PA-based Global Sports Interactive (GSI) and its CEO
Michael Rubin were profiled by CNBC's Mike Hegedus, who
noted that Rubin is selling off his retail business "to get
into e-tailing" (see THE DAILY, 6/14). GSI has "signed six
of the top 18 sporting goods companies" and is "creating and
operating e-commerce sites -- separate ones --for each
client company." GSI Senior VP Michael Conn: "None of the
individual retailers within [the sporting goods] industry
have really the scale to be able to justify the amount of
investments that are necessary to build an e-commerce
business, what we think is the right way, and continue to
maintain it the right way." Rubin: "The traditional
[sporting goods] retailers had huge assets, they just didn't
know what to do with them." Hegedus added, "Building a
common e-commerce engine was tough enough -- something brand
new -- but talking competing companies into coming to one
service provider and convincing them each they'd get
individual attention was the real sell -- both to the
companies and to Wall Street." BancBoston Senior Analyst
Lauren Cooks Levitan: "I've covered the sporting goods
industry for a long time and really did not believe that one
entity would be able to get a handful of the biggest players
to cooperate." The sites are "expected to be up and running
by the fourth quarter" (CNBC, 10/19).
E-NOTES: ESPNstore.com has joined with sporting goods
retailer Shopsports.com to relaunch and expand its online
product offering. The new site features the addition of a
Golf Pro Shop, along with "enhanced search capability" and
electronic gift certificates (AD AGE, 10/20)....PA-based
Dick's Sporting Goods (DSG) will launch its "first-ever
nationwide ad campaign" this month to promote its e-commerce
site, located at www.dsports.com. The $15M campaign will
include TV spots on ESPN and CNN. DSG's e-commerce site was
previously located at www.dsgsports.com (PITTSBURGH POST-
GAZETTE, 10/20). The site features 40,000 products from
brands including Nike, Titleist, adidas, Columbia Sportswear
and The North Face (DSG)....VT-based Burton snowboard
company has launched the Burton Information Network, located
at www.dealer.Burton.com. The site allows Burton retailers
to "access current delivery schedules for orders, look up
tracking numbers, and even trace shipments. The site also
allows retailers to place reorders, check the status of
warranty returns, and get copies of invoices." Burton
estimates that 40% of its retailers "have access to the Web"
and says that "it will be happy if" 25% "actually use the
service" (SNOWBOARDING BUSINESS, 10/99 issue).
