The prestigious Hertfordshire venue chose to partner with Foremost Golf, the UK’s largest golf retail group, and to also stock a number of high-end brands – and, as David Griffin, the director of golf operations at Brocket Hall, explained, it has paid off spectacularly.
He said: “Our year-on-year figures show a healthy increase of a little more than 20 per cent with the spike noticeably coinciding with the Foremost partnership. However, other decisions we have made have also helped significantly, including the stocking of brands such as Royal Albartross, and changes to the lay-out of the retail area.
“Our average spend is also up, by 27 per cent, and the trend is still upward, suggesting that our purchasing has improved and our retail staff are meeting the expectations of a demanding and discerning membership and visitor-base.”
Royal Albartross, which prides itself on producing ‘the world’s most luxurious golf shoes’, has also benefited from the relationship with Brocket Hall, which will begin stocking its new, spikeless men’s Club Collection, in September. Supermodel Jodie Kidd, a Brocket Hall ambassador, wears the brand, so, as Alex Bartholomew, designer founder at Royal Albartross, confirmed, the relationship – like the shoes – is a perfect fit.
She said: “The club has used social media to reach its members with message like ‘do you want to look like Jodie Kidd?’, which helps to get the message out that the brand is available in the club shop – and it’s new initiatives like this that help boost sales.
“The visual merchandising is super; they pair our shoes with suitable outfits, which definitely assists sales. We’re really excited that members at Brocket Hall have such good taste in footwear and the relationship we have with the club is ideal for us.”
In addition to Royal Albartross, Brocket Hall also stocks other brands often perceived as ‘high-end’ such as Calvin Klein, Cutter & Buck, Green Lamb and Chervo.
Paul Hedges, CEO at Foremost Golf, added: “We are delighted to have played our part in the success Brocket Hall is currently enjoying. As the largest buyer and seller of golf goods in the UK Foremost provides a competitive advantage to its members and the effects can be seen on the bottom line.
“The improved performance at Brocket Hall dovetails with our own recently released figures which showed significant sales increases in eight out of 11 key product categories during the first half of 2014.”
Brocket Hall www.brocket-hall.co.uk