Reflecting on 50 years, what do you consider the most significant milestone in the brand’s history?
Obviously, the vision of the founder Mike Smith was crucial, he saw an opportunity to create something with a strong set of values, that identity then gave a foundation to build upon over the years, given a stable and consistent platform for growth. In recent times, identifying what we didn’t have the right skills for and working with two agencies – ‘Chapter’ for our brand identity and then ‘Interstate’ for our current stick collections – have been key and also leveraging our knowledge of the goalkeeping market to expand sales there has been key.
Looking back, what would you say was the key to the brand’s longevity and success?
Consistency and knowledge of who we are and making sure that products are great quality. Sports fashion moves very fast, I don’t doubt that we could have grown faster if we had been early adopters of some marketing and fashion trends, but the ‘crash’ would also have been spectacular. So focusing on our core values and consistently delivering on that is key.
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How has the vision of the brand evolved over the past five decades?
I think it has become more focused. Recognising that other brands have competitive advantages in other areas and not focusing on those – footwear as an example and then more recently teamwear. But knowing that we have one of the most extensive hockey networks in the world and so focusing on the emotional connections that we have which then in turn generate sales.
What do you think sets this brand apart from its competitors?
I think our general product quality puts us in the top league of global brands. Then our goalkeeping range means we are one of very few brands that can support every position on the pitch. Combine that with 50 years of knowledge and hockey relationships and we can knock on almost any commercial hockey door in the world. It is a very powerful set of elements!
How did your partnership with the brand begin and what does the 50th anniversary of the brand mean to you personally?
Mercian supported me with my first set of goalkeeping materials when I was just 13, I met Mike and Judy Smith and over the years and they, and the company, became a second family to me. Working with them during my hockey playing career was a great advantage because they understood the training and playing needs I had and offered support and job flexibility. Expanding my working role was a natural progression after playing and their guidance allowed me to develop skills that I use every day now. I am proud to have been able to work for and now own and manage a brand that has a place in the modern commercial world but has a rich history and heritage.
What has kept you loyal to the brand over the years?
Just the fact that they were always loyal to me and supportive of my hockey dreams. I meant that work never seemed like work and even now I look forward to every day and the challenges that it brings.
What do you hope to see from the brand in the next 50 years?
I would like to see us re-establish our position in Europe, poor political decisions led to the UK leaving Europe and for Mercian that was a massive disappointment and commercially a huge negative, I want to restablish that position. I want the people that I work with to carry the brand forward. Embrace technology and new sales platforms, create exciting new products that have longevity and are not flash-in-the-pan fashion trends. I want the company to be commercially stable and give the people that work there a genuine enjoyment about being part of something fun, that they look back on with pride.
Lastly, for the readers and Mercian fans, what’s a fun fact or a story about the brand that not many people know?
- The brand was started in an area of the UK called Mercia, it has Viking origins and we celebrate that with a special drinking toast at each Christmas dinner with the staff.
- Then we had a stick called the Black Widow (it is a spider) and at the Hockey World Cup in 1998 in Utrecht we made 5000 spider stickers and put them on every single post, seat and person we could touch around the ground.
- Originally the company had an old double decker bus and it took a hockey touring team to festivals – called The Mercianaries, and they played at Easter hockey events across Europe.
