Fila Partners With Sports Authority
Fila has partnered with the Sports Authority for the 2000 U.S. Open, which includes a Fila concept shop in The Sports Authority’s store in New York City as well as Fila/U.S. Open product in stores in the surrounding New York area, South Florida and Atlanta.
The Sports Authority will feature point-of-sale materials in key locations, host Fila promotional programs during the U.S. Open. “The Sports Authority’s ventures with key partners like Fila brings additional credibility to our retail message,” said Michael McGuinn, General Merchandise Manager, Sports Authority. “The association with Fila at the U.S. Open is natural based on Fila’s strong tennis heritage.”
Nike & Trek Announce Licensing Program
Nike ACG and Trek Bicycles have announced a partnership whereby Trek will become Nike ACG’s official licensee maker of its performance cycling footwear and apparel. This partnership enables Nike ACG to deliver authentic, high performance cycling gear, with the Nike ACG stamp of sport performance quality, through Trek’s dealer network.
“This is a great opportunity for Trek,” said John Burke, President of Trek Bicycles. “It allows us to work with one of the best brands in the world and gives us access to R and D, sourcing, technology and design. It gives us the ability to offer a world class line of shoes and clothing to our retailers.”
Female Sports Participation Growing
The numbers for female participation in sports have surged since 1972, according to “Gaining Ground: A Progress Report On Women And Sports,” a new report from the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA), North Palm Beach, FL.
Key findings from “Gaining Ground” include: The number of women competing on NCAA college teams increased 48% between 1990 and 1998, compared to a 10% increase for men. There was a dramatic increase in strength training by females in the ‘90s. In 1999, 19.4 million females worked with free weights, up 134% from 8.3 million in 1990. Women make 80% of purchasing decisions on sports apparel, buying 91% of children’s and 60% of men’s apparel, in addition to their own.
For American women, physical fitness and competitive sports are like oil and water; they don’t mix. Nine of the top ten pursuits for women remain non-competitive.
Based on “frequent” participation, the most popular sports for women, age 6 and older are: 1.Recreational Walking(52+ days) 23,806; 2.Fitness Walking(100+ days) 10,538; 3.Stretching(100+ days) 9,651; 4.Recreational Swimming(52+ days) 9,595; 5.Recreational Bicycling(52+ days) 7,165; 6.Treadmill Exercise(100+ days) 5,430; 7.Basketball(25+ days) 4,666; 8.Free Weights:Hand Weights(100+ days) 4,546; 9.Calisthenics(100+ days) 4,379; 10.In-line Skating(25+ days) 4,275.
Miller Football Guide Displayed At POS
The annual Miller Lite NFL Football Guide has been published, filled with facts and football merchandise offers. Joe Jones, Director, Promotions, said, “The Guide provides an incentive to purchase Miller Lite and Miller Draft. It gives retailers a means to pump up sales during the Labor Day selling period.”
Specially marked packages of Miller Lite and MGD contain the Guide. The promotion is supported with case card displays, danglers and inflatables. The displays were designed by Zipatoni, a St. Louis-based promotion agency.
Blacktop Tower Display Program
Reebok launched its Blacktop Collection, a footwear basketball line and teamed up with Foot Locker to capture a larger share of the male athlete market. The program launched in 1500 stores included a free-standing footwear tower whose objective was to establish Blacktop as 'The Shoe' for the Outdoor Game. The Tower Display was created with steel, asphalt and a basketball rim. The look is similar to a schoolyard. Booth Reebok and Foot Locker said the campaign had met or exceeded performance expectations. The Blacktop Tower Display Program was created by Art Merchandising, Inc., 601 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10001.
Midwest Quality Gloves “Glove Hut”
The “Glove Hut” Theme was designed to fit into any home improvement store environment indoor or outdoor. The objective was to cross merchandise gloves with garden items, provide weather resistance, good product visibility, product identity and the unit had to be mobile and easy to restock. The 1" square steel frame with cross wires supported the weight of 16 pre-pack boxes of gloves and also made restocking the display easy, by just hanging a pre-loaded box of gloves on the cross wires. Weather resistance was gained by creating a full length enclosure and roof made of corrugated plastic. The sides and pitched roof with eves shed water. Clear PETG is used for product visibility and doors are hinged at the top so they can’t be left open. All exterior components are mounted to a steel frame for strength. The display ships flat and no tools are needed. The Midwest Quality Gloves “Glove Hut” was created by Midway Displays, Inc., 6554 S. Austin Avenue, Bedford Park, IL 60638.
$5,000 - $10,000
Crosman Corporation required a portable display system that could be easily set-up by one person, yet strong enough to merchandise company Product (Air Guns, Air Rifles, etc.) on retail fixtures. The exhibit has to have the flexibility to change graphic messages within the structure of the display system. This 10' x 10' inline exhibit utilizes the “Radius” Pole Panel System. The backwall consists of multi-channel frames with wire grid inserts in front of custom laminate panels. The back wall has two layers of panels for stability, storage and the option of creating a backlit graphic wall. The client was able to merchandise its products using standard grid fixtures onto a portable trade show display system that is extremely flexible. The cost of this exhibit was between $5,000 - 10,000. For more information, contact Hanna Design/Radius Portable Display Systems, 52 Marway Circle, Rochester, NY 14624; in Canada - 16 Lesmill Road, Don Mill, Ont. M3B 2T5.
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