Prince Continues Momentum Heading Into Fourth Quarter of 2007
November 7, 2007
Bordentown, NJ — The latest SMS/TIA Specialty Store Retail Audit highlights Prince’s continued momentum heading into the final quarter of 2007. According to the reports, Prince not only has one third of the top thirty best selling racquets on the market, but also three of the top ten best selling shoes and continues to have the sport’s best selling string.
In racquets, the Q3 2007 SMS/TIA reports show that Prince currently has:
In fact, in only two and half years since its introduction, Prince’s O3 racquet technology has revolutionized the racquet category and helped the brand gain significant market share. Today, one-third of all top ten players in the world (singles and doubles) are now playing racquets with O3 technology. O3 technology, and the players playing it, have racked up nearly 300 tour titles. On the men’s side, O3 has captured 153 titles — twelve of which have come from the more recently introduced O3 Speedport technology. On the women side, O3 has taken home 142 titles — nine of which have come from O3 Speedport racquets. Further, the world’s #1 men’s doubles team, half of the world’s number #1 women’s double team, four of the top ten women’s singles players and the #4 ranked men’s singles player are all now playing O3.
In addition to the continued success in racquets, the 3rd Quarter SMS/TIA Specialty Retail Audit shows Prince’s continued momentum in string and in footwear. Aside from being #1 in string with an overall unit share of 28.9%, Prince continues to sell the #1 string in the industry, Synthetic Gut with Duraflex, which holds an overwhelming 13.9% share — marking the twenty-third straight quarter (nearly six straight years) that Synthetic Gut has been tennis’ #1 selling string.
In addition to the #1 position, Prince’s Syn Gut Multifilament and Syn Gut PolyBlend, two of the newest additions to the Syn Gut family, both hold positions in the top forty-five best seller spots.
In footwear, the company continues to grow the business, due in large part to the success of the its M Series line. In the Men’s category, Prince currently has three models (MV4, T10, MC4) among the top ten best selling shoes, two of which MV4 and MC4 feature the patented Precision Tube Technology found only in M Series. In Women’s, Prince holds four of the top twenty spots according to year-to-date dollar sales.
“We are encouraged about where we are heading into the last quarter of 2007, and excited about what we are bringing to market in 2008,” said Doug Fonte, President of Prince Americas. “The recent success in nearly all of our product categories is a true testament to our passionate, tennis-obsessed team at Prince and our partners in retail. We are a true tennis company and we will continue to develop and deliver the best products available, whether racquets, footwear, strings, grips, bags or balls.”
*The data presented here are based on a retail audit of key pro/specialty and sporting goods stores conducted by Sports Marketing Surveys.