Olympic International brand manager and MD Chelsea and Gary van Rooyen. Father and daughter both represented SA at the World Stand Up Paddleboard Championships last year. There's no direct link between the Olympic International range and that sport, but 'while the footwear we make isn't water sports specific, every water sport activist trains in the gym, runs or cycles', he said. 'Gone are the one-dimensional athletes.'
Olympic International: The door is wide open
Published: 9th Feb 2022
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA - The move to direct-to-consumer sales by global brands "leaves the door wide open for us", says Gary van Rooyen, who last year agreed a licensing deal with Bolton Footwear to take over the Olympic International sports footwear brand.
"I find it sad that solid independent retailers who helped Nike grow here from nothing, and who have good stores in good locations, have been cut off. But for us, it's an opportunity."
In a deal which gives him a free hand with Olympic in return for royalties, he has opted to concentrate on a handful of sports and build the brand with independents - and he expects to have around 300 independent customers for the winter season.
"It will take us time to gain traction with the groups," he said. "Reception from the independents has been very good. We've got a selection of our styles in the groups, but full representation in the independents, not just a few styles here and there."
He said the athletics spikes and the soccer boot were "doing very nicely" with improved aesthetics.
"In terms of upping specs, the big one has been the running shoe. It used to look like a running shoe, but now it is one, and the trail running shoe will follow.
"One of the real winners has been the addition of a podded inner sole, which incorporates a podded bubble under all the hot spots, in all of the styles except for spikes and football."
Olympic International's targeted end consumers are very varied. "We chase many smaller sports (low hanging fruit) because they're ignored by the big brands," he said. "That includes lifesaving, trail running, surfing, surfski, personal trainers, etc."
The footwear is all currently imported, but he said the brand would look at local production of non-sports styles - specifically sandals and retro classics.
He's optimistic that sport will return to normal at all levels this year.
"The government has to fully open schools - for the economy as well as education. This is where we will be seen very prominently.
"And I'm sure the sports stadiums will open soon - we seem to be one of the few countries where they aren't already open.
"We can see a shift in the mindset of the public as well. We have a separate business selling masks, and we've seen the steady decline in sales of masks."
Coming soon...The Olympic International trail running shoe.
Accessories include a running cap.
Footwear Industry Articles
- Jumbo: I’m sure we’re affected, but it’s not huge
East London, E. Cape, SA – They affect every business, I’m sure, though I don’t know how much. I certainly don’t know how much they affect mine, but it’s not massively.The way to counteract them is to improve customer service – after all, we’re on the ground. I suppose also improve our buying.&nbs ...moreNostalgia: Hub Bijsterveld : Cheese & wine after a career solving consumer complaints
Harare, Zimbabwe – I note Hub Bijsterveld's memorial (09 February) in the Newsletter. Just a snippet about him. He was one of the best, if not the best chemist in the whole of the worldwide Bata Shoe Organisation. We used to have regular annual "Chemeets" in various parts of the world for our Chemists and Hub stood ou ...moreBergstan: Less affected on the plattelandNeither of those has had an effect on my business. I suppose it’s because my stores are more on the platteland. The only thing that has an effect on us is the economy. ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- State eyes Sh175bn annually from revamped leather industryBusiness DailyNairobi, Kenya (06 January 2025) – The State is eyeing a Sh175 billion annual turnover from a revamped leather industry, up from the current Sh15 billion, a top official said.Deputy president Kithure Kindiki, while inspecting work on the planned Kinanie Leather Park in Machakos County on Monday, said the leather indust ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': Environment and PoliticsCOP 29 is behind us and to say that it was a failure would be the understatement of the year! Mountains of millions were spent to have people attend, more as a relaxing holiday than a full-scale attempt to get projects approved to improve the environment. The VIPs, those that promote the action against climate chance, all travelled by pri ...morePathology of ‘double scale’ skin defect in farmed American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) and the possible association with hepatic fibrosisIlaria M Piras 1, Annemarie Bezuidenhout 2, Josué Díaz-Delgado 3 4, Deirdre Slawski 2, Pamela A Kelly 1 Affiliations1University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.2Padenga Holdings Ltd, Harare, Zimbabwe.3Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, College Statio ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Offshore wind energy: Mobile test platform for offshore wind turbines
Bremerhaven, Germany (02 September 2024) – Public power grids are highly complex systems. Wind turbine manufacturers have to comply with technical guidelines when connecting new turbines to avoid putting grid stability at risk. In the Mobil-Grid-CoP project, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES have d ...moreFlexible epoxy coating provides modular constructions with hours of fire protection
Pittsburgh, PA, USA – PPG’s Steelguard 951 epoxy intumescent fire protection coating is designed for advanced – read high value – manufacturing facilities, including semiconductor plants, electric vehicle battery facilities, data centres and other commercial infrastructure.It provides up to 4 hours of fire protecti ...moreStandard socks could shock: The hidden danger in anti-static work environments
Pinetown, KZN, SA – In any environment where the build-up of static electricity has been determined to be a risk, anti-static footwear must be worn. Anti-static footwear is designed to help dissipate the accumulation of static electricity from the body while still providing a reasonable level of resistance to electrical hazards from ...more
© S&V Publications
