Canadian retail chain Golf Town tries luck in the United States
– Golf update
The largest Golf retail chain in Canada, Golf Town, has decided to break into the cutthroat United States market with five retail stores in Massachusetts, which will be up and running by the end of this month. Golf Town plans to run a heavy media campaign
including major newspapers, television and radio before the opening of the stores on 24th March. This will be the first venture of the multi-million dollar Canadian company outside the boundaries of its home country.
The President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Golf Town, Stephen Bebis, is ambitious to become the largest Golf retail chain in the United States. “We are entering Boston to own it,” said Bebis, “We will be the largest retailer of golf equipment in
market overnight and that is going to have a major impact for us.” He added, “You can’t dabble in the U.S. We’re not ‘testing’ the market. We’re committing. We’re going to be a household name within a year.” Golf Town is fully prepared to launch the sixth
store in Boston in the next few months.
After its inception in 1998, Golf Town has grown to 55 stores across Canada and post sales worth US $400 million annually. However, the company’s decision to expand in to the already saturated US market in the wake of a continued recession which has hampered
golf in many ways is being criticized in many golfing circles despite the determined statements of the CEO. According to a market research firm named Golf Datatech, golf inside the United States experienced 2.3 percent decrease in total played rounds from
December 2009 to December 2010.
On the other hand, New England had a vigorous increase in the total played rounds by 3.6 percent at the same time. The stats and findings inspire Golf Town to focus on New England for the maximum benefits and revenue. “We are focused on New England right
now and our primary goal is to continue to build that other market out. The recession there was really not as impactful as it was in some other markets in the U.S., such as California,” Bebis said, “Unemployment is relatively low relative to other markets
and it is one of the most avid golf markets in the U.S. Eventually we will start to look at Asia and Europe, but also we would like to look at acquisitions in the U.S. and we will continue to do that.” Bebis announced his policy to open at least 12 new stores
in Greater Boston area before moving South to New Hampshire.
The decision of Golf Town is warmly welcomed in Canada as many US Golf companies are grossing large profits from the Canadian market over the years.
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