Following a positive 2014, which included outstanding sales of 2014 Ryder Cup licensed merchandise and continued growth in key markets such as the UK and China, Sven-Olof Karlsson, CEO and owner of Abacus Sportswear, predicts a successful 2015 for the Swedish technical clothing brand and pioneer of high-performance stretch waterproof fabrics.
As an Official Licensee to The 2014 Ryder Cup, the Swedish brand produced an exclusive collection for the 40th edition of golf’s greatest team event and the important strategic collaboration provided the ideal platform to further establish the brand within the market.
Commenting on the success of the event, Karlsson said: “The market was difficult during 2014, but we managed to reach all of our targets, which was due, in no small part, to the phenomenal success that abacus® enjoyed from The 2014 Ryder Cup. It continues to be the greatest show in golf and the event at Gleneagles provided us with the ideal platform to showcase our garments to the world.
“We achieved phenomenal sales both prior to and during the week of the event, which was a fantastic achievement as it not only enabled the company to further establish the brand within the market, but also highlighted the considerable demand for our garments.
“It was great to receive some very positive customer feedback at the event from both male and female golfers, highlighting the positive aspects of the fit and functionality when on the course, which is exactly what we set out to achieve when designing our garments. The 2014 Ryder Cup also enabled abacus® to establish strong relationships with some of its Official Partners and Suppliers, which I am confident will continue to grow our customer base and enable the company to further develop throughout 2015.”
In addition to the successful sales figures from The 2014 Ryder Cup, the company also further established its brand in key markets throughout the year. Due to the number of strategic partnerships with some of the most prestigious courses in the world, abacus® experienced growth in markets such as China, Finland, Denmark and Norway.
The UK and Irish markets also showed signs of improvement throughout 2014, with the sell-through rate continuing to improve during the year, which is a positive sign for the company for the year ahead. “2015 is set to be a big year for the UK, as Abacus Sportswear has also added four new distributors within the market, which will help to enhance the company’s growth,” concluded Karlsson.
Abacus Sportswear continues to evolve its range of garments to appeal to the modern day, active golfer and there were a number of highlights throughout the year. The Resort Collection that was launched in the Autumn of 2014 proved particularly successful within the Chinese market, while the re-introduction of performance-led and highly technical fabrics in the Spring/Summer range also performed particularly well.
Commenting on 2015, Karlsson added: “The company will again be the Official Apparel Supplier to The European Tour and for the fifth consecutive tournament abacus® will be the Official Apparel Supplier of the 2015 European Solheim Cup Team, which continues the brand’s long standing association with the Ladies European Tour. 2015 is therefore set to be another big year for the company and I am confident we can continue to grow and develop the relationships and partnerships that we have created throughout 2014.”
Abacus Sportswear www.abacussportswear.com
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