Australians are keen participants in many forms of individual and organised sports. They are encouraged by Government-funded promotional campaigns and compulsory school programs to make sport a lifetime habit. Rebel Sport is Australia’s largest sporting goods retailer and boasts almost 10 per cent of the estimated two billion dollar (A$2 billion) Australian sporting goods market. In comparison to other retail categories, the sporting goods market is somewhat fragmented with four separate and distinct categories of retailers: *              Superstores; *              Department and discount variety stores with sport sections; *              Smaller privately owned or franchised chains which carry a limited range of foot wear, apparel and equipment; *              Highly specialised sporting stores which cater for enthusiasts of a specific sport. The sector was pioneered by the traditional family owned and operated sports stores located in suburban shopping strips. The emergence of multi-level regional shopping centres and ‘category killers’ in the ’80s revolutionised Australian retailing. The founders of Rebel Sport identified the demand for a large format sporting goods store stocking the leading brands at discount prices, which would fulfill the changing needs of Australian consumers. Within a few short years Rebel Sport had fine-tuned this concept and catapulted itself to the leadership of the sporting goods retail market in Australia.
	Rebel Sport has experienced phenomenal growth over the past few years. Its focused retail strategy of competitive pricing, effective merchandising, dedication to staff training, and securing of prime retail sites is keeping the company one step ahead of its competition. Ten new stores opened in the 18 months to November 1998 including a custom built ski retail and hire centre at Jindabyne in the NSW ski fields. The company recently entered new markets in South Australia and south-east Queensland and plans to introduce the Rebel Sport concept to Western Australia in 1999. In 1996 Rebel Sport won the prestigious International Sporting Goods Retailer of the Year Award for the Asia Pacific Region. The award is a global initiative supported by a host of leading sporting and leisure companies, sporting organisations and industry media as well as the international sporting goods publication, Sports International. Companies were awarded points in eight categories including the retailer’s viability and growth potential; overall reputation in the marketplace; staff knowledge and training; and ability to introduce new products and concepts into the marketplace. Sports International chairman, Mr Jake Steinman, who presented the award said: “Because the guidelines are quite strict this is the first finalist we’ve had from Australia. It’s companies such as Rebel Sport who help maintain the energy that sport retailing so desperately needs.” Rebel Sport was awarded the title of 1997 Australian Retailer of the Year at the Inside Retailing Australian Retail Awards. Associate Editor of Inside Retailing, Bob Wilson said: “The consistent and methodical progress made by Rebel Sport since its inception, its impact on Australian retailing through the success of its superstore concept, and its acceptance as a ‘brand’ by the Australian consumer have all contributed to its success.”
	Rebel Sport began trading as a single store at Bankstown in Sydney’s west in 1985 and grew steadily until its listing on the Australian Stock Exchange in 1993. The company now comprises 38 Superstores across Australia and New Zealand and Rebel Sport has positioned itself as the premier retailer of sports equipment, footwear and apparel in both countries. The New Zealand stores are operated as part of a master franchise by the Briscoes retail housewares group. The company has targeted Australia and New Zealand’s capital cities and major regional growth areas for further expansion and has a realistic plan of operating a network of 50 stores and reaching sales turnover in excess of $300 million by the end of the calendar year 2000. Two of the company’s founding executives and major shareholders, Ian Dresner and Hilton Seskin, act as joint managing directors and also serve on the seven member board. The company has a broad ownership base ranging from institutional and small investors to management and employees. Successful Singapore-based retailer, World of Sports, holds a strategic stake in Rebel Sport. The relationship with Asia’s leading retailer of sporting goods provides Rebel Sport with the opportunity to explore business options beyond Australia and New Zealand.
	Rebel Sport, Australia and New Zealand’s leading sports good retailer, has harnessed the health and fitness consciousness of the 1990s to create a uniquely successful retail business. Every Rebel Sport customer is treated like a potential champion. This commitment to specialised customer service has underwritten the company’s success. The Rebel Sport Vision is “To maintain our ranking by our customers, staff and shareholders as the top performing retailer of sporting goods in Australia and New Zealand.” Rebel Sport now employs more than 1500 people in Australia and New Zealand and all Rebel Sport sales staff undertake an intensive induction training course covering product knowledge, merchandising and excellence in customer service. They attend regular update courses and product knowledge sessions. The company runs a cadetship program that identifies sales staff to be groomed for store management roles. The company uses a ‘Mystery Shopper’ system, involving independent researchers posing as customers, to assess the key indicators of customer service and product knowledge in Rebel Sport stores.
	Rebel Sport has proven itself as one of Australia’s most progressive retailers over the last few years and established yet another point of difference by becoming the first Australian sports retailer to sell goods over the Internet, at http://www.rebelsport.com.au. This new service will also act as a catalyst for further IT initiatives by Rebel Sport. The company is committed to innovative partnerships with a number of service providers to make the Rebel Sport shopping experience, be it on line or within one of its stores, a more interactive and interesting one. The company is also actively pursuing the implementation of a customer loyalty program. Rebel Sport has quickly established itself as the leading ski hire business in Australia, capturing over one third of the entire market in a few short years by offering unbeatable prices on top brand equipment and a “book in-store, pick up at the snow” fulfillment strategy extremely popular with skiers. Rebel Sport has developed its own house brand of exercise and fitness equipment, Dynafit, and is looking to develop niche retailing experiences for particular sporting sectors. The establishment of Wheels in Motion bicycle departments in Rebel Sport Superstores, staffed by fully qualified bicycle mechanics, is part of the niche market strategy. There are enormous opportunities for growth for Rebel Sport up to and beyond the year 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
	The company’s strategy of developing a brand for the Rebel Sport retail experience was a first in the sporting goods sector. The branding strategy aims to make Rebel Sport synonymous with a wide range of sporting experiences and focuses on the size of Rebel Sport Superstores, the range of merchandise and the opportunity for customers to test equipment. Rebel Sport Superstores offer them the chance to try equipment on a golf driving range or a basketball court, or to take it home to test before buying. In its infancy the company promoted the warehouse “stack ‘em high sell ‘em low” strategy using the signature line “Get it off at Rebel.” A changing retailing environment in Australia during the early ’90s saw a move away from emphasising price to offering great service, convenient locations, quality brands and good value. Rebel capitalised on this change in consumer mindset by re-inventing the Rebel Sport shopping experience under the “Can’t get enough of the Right Stuff” theme. In late 1998 the company began a new phase of brand advertising when it launched the ‘Anyone Can Play’ campaign. This new strategy was based on the findings of an extensive market research and planning project which highlighted growing cynicism amongst consumers about the marketing of sports brands and retailers. Many consumers believed retailers had relied too heavily on the hype of competition and the aspirational appeal of elite athletes, unattainable and of little interest to most people. The new strategy promotes participation by all Australians and utilises the theme from the hit song ‘Everyday People’. It has been described as “a breath of fresh air in a retail category that has focused on stereotyped sports star imagery for too long”. The company is also building the Rebel Sport brand through targeted and exciting store-based and external promotions and strategic sponsorships across a range of market segments. Rebel Sport sponsors selected local clubs and athletes across Australia’s most popular sports including swimming, basketball, soccer, cricket, athletics and Australian Football. These sponsored teams and athletes are used extensively in the marketing mix for in-store visits, promotions and advertising which generate immense excitement and enhance credibility among sports fans.
	Rebel Sport is committed to providing the latest releases from the world’s biggest sporting brands at Australia’s most competitive prices in a shopping environment that remains friendly, focused and relevant to the changing demands of consumers.

REBEL SPORT
		Rebel Sport originally traded as Rebel  Warehouse and the product range included men’s and women’s fashion clothing, shoes, toys and homewares.
		Rebel Sport was an Internet pioneer as one of the first Australian retailers to design and post a site on the world wide web and sell product online.
		The company boasts one of the best loss prevention records in Australian retailing with stock ‘shrinkage’ consistently below one per cent.
		The listing on the stock exchange in November 1993 was oversubscribed and started a trend in retail listings including David Jones, Freedom Furniture and Harvey Norman.
		Since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, more than 15 Rebel Sport company employees have represented Australia in their chosen sport at either junior or open level.