Bowland Outdoors is country store with a difference. Based in a village called Scorton near Garstang – situated between Preston and Lancaster in the north west of England – the retailer has a heritage and love of outdoor and country sports.
These activities reflect the brands and products that Bowland stocks. However, Bowland has extended beyond traditional country store goods and has embraced multisport retailing…
The retailer is proud of its extensive ranges, which include Gore Bike Wear, Gore Running Wear, Oakley, 2XU and Look bike accessories – with Castelli to be in-store for the winter and a wider choice coming on-stream in 2013.
Gary Lee, Dean Swarbick and Louise Goddard make up the Bowland team. Gary and Louise are both experienced at county level in their chosen sports; cycling/time trialling and road/fell running. Louise competes well in local & county triathlons, coming from a very competitive running background; while Gary is a well-known and respected cyclist in the North West, with a penchant for ‘power readings’; hence Bownland’s unique Power Lab, where customer bike sessions are used to study performance with measurement of aerobic capacity, anaerobic threshold and economy.
The third member of the team, Dean, Bowland’s ‘clay-shooting guy’ has just taken up the multisport mantle via his Eddie Merckx bike. And, with all this experience and enthusiasm it seemed a natural step to enter into the world of triathlon, where Bowland aims to make its mark ‘offering great gear with bags of bargains, expert advice on running, bike fitting and more importantly; improved training via the new Power Lab.’
Taking a closer look at what makes an outdoor retailer embrace triathlon, we spoke to Bowland Outdoors’ founder and co-owner Louise Goddard…
triathlonbusiness.com (TriBiz): When was Bowland Outdoors originally established?
Louise Goddard (LG): Bowland Outdoors was established initially as a cycling and outdoor shop in November 2009.
TriBiz: When did you start to introduce triathlon brands?
LG: Bowland Outdoors has always sold time trial and sportive bikes; Look bikes and frames in particular. We have developed a great relationship with Gore Bike wear, selling to both cyclists and triathletes due to its superior quality and being an established brand.
We decided to introduce Gore Running Wear in Q2 2012, once we decided to target a more tri-specific market. To support the Gore brand and triathletes over the winter we have added 2XU compression wear, with 2XU Triathlon clothing to follow for spring 2013; and Castelli, another high-end, quality brand also in-store soon.
TriBiz: Why these brands specifically?
LG: Bowland Outdoors always focuses on quality, durability and customer satisfaction. As a retailer, we pride ourselves on our reputation for sourcing and promoting reputable brands and we feel that Gore, 2XU, Look and Castelli fit the bill.
Bowland is more than happy to promote and get behind products that we believe work the best. We use all of the products we sell and test them ourselves. We also have a specialist reviewer, ‘Ghostrider’, in place to give a further perspective for our customers. Basically, if we aren’t happy with any particular product, we don’t sell it.
TriBiz: Beyond a personal passion for triathlon amongst the Bowland team, do you see particular advantages combining ‘outdoor store’ and ‘triathlon store’?
LG: Bowland Outdoors has traditionally boasted a large range of outdoor clothing, as well as cycling; including Berghaus, Musto, Ariat and Aigle, etc. This is in part due to our location in the Trough Of Bowland, the home of outdoor pursuits in the north west; therefore, triathlon is a natural progression for Bowland Outdoors.
It combines people’s love of the outdoors and a passion for quality clothing and equipment. With many triathlons on our doorstep and one member of the team being a competitive member of both running and tri-clubs, and another devoted to cycling, there is a wealth of knowledge to offer the customers, besides clothing.
We also sell a capsule range of ‘lifestyle’ clothing, which caters for a more fashion-orientated crowd; this is a plus for us, as the guys that come in for tri-wear can also shop for Crew Clothing Co and Musto.
The common factor in whatever we sell is quality.
TriBiz: Tell us a bit about your customers?
LG: Bowland Outdoors customers are definitely interested in quality products and country sports. We are well-known locally for our specific knowledge; and being members of clubs in the area, this helps to guarantee sports specific customers.
As I’ve mentioned, due to our location we have walkers, cyclists, runners, et al that pass through on a daily basis. The fact that Bowland Outdoors is around the heart of the Priory Hotel and Restaurant means that our customers can rest, have a meal or coffee and browse at their leisure. Also, due to the brands listed, we have become a destination site for Gore Bike wear, etc.
Our online presence and competitive prices also mean that we are accessible to more people, both online and in the shop.
TriBiz: Have any crossed over from outdoors to triathlon/multisport or were they already active in tri beforehand?
LG: Bowland Outdoors has definitely seen a cross-over from running and cycling into triathlon. Coupled with this is the fact that more and more events are being promoted and triathlon is being seen as an accessible sport. From this, more people are testing out tri.
The success at the Olympics of Team GB in triathlon has also persuaded many of the cyclists/runners to give tri a try. We have also found a new breed of cyclists who are wanting to jump straight into tri – whereas before, people seemed to only visit triathlons after they had spent a lot of time cycling or running.
TriBiz: How important are your ‘bricks and mortar’ activities versus online?
LG: The Bowland Outdoors shop is our showroom. There are still people who wish to try and buy rather than just buy online, and as I have mentioned, due to our location we do have the correct demographic passing through our doors.
Online is vitally important as we have a further reach, including the wider North West region where athletes view the online site and then come to visit the shop. We think being at The Priory is part of the attraction for these customers. There are many organized rides, runs and events in the area; so we have a unique location for before, during or after their chosen sport.
TriBiz: How do you see things developing in the coming months; what are your expectations for 2013?
LG: We are hoping to develop our triathlon range and market via promotions, sponsorships and associations; but our main directive is to maintain top brands at competitive prices, therefore ensuring our on-going customer satisfaction levels.
We are also introducing the PowerLab, a USP for Bowland Outdoors.
Bowland Outdoors founder and co-owner Gary Lee explained the thinking behind the new Power Lab initiative…
Gary Lee (GL): Some time ago, when I would race in 10 mile time trials I always felt that if I tried just that little bit harder I would go a lot faster! Week in week out, I would apply this theory and each time I would be a few seconds faster or a few seconds slower (depending on the course and the weather).
It was all very frustrating, no matter how hard or long I trained, I always seemed to produce the same results. It was later that season that I was fortunate enough to get involved with a new sports research programme that was being undertaken to monitor the effect of various training programs (frequency and loads) on athletes; this involved establishing the exact point of the aerobic threshold and taking readings for power and heart rate.
The athlete would then disappear for another four weeks armed with a tailor-made training program and return, to repeat the test. The research was conducted on many athletes to establish the optimum use of training and recovery time.
I duly went along and was surprised to find that my aerobic threshold occurred at a heart rate of 180 beats per minute. It was not the heart rate but the effort that surprised me. Riding at 180 bpm was relatively easy compared with the trashing that I had given myself in time trials. Essentially, I had been riding much too hard and going into oxygen debt.
So the next ten mile time trial came along and I rode a text book time trial starting steady and steadily increasing the pace until I reached a heart rate of 180 bpm. Bingo: exactly 1 minute off my personal best. So my theory on trying harder was flawed!
With Power Lab testing, our maxim is simple…. Help us help you!
TriBiz: How does the Power Lab process work for the customer?
GL: This is what we do best, make an appointment and see what you can achieve in a short space of time. How it’s done –
- Follow a series of progressive steps to establish heart rate at aerobic threshold
- Follow a series of progressive steps to establish power output at aerobic threshold
- Create a matrix to give a realistic achievable performance time for a 10 mile time trial
- Assess current performance and prescribe a training programme to suit the athlete
Via its Power Lab, Bowland aims to give its customers powerful, scientific information and the tools to become a much better rider. As the Bowland Outdoors team notes, the Power Lab is just one of a number of initiatives in the pipeline. Though, the retailer sees that it is unique in bringing a dedicated performance tool for cycling within its retail environment.
From aligning the outdoors category with triathlon, and bringing coaching on board, there are clearly many ways to engage with the multisport athlete.
