Champion Europe has signed new important distribution deals in the last few weeks in several countries including Russia and the Ukraine, the states of the Persian Gulf, South Africa and Lebanon. It has also appointed a new country manager for Spain, Alberto Sanchez, who worked previously for Nestlé.
Royal Sporting House, the big Singapore-based wholesale and retail company owned by the Emaar Group, is the distributor of the Italian-based company in the Gulf States. South Africa as well as Botswana and Namibia are handled by Brand House, a company founded by Ross Smith, previously with Nike in South Africa. Baroody will represent Champion in Lebanon. For competition reasons, the company declined to publicize the name of its distributor for Russia and the Ukraine, which has been representing another very important brand in the region.
All these deals have been signed by Joe Moynihan, an Irish former manager of NBA Europe who has been getting more and more responsibilities at Champion Europe, lately acting in the role of vice president of business development. Since he joined the company in November 2001, the number of countries covered by the company has grown from 40 to 60. In some countries, he has been looking for strong distribution partners such as JJB Sports, which has performed very well with Champion through its exclusive deal for the brand in the U.K.
However, Italy still generates about 60 percent of Champion Europe’s total sales, which reached €205 million in the financial year ended last June 30. About 30 percent of the Italian turnover is represented by its growing retail activities including those of the former Giacomelli Sport chain, which accounted for revenues of €45 million.
Out of the 49 Giacomelli Sports bought by Champion Europe, only 35 are still trading under that banner, but they are gradually being converted to a very attractive new format, called Game 7 Athletics. Two others have been transformed into another new format called Basketball Central. Six smaller units have become Champion stores. The company has a total of about 50 single-brand stores in Italy, the majority of which are joint ventures with local retailers.
Game 7 Athletics stores will place a stronger emphasis on some selected brands including Adidas, Nike and naturally, Champion. At the new 1,800-square-meter Game 7 Athletics store opened last November in the Centro Grande Emilia shopping mall near Modena, Champion accounts for about 30 percent of sales, compared with 20 percent before.
