Endura's gear is tackling a new market

AT first glance, cycling and rugby seem to be poles apart, but scratch the surface and similarities arise, particularly when it comes to the need for clothing designed to protect participants when they come into contact with the ground - or each other.

And now Endura, the Livingston-based sportswear manufacturer which has spent the last decade specialising in cycling clothing, has cottoned on to the fact its knowledge can easily be transferred to the rugby pitch.

Managing director Brian Gibb admits: "Many Scots might feel otherwise, but I’m celebrating the fact that England won the Rugby World Cup because the market should develop significantly."

Since launching its rugby business in the spring, the firm has secured the custom of 50 clubs, including Watsonians, Forrester and Livingston, and Mr Gibb says Endura is currently in talks with Heriots. So why did a company with more than ten years’ experience in designing and producing cycling gear decide to turn its attention to such a different sport?

"Until very recently, the rugby market used predominantly cotton fabrics, but fabric technology has moved on and we can make tough garments and use sublimation printing to integrate a full design in the fabric," Mr Gibb explains.

"The garment’s longevity is good and the overall look is far higher because you can get photographic images on to it."

He adds: "We started testing 18 months ago and we’ve haven’t had one garment failure. Because it’s polyester-based, it wicks sweat away so you don’t feel cold and wet."

Mr Gibb founded Endura in 1991 along with fellow cycling fanatic Jim McFarlane and until recently there were two aspects to the company - the Endura brand, which sells cycle clothing direct to retailers, and the Tal range of clothing which it sells to racing teams.

"The Endura brand itself has grown 40 per cent in the past year, so it’s really galloping and we can now drive the printed market on the back of that," says Mr Gibb.

"Now we’ve got involved in rugby, which effectively tacks on to the back of the Tal printed business."

He adds: "We looked at rugby primarily because there are less manufacturers involved and it’s a good scene at the club level - there’s a lot more money than there is at the same level in football."

Endura will not be moving into the football market in the near future, as Mr Gibb says he would prefer to stick to niche markets. "When we started, cycling was a niche market and there were only four people manufacturing in the UK, including ourselves.

"A couple of them have since passed by the wayside because they didn’t move to digital technology."

Another benefit to producing rugby kits is the potential for sales to supporters and Mr Gibb believes this market represents an important avenue for growth for the firm. "We see really good growth in the rugby side because we can do the team clothing and then have the supporters buying the kit, which is something you don’t really get with cycling.

"I can already see the impact with Forrester and Livingston because there are lots of kids walking about with the kit on." Having said that, Mr Gibb admits he is "not excited" by the prospect of trying to supply kit to large cycling teams.

"It saps our resources, because it’s a fairly slow process. We’d rather stick to short print-runs of around 200 on the custom side, because it takes a couple of weeks to do 2000 printed kits, and during that time we can’t make any other standard Endura stuff."

He adds: "Generally our printed orders are for around 20 to 40 garments, and this means we can charge more because it’s custom-made."

Endura has a turnover of around £1.6 million, and has been growing steadily year-on-year. The foot-and-mouth outbreak of 2001 affected sales as access to large swathes of the UK countryside was restricted, denting demand for cycling gear, but Mr Gibb says the firm "braved the storm" and kept investing in the business.

Six years ago, the company moved into custom-built premises in Livingston’s Houston Industrial Estate, where it now employs around 30 staff, and Mr Gibb says Endura has reaped the benefits of owning its own building.

"We’ve got a 27,000 sq ft factory, and it’s all been totally custom-designed. All the design work is done in Livingston, and 70 per cent of the range is produced here, with the rest done in the Far East."

Overseas competition affects almost every area of industry nowadays, but he says the fact Endura’s cycling gear is aimed at the mid-to-high end of the market has helped cushion it from low-cost rivals.

"We also have the benefit of going direct to retailers - we don’t have to go through wholesalers or agents - so we have good margins for ourselves and the retailers," Mr Gibb adds.

"The added benefit of this is we get feedback direct from the shops. We know what’s selling and when it’s selling, so we can start forecasting how the market is doing."

Mr Gibb says he also has strong links with the cycling press, and often goes riding for magazines to help out with features and product tests. He says: "My target for next year is to get more involved with that side, and also with rugby, but I’ve no plans to take up the sport to test the kit - it’s hard enough on the bike. I’ll just give it to people and tell them to jump on someone."

In the past, most cycling gear consisted of black Lycra shorts and brightly-coloured, tight-fitting jerseys, but recent years have witnessed a shift towards a more casual, comfortable, look.

A lot of Endura’s new garments can work both on and off the bike, so riders can walk into a pub and not feel like they have just stepped out of the Tour de France.

"Having said that, most of the key sellers are the Lycra shorts, but it’s important to have a broad range that covers all markets," says Mr Gibb.

He adds: "We do clothing for commuters, mountain bikers and road riders, because we like to get people into cycling and make sure they keep buying our garments."

As a former cycle racer, who still has a go at competing now and then, Mr Gibb says he has built up strong links with the industry over the years. "It gets you more respect when you go into dealers if you’re a cyclist, rather than a man in a suit just going in to sell. We don’t have any salesmen - we’ve let the product develop itself by doing trade shows and speaking to shops to build a dealer network."

He adds: "We’re in a situation now where we have an office in Ohio. We also sell in Sweden, and I’m speaking to an agent in Taiwan.

"France and Germany are trickier markets, but I’ve had some contact with people in Portugal thanks to our profile in UK magazines, which are respected overseas."

Looking to the future, Mr Gibb says he expects the rugby side of the business to "swamp" the cycling operations once the Endura brand becomes an established player on the pitch.

But he insists the firm has no plans to abandon the roads and trails where it has built a strong reputation: "And retailers have every confidence in us, because they know the gear sells well."

Scots investment in bike trails enjoys steep climb

WHILE Endura is branching out into rugby gear, cycling remains the sport of choice for managing director Brian Gibb, who praises the Forestry Commission for its heavy investment in mountain biking.

The Forestry Commission is managing the £2 million 7stanes project, a range of seven off-road routes across southern Scotland.

Alan Stevenson, the commission’s head of social forestry, says: "The benefits to local communities and other forest users are considerable.

"Not only will they have new places to cycle in, but also to walk, ride and enjoy the countryside, with all the health benefits that will bring."

From Glentress, near Peebles, to Mabie near Dumfries, the scheme is creating purpose-built cross- country and downhill routes, all less than a two-hour drive from Edinburgh. Along with the Forestry Commission, the 7stanes project has the backing of Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Natural Heritage, Solway Heritage, the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway councils, local tourist boards as well as the Heritage Lottery Fund.

All the partners joined forces to raise £1m towards the initiative, and added match-funding secured from European Structural Funds to help bring the £2m project to life.

Mr Gibb says: "We’re helping them with the Mabie circuit in Dumfries and our stuff is on sale at Glentress, where former professional mountain bike riders Emma Guy and Tracy Brunger run a cafe and bike shop.

"The circuit at Glentress is great once you’re at the top of the hill - it’s a tortuous climb."