Outdoor distributor Ram Mountaineering has turned 20. Since it was founded in MD Simon Larsen’s garage in 1996, Ram has grown into a prominent distributor of well-known technical outdoor brands, especially mountaineering, to Southern African retailers. The birth of Ram Mountaineering coincided with a historical shift in the local outdoor industry: in the early 1990’s…
Weldon Kirui, the Skechers Performance athlete who won the Los Angeles marathon on Valentine’s Day this year, was among the top international athletes who set a record-breaking pace at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon over the past weekend (18 September). Africa’s only IAAF Silver Label race, sponsored by ASICS, was won by Ethiopian Asefa Negewo,…
Nike is allegedly offering Real Madrid an annual sum of €120-m to switch their allegiance from adidas, reports Spanish newspaper Okdiario. According to the newspaper the club’s current contract with adidas, worth €45-m per year, runs until 2020, and the German brand has already made a new offer to retain the lucrative kit deal. The…
Millenials not only run to benefit their physical health, but also to sustain positive emotional and mental health, report US researchers in the second phase of The Millenial Running Study, commissioned by Running USA and RacePartner. Running has become part of the identity of millenials – people born between 1980 and 2000 – who form…
Former South African and KwaZulu Natal Dolphins cricketer Gary Gilder has been appointed by Bolton Footwear as the new Sales and Development Manager for Olympic International. He will assist with the range development as well as sales of this iconic South African sports brand. In addition to his experience as a professional cricket player –…
South Africa’s black middle class has almost trebled over the past twelve years and there are currently more black than white households among the monthly highest and middle level spenders. Since 2004 the number of black middle class members has grown from 1.7-m to 5.8-m, report the UCT Unilever Institute of Strategic Marketing. In the…
Why is South Africa no longer producing top level international players to inspire more learners to participate in the sport at grassroots level? Wilhelm de Swardt asked a tennis coach from the hpc. The South African junior tennis support structure is quite good, but the lack of competitive opportunities and money are stumbling blocks in…
Mikasa has extended their agreement with the Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) to be the exclusive supplier of water polo balls for all the FINA-governed water polo competitions until 2020. The new four year agreement includes competitions for men and women such as the FINA World Chamionships, held in Budapest in 2017 and Gwangju in…
Twenty years after Kevin Plank founded Under Armour, the full breadth of the brand that seems to be pushing the limits was introduced to retailers, media and sports people at a launch party in Cape Town. There was nothing shy about the showing of the ranges that will be available locally over the coming season…
Former Jordan & Co MD Brian Pollock retired at the end of July. Before he left he shared some of his fond memories and summed up his close to a half a century in the industry by saying: it is a wonderful industry to work in — as long as you are passionate! After 47…
Johan Steyn has been appointed Financial and General Manager of sportswear manufacturer Genuine Connection Promotions. He will be heading up all manufacturing operations, as well as the day-to-day management of the business based in Paarl. Steyn is a keen sportsman who matriculated at Paarl Gymnasium and studied at Maties before completing his BCompt degree…
Several cycling brands available in South Africa were among the 12 outstanding products that were nominated for Gold awards during the 25th Anniversary of the Eurobike trade show held in Friedrichshafen, Germany. A total of 51 new products received awards, but the Gold winners displayed innovation and redefined the benchmark, according to the panel of…
