STAG, the British buying group for independent sports retailers in the U.K. and Ireland, is doing relatively well. The retail members’ sales are up so far this year by 30 percent as compared to 2020, which saw a decline of 21 percent in both countries.
One reason given for the good performance is the fact that seven former members of Intersport in the U.K., including a major department store operation, have joined STAG, which doesn’t require members to post the same banner. Another reason is that the membership includes 15 pure online retailers whose annual turnover ranges from £2 million (€2m-$2.7m) to £14 million (€16.3m-$18.8m).
Ward Robertson, managing director of STAG, stresses that it paid every single supplier on normal terms during the Covid epidemic, while DW Sports went into bankruptcy proceedings. It was the biggest member of Intersport UK, which thus had trouble paying its bills.
STAG says it has signed new contracts with a number of companies including VF Corp. for the Eastpak and Jansport brands, or Hama, the German supplier of Bluetooth speakers and other electrical accessories for runners. It is branching out into new categories like fashion, athleisure and sports lifestyle with new brands such as Validate, whose ethically sourced products are similar to those of Lululemon, as well as Headster and Chatham Footwear.
As running is the biggest category for STAG members, the group has teamed up with Sports Marketing Surveys to supply real-time EPOS data that will help track the evolution of the running market.
STAG now federates 230 members in the U.K. with about 300 stores and 70 members in Ireland with about 100 stores. At least 120 buyers will attend the STAG buying show on Nov. 21-22, where 75 brands are scheduled to present their latest products.
