Celtic take a serious approach to retailing in comparison to most soccer teams based in Europe. The club currently operate a chain of 15 stores throughout Scotland and Ireland, depending on the size of the store a wide assortment of products can be found. Celtic’s biggest rivals, Rangers, maintain a presence in just two retail locations.
As mentioned in previous blog posts, through their sponsorship agreement with Nike, Celtic merchandise can be found in Nike stores throughout the world and is presented alongside elite European clubs such as Barcelona, Manchester Utd, Inter Milan, Juventus and Arsenal. This global exposure and inclusion in displays with other popular soccer sides is extremely valuable as the club looks to expand its reach around the world.
Nonstore retailing is an essential aspect of Celtic’s approach to retailing. Through internet and telephone a wide variety of Celtic merchandise and match tickets can be purchased. At this time, Celtic do not have any exposure to the exciting new possibilities in M-commerce. As a professional sports team it is unlikely that the business would expose themselves to a new and unproven, albeit promising, form of retailing.
A likely path forward for Celtic is to expand their reach globally through electronic retailing and to further leverage their Nike sponsorship partnership. The many products available online targeted at women, children and 50+ males demonstrates the businesses willingness to seek customers out with the main target market of 20-40 year old males.
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