Swiss running shoe company, On, has appointed Olly Laws to the position of UK Sales Director following ‘an excellent year for the brand in the UK’.
Olly is a well-known figure within the running industry both commercially and as an international athlete. According to the company, he is perfectly placed to drive On forward in the UK. His previous roles include senior buyer at retail chain, Runners Need, where he managed the buying team to deliver sales targets across footwear, clothing, accessories and electronics.
Prior to this, Olly worked at ASICS for over seven years holding regional and national sales positions for the brand.
European Head of Sales, Christian Bahr said “We have been on the hunt for a top notch sales head in the UK market for some time, Olly is undoubtedly a great fit for the role bringing with him a wealth of experience and contacts as well as ambition and passion for the industry.”
He added, “On is the fastest growing brand in the running sector in Europe and we’ve seen rapid expansion in the US; so we have high expectations for the UK market this year. Running as a sport is growing in popularity in the UK, Olly is key for On to take advantage of the fantastic local opportunity.”
On is following a strategy of selective distribution, which has ‘positioned the brand well with specialist retailers and as a premium brand.’
Retailers are reportedly seeing the commercial benefits of this strategy and ‘their consumers are enjoying a completely unique and fun running experience.’
On’s goal is to provide retailers with the best service possible and a partnership to help increase sales for retailers. The company adds that it is customer focused and offers an ‘attentive, proactive and agile partnership at all levels, be it Sales and Tech, our Customer Service Team, or our marketing personnel.’
On adds that this is set against a backdrop of the many efficiency driven brands who are increasingly distancing themselves from their customers.
Olly Laws said “Having spent the last two years working with all the key brands in the running industry in my role as Senior Buyer at Runners Need, I identified On as brand with a clear point of difference offering technical product which looks great too. I look forward to building on the growth On is already experiencing in the UK and can’t wait to get started.”
On is a Swiss sports company based in Zurich, Switzerland, and Portland, Oregon. It has a mission: ‘make running fun’. This notion is spearheaded by a team of sports scientists and running enthusiasts led by world-class athlete Olivier Bernhard, a triple world champion and six-time IRONMAN winner.
The On running shoe has already won the prestigious ISPO Brand New Award for innovation in sport; and it continues to garner further design and technology distinctions all over the world – most recently the ISPO Gold Award for the Best Performance Shoe 2015-16.
On’s CloudTec system is patented worldwide. With five years since the brand’s market launch, On shoes are already available from more than 2,000 specialist running stores in 30 countries in Europe, North America, South America and Asia-Pacific.
