande on [email protected].

ISPO Shanghai THE EUROPEAN Outdoor Group (EOG) and ISPO have extended their partnership. The EOG will be the exclusive supporter of the new summer exhibition and multi-sport show, ISPO Shanghai, which will be launched 2-4 July 2015. Well known exhibitors have already con-firmed their attendance.

ISPO TextrendsAPPROXIMATELY 65% more companies have registered for the 2015 ISPO Textrends show, which will run during ISPO Munich, ISPO Bei-jing and ISPO Shanghai.

240 selected products will be shown at Tex-trends. Additional focus will be given to sus-tainability, safety and innovation. Online tick-ets for ISPO Munich (5-8 February 2015) can be purchased online.

Medica Medicine and Sports ConferenceTHE SECOND Medica Medicine and Sports Conference (12-13 November in Düsseldorf, Germany) will feature the latest products, therapy and recovery methods.

More than 30 experts will cover topics such as injury prevention, rehabilitation and re-generation. The conference also offers the opportunity to network with more than 200 high-level international participants.

Acelli 34, 35adidas 38American Man Sportswear 32Anton Fabi 13Blackheath 34, 35Brand ID 51, OBCBRT 34, 35Brutal 34, 35Crown Footwear OFC

Everlast OFCFury 31Garrett Athletics 34, 35Gelvenor Textiles 3Hi-Tec Sports 22Jetboil 55Jordan 11Jordan & Co 10, 11, 12, 13, 41Kappa 33

Kevro 34, 35Legacy Sport and Leisure 40Mitre 40Musgrave Agencies 36, 37New Balance 1Olympic 41Opal Sports 45Opro 51Premier 32

Ram Mountaineering 55Reef Brazil 5Renegade 10, 12SA Rugby 37Sevenn 34, 35Skye Distribution 21Solly M Sports 31Summit 45

Trade shows :: IBC

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Sports Trader January 2015

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Transcript of Sports Trader January 2015