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Nakumatt Holdings, a regional retailer based in Kenya, has stepped up its business development ante, with the launch of a sports gear departmental store.
The 6,000 square feet concept store, located at the Westgate Shopping Mall dubbed “Sports Planet” will stock a wide variety of sports gear and apparel featuring some of the leading global brands.
The launch of the US $ 984,496 (Kshs. 100 million) Sports Planet branded sports goods store, marks the start of a product diversification strategy for Nakumatt, as it seeks to enhance its market reach in the Sports retailing sector.
In a first for sub-Sahara Africa, the Sports Planet store, will also feature, an in store Golf Simulator machine to be manned by local Golf Pro.
Speaking, at the launch of the Sports Planet store, Nakumatt Holdings, Business Development Lead, Neel Shah, confirmed that plans, are at an advanced stage, to rollout similar concept stores at other locations in Kenya and the wider East Africa region.
“Sports Planet, stores, will be the home of quality leading global brands and is part of Nakumatt’s overall commitment to deepen formal retailing in this region,” Neel explained, adding that, “from the in store golf simulator to the widest range of sports gear and accessories, we shall be seeking to meet the needs of the discerning customers seeking to enrich their active lifestyles.”
At the Sports Planet store, customers will choose from a variety of sporting gear including Treadmills, Gym equipment, weights, Gym accessories for home and commercial use. Sports Planet, will also stock a wide variety of sportswear and related accessories for mainstream sports activities such as, swimming, tennis, badminton, squash, hockey, cricket, rugby, football and golf.
According to Statista.com, the online trade statistics portal, the sports market is a growing industry in the United States among other global markets, with sales for sporting goods topping US$43 billion in 2013, up from just over US$30 billion in 2005.
Of these sales in 2013, almost a third came from athletic apparel and over 22 per cent were generated from sporting goods equipment. Almost a quarter of the purchases of these goods were made in sporting goods stores in comparison to 13 per cent which were made online.