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34 | FireFlyz
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Gibbons with
his team
K. Alex Raj
tackles Paul Gibbons, Managing Director of
Sports Direct, and scores an interview.
Sports, Directly To You
The brand
For a sports fan like me, the brand Sports Direct immediately associates me with
Newcastle United FC and Rangers FC. This is probably because Mike Ashley - who is
the owner of the Magpies and shareholder of Rangers FC - is also the founder of this
British retailing group.
Established in 1982, SportsDirect has900storesacrossEuropeand theyareUnited
Kingdom’s leading sports retailer by revenue and operating profit, as well as owning a
significant number of internationally recognised sports and leisure brands.
Malaysia marks the first direct retail investment in Asia through a partnership with
Malaysian owned MST Golf Group of companies, a well-established golf retailer and
service provider in the region. They currently operate 17 Sports Direct retail stores in
Malaysia, and are looking to double that figure in the next 18months. A licenseewith
MST Group even before the joint venture, they have 26,000 different products in
stock, covering all major sports categories, focusing on unbeatable value and
variety.
Connection established
“We are really connected to Malaysia and Malaysians, just like Firefly,” Paul
Gibbons, a Newcastle United fan said. “This is only our fifth year inMalaysia
andoursecondyear intothe jointventurewithMSTGolfGroupofCompanies.
Malaysiansarealready talkingabout thevalueandquality that SportsDirect
brings into the county. “Be it locals or the ones who have studied in Europe
or traveled there, they know the value of the brand andwhat we have to offer
them,” saysGibbons,whohimself has lived inMalaysia for thepast20years. “We
find this venture with MST Golf Group of Companies as our first step in venturing
into the Asianmarket.”
“We are in a tropical climate so it’s important that we get the right product mix
here. Sports Direct still sell 90%of the products of what theUK sells, but the significant
difference is that we sell more badminton
and swimming products here.” There are
many international brands and products
offered that are owned by Sports Direct.
Karrimor, USA Pro, Hot Tuna, Dunlop,
LonsdaleandCarltonareavailable, inaddi-
tion to the conventional brands like Under
Armour, Nike, Adidas and Puma. Gibbons
believes that time isall theyneed tocreate
awareness of those brands and to make
Sports Direct a key shopping destination.
“Wecater toeverybodyandweare looking
at connectivity across the country.”