Report Summary:
Profile of Ronhill Sports: a leading UK supplier of
running apparel |
published in
Issue 20, 1st Quarter 2007 |
Ronhill is one of the UK's leading suppliers of running
and athletics apparel. The company was founded in 1970 by
British athlete Ron Hill. Initially it operated as a mail
order service for running apparel. But, following the
success of this service, it diversified into retailing and
the first Ron Hill Sports shop was opened in Hyde, Cheshire,
UK, in 1975. Further growth was secured over the next 20
years by a boom in running in the UK during the 1980s and by
the establishment of the London Marathon in 1981. In 1999
the company became part of the UK-based retail company OSC
and in 2001 it was renamed Ronhill.
Today, Ronhill remains committed to the running and
athletics market and operates through two services. One is a
direct sales service which offers seven ranges for men,
women, and children in high
performance wear,
low-impact activewear,
accessories and
high visibility
wear. The
other is
its Ronhill
Specials service, a bespoke service operated by UK-based
Ridgeway Textiles which supplies over 500 clubs in the UK
under a license from Ronhill.
Each item produced by Ronhill is made using high
performance fabrics. The properties imparted by these
fabrics include moisture management, wind resistance, water
resistance and freedom of movement. In developing these
fabrics, Ronhill works closely with companies such as
Cloverbrook a UK-based sports fabric supplier.
The future looks promising for Ronhill. Sales in its
2006/07 financial year were healthy and a refocus on club
running apparel should stand the company in good stead for
further expansion into northern Europe and Eastern Europe.
In addition, sales look set to be driven further by the
company's recent extension into the women's and children's
sports markets and the staging of the London Olympics in
2012.
To read
the full report
order issue 20 |
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A report on major developments in the
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A detailed, independently-researched
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A summary of business news and
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Why performance apparel? |
Performance apparel represents one of
the fastest growing sectors of the international
textile and clothing industry. Market growth is
being fuelled by the emergence of new
fibers, new
fabrics and innovative process technologies.
The
market is also being boosted by changes in consumer
lifestyles. People are living longer and spending
more time on leisure activities. New high-tech
fabrics are being developed for a wide range of
active sports such as aerobics, athletics, running,
cycling, hiking, mountaineering, swimming, sailing,
windsurfing, ballooning, parachuting, snowboarding,
and skiing.
Exciting innovations are emerging in
fire retardant materials and those which protect
against extreme temperatures. Added to that is the
growing market for corporate
wear which, in some
cases, is becoming increasingly fashion-oriented.
And, increasingly, high-tech fabrics
and apparel designed for high performance wear are
crossing over the boundary into everyday fashion. |
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