Golfwear manufacturer Ashworth UK has announced an impressive 39% increase in orders of its distinctive lifestyle brand clothing for Spring/Summer 2000, following a corporate restructure which has included the relocation of its sales and marketing office to Leeds and the appointment of Tony Wilkinson, formerly director of golf at Dunlop Slazenger, as the company’s new managing director.
The news closely follows the announcement by Ashworth’s Californian parent of a further consolidation of its market leading position in the United States. The 1999 Darrell Survey of the American golf industry showed that the company’s market share increased for the third year in a row to over 11% compared with the positions of its three nearest competitors, which have all declined in the same period.
The increase in market share has resulted from a steady growth in sales throughout the year, with figures for the final quarter showing an increase of 14.5% over the previous year and a total world wide turnover for 1999 of around $108 million.
Commenting on the news, Tony Wilkinson said, “The move to Leeds has enabled us to strengthen our management team and to ensure that we can focus on getting the business essentials up to the standards demanded by the market. The figures for the year speak for themselves and are a testimony to the hard work and dedication of the whole team. With orders for our new spring/summer collection already 39% ahead of the same period last year and a major investment in computer technology due to go live soon we are confident that we can further strengthen our position over the next twelve months.”