It was another tough year for the golf trade as a whole in 2010, but did Abacus manage to buck the trend?
Yes. The company has been selling in the UK for about five years with a modicum of success, but we re-launched the brand in the UK in 2010. We have re-structured the UK business and over the year we more than doubled our UK turnover. Beyond that, our pre-bookings for Spring 2011 have matched our total sales for 2010, so we are looking forward to another year of significant growth.
Our biggest customer in Holland has doubled its order from last year too, so we have already had some very good news for 2011.
Where will Abacus be stocked in the UK in 2011?
Our distribution is primarily through pro shops, but we are also working with two or three retailers who run online operations as well as in-store. Working with online retailers as well as pro shops is the way forward, although you have to be very careful and make sure you have a pricing policy that does not allow for heavy discounting, otherwise you will find yourself on a slippery slope. You have to make sure you find the right partners.
A new agreement to supply TGI started on January 1, too. We don’t have an agreement with Foremost at the moment, but we find the TGI members are pretty loyal to their preferred suppliers, and it works well for us to work with a smaller buying group, as it is not our ambition to be in every golf store in the UK, as we want to keep Abacus as exclusive to an extent.
What are your reflections from exhibiting at the Golf Show in Harrogate in November?
The Harrogate show was very well staged but the October dates are far too late for the apparel brands. Two weeks after the show we were launching our range for Autumn 2011, and we are starting to show the range to customers now, for August-September deliveries. We should have all our Spring sales in the bank by October. We picked up a few new accounts and it was good for PR, but for us it was not a show for writing business as such, but with scheduling trade shows you are never going to please everyone.
What marketing support is planned for the brand for 2011?
Abacus will be very visible in the UK this year, as we have won the contract to supply the R&A with waterproof jackets, so at the Open and all R&A events you will see R&A staff and referees wearing Abacus jackets. This is a major step forward for Abacus because it is very hard to get an agreement with the R&A. We were asked to tender for the contract, and the decision came down to quality. We have designed a new jacket for the referees.
We also have a four-year contract with the EGU to supply the England teams and we are also heavily involved with the European Challenge Tour, as well as dressing the European Solheim Cup team for the third time.
What can we expect from Abacus for Autumn 2011?
Increasingly we are emphasising the technical aspects of Abacus, being one of the leading brands in terms of bringing technology to golf apparel. We are using the very best quality textiles and fabrics and providing the best value. Abacus is a lifestyle brand as well as a golf brand and so people can wear our products on and off the golf course.
