THE SPORTS MARKET
A dedicated division to respond to the Sportstyle trend with expertise that has an impact on the group’s brands.
THE SPORTS MARKET
Jean-Pierre PETIT, Director, Sport Division
Sport and Sportstyle: an opportunity for the Royer Group
At a time when all the clothing and shoe market segments are adopting the codes of the sporting world, the Group has a number of internationally-famous brands in its portfolio, leaders in the Sport and Sportstyle market, such as Umbro and Caterpillar, along with brands offering high growth potential, such as Ellesse and Airwalk.
The Sport Division team contains a variety of expertise and is aiming to develop all these brands in terms of both products and marketing to provide the best possible response to customer and consumer expectations.
From shoes to clothing: a global strategy
In addition to shoes, the Royer Group’s traditional market, clothing offers great opportunities in both the Sport and Sportstyle segments, particularly through brands such as Umbro, but also with the Hungaria brand that the Group acquired in 2017. Today, any brand looking to penetrate these highly competitive markets must be able to provide its customers and consumers with a complete product offer.
The Umbro and Hungaria brands, which have been mainly focused on the clothing market, will take advantage of the Group’s know-how to extend their product offer in the Lifestyle shoes segment.
Gaining ever greater visibility
A brand’s success is not due just to the product and its distribution, but also to an ambitious marketing policy. For example, and to provide Umbro with the greatest possible visibility, the Royer Group has set up partnerships with football clubs (Lille, Caen, Nantes, Lens and Standard Liège, Belgium) and with a wide range of events linked to running such as the Rotterdam Marathon, Marseille-Cassis and the Paris Eco-trail, to name but a few.
Hungaria’s arrival reinforces the Group’s presence in football, through partnerships with Reims and Charleroi in Belgium, and has allowed us to expand into the world of rugby through partnerships with RC Toulon and Stade Rochelais.
Today, following our successful experience in the sports market and with our recognised know-how in the Lifestyle Shoes segment, the Royer Group is in an excellent position to establish itself sustainably in the Sportstyle market.
Pairs of sneakers sold per year