Australian apparel brand Sportscraft is undergoing a brand refresh, with the key aim of attracting a younger audience.
Speaking with Ragtrader, APG & Co CEO Elisha Hopkinson says the plan is to bring in 35 to 55-year-olds as an addition to its core customer base of over 55s, through contemporising its ranges and store designs, in order to broaden its appeal to a wider demographic.
It comes as Sportscraft marks 110 years in operation, amid a more competitive fashion landscape and a tough economic market. It also follows the recent appointment of Sandra Kennedy as the new Sportscraft general manager in July 2024, following the exit of Haylie Sullivan after nearly two years in early March.
“I'm a big believer of understanding a brand and why a brand exists,” Hopkinson says. “Going into its history, Sportscraft has always been a brand that's been known for modern quality classics and everyday wear. It can be worn for work, but it's very much that every day, running-your-errands wear.”
With the refresh, Hopkinson says the plan is to stay true to the core identity of Sportscraft and applying it to what’s right for today’s market.
“We're not going to try and be a brand that's focused on occasion dressing, for example. And it's not to say that we might not have a small percentage of our range that gets more diversification in its end use. So we're sticking true to our roots, and we're really just modernizing ourselves and being more relevant.
“Our stylish, affluent customers - they are more contemporary today than what they were a decade ago. That’s an important part of us moving forward and staying progressive.
“We've also got a large component of our range that leans into what we call ‘club sport’. It's product that our customer will wear when they're doing their sporting activities. And they might not be competing, and they don't have to wear a certain color, but they're wearing our product to do their leisurely sport, and we want to make sure that we're presenting ourselves like that as well, which is just also another way of being more contemporary.”
Hopkinson says the plan is to update its styling, prints, colour palettes and product assortment, while still being timeless. Sportscraft will also work with interior decorating firm Arent & Pyke to redo its store designs, with the aim to invest more into stores in the new year, alongside a boost in marketing spend.
The revamp of its stores - which cover 54 owned in total - comes as like-for-like sales remain positive, according to Hopkinson, with womenswear being particularly strong.
Alongside free-standing stores, Sportscraft also manages 84 concessions across David Jones, Ballantynes (NZ) and Smith & Caughey’s (NZ).
Online, the brand is live on the David Jones website, as well as The Iconic, and recently launched on Qantas Marketplace. Hopkinson says its own online website is the brand’s fastest growing channel.
“We're very focused on driving more traffic to our website and into our stores, and we're seeing good improvement there,” Hopkinson says. “Whilst the foot traffic in the retail landscape is down overall, we can see that we're pulling more into our stores. What we were last year, although the overall foot traffic is down, we've got plus foot traffic into our stores, so we are getting some good traction there.”
Hopkinson says it’s important to remember that the channels are changing, and so is the way people are buying goods today.
“And then there’s product,” she says. “As my female executive team tells me, product is queen. If we've got the right product, and we're fixated on that, and we're sharing our story with our customers, that's where we'll see the momentum come from.
“So we're just going to go with more conviction now. I'm excited."