Then & Now: Sarah Charlton

Every edition Ragtrader takes stock of a previously profiled brand to see how it has evolved over a five year period. This issue Tracey Porter caught up with Sarah Charlton, marketing manager for sportswear label Brooks.

Company: Brooks
Marketing manager: Sarah Charlton

What were the key issues or challenges for your company five years ago? What are they now?
Brand awareness has always been a challenge we face. A smaller marketing budget than some of our competitors means that we have to be very targeted with how and where we spend our money to drive brand awareness. In order to overcome this we channel our focus on reaching the specific technical running market.

What was the range like five years ago? What is it like now?
The Brooks range five years ago was still performance athletic focused.  This focus is still paramount. The only difference is that we had a few more sku's back then than we do now. Season wise we are still releasing two new footwear and apparel ranges per year.

How many stores/wholesale accounts did you have five years ago? How many do you have now?
In the sporting goods market there has been an overall reduction of stores as some groups have consolidated however, our distribution has expanded a little with the growth of The Athletes Foot, Rebel and speciality accounts. Over the past 16 years Texas Peak's distribution has expanded to  New Zealand and South Africa. Throughout Australia Texas Peak currently distributes Brooks performance sportswear to more than 700 wholesale accounts, as opposed to five years ago we had 600 accounts. 

What was the retail climate like for your business five years ago? How has it changed?
Consumers these days are a lot more savvy and willing to pay for quality products. The rising cost of petrol has put a brake on consumer discretionary spending at the moment and this will be a challenging period for all brands.

What was your approach to marketing and promotions five years ago? What is it now?
Consistency has been the focus of our marketing at a grass roots level. We focus on attending and sponsoring triathlons, marathons and fun run events nationally. So we can communicate directly with our core target market and consumers.

What was your approach to staff training five years ago? How has it changed?    
Externally our view on staff training has not changed over the past five years. We have been very consistent and constant in this area, and have employed tech reps to train retail staff for the last 12 years.  This has been a focus for us and will not change going forward.
                                                                                                   
How many staff did you employ five years ago? Now?
Five years ago Texas Peak employed approximately 80 people and at present we have a total of 130 employees.

What was your approach to retail technology (either POS or security) five years ago? And now?
Retail order replenishment has evolved enormously over the past five years, originally orders were placed via fax or phone and now days they are mostly placed via email and EDI.

What was your greatest moment/most significant development in the past five years?
At Brooks we are focused on providing cradle-to-cradle sustainable product solutions. The latest development is Bio MoGo technology, the world's 1st Biodegradable midsole in runners. For Biodegradation to occur it can only happen once the shoe has been thrown away and buried in an enclosed moist area with no oxygen. Brooks Bio Mogo midsole will then break down into reusable nutrients that can nourish the earth for generations to come. Brooks Bio MoGo midsole will biodegrade 50 times faster than conventional athletic shoes. By using Bio MoGo Brooks will save nearly 30 million pounds of landfill waste over a 20-year period. BioMoGo is the latest project Brooks has initiated to support its sustainability focus. Other examples include incorporating the CMP process, introducing HPR Green rubber, reducing PVC, developing a new environmentally friendly shoe box, Leading running magazine Runner's World granted Brooks its 2006 Runner's World International "Innovation Award" for the brand's environmental stewardship efforts.

What has been the worst experience of the past five years?
The increase of production costs out of China.

By Tracey Porter