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PINEAPPLE AROUNDSHOT
COMPANY HISTORY:
Originally founded in the year 2000, the arrival of myself and Chris Roberts in autumn 2005 was the start of a large company expansion. While Chris had been at Fujifilm, I had worked as General Manager at a UK market- leading firm that produced film posters and photographic prints. Our task was to enhance the marketability of an enterprise started by Nigel Allison, who produced sports panoramic photography that was framed and distributed to football clubs. Our task was to enlarge these foundations and pursue licences for retail. In the first year we doubled turnover.
THE EARLY DAYS:
Our biggest challenge was to target as many football clubs as possible and inform them of the products on offer - an exclusive range of innovative and bespoke photographic artwork solutions. Producing quality products proved the easy part, the biggest challenge was that the rapid expansion and constant growth experienced from day one meant that we needed to change working systems frequently and with a process of flexibility that didn’t affect daily operations.
THE MARKET:
The field of panoramic photography is relatively specialist, and while producers of other types of artwork are common, their operation is invariably restricted to local markets. Our aim was to approach this sector from a national perspective, servicing and providing quality expertise across the board using superior equipment and with the ability to work to improved economies of scale in comparison with independent producers.
THE KEY SUCCESSES:
We now supply 19 of the current 20 English Premiership clubs, and have full licenses for Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Spurs and Rangers, which enables us to stand as the official and licensed supplier to the retail market. We have product selected for Littlewoods and other high street retailers. We have also launched our own direct-to-consumer website (www.sportsworldpix.com). We are the panoramic photographers for the Football League and secured the photoshoot for the first FA Cup Final at the new Wembley and the first showpiece England fixture against Brazil on June 1st. We have supplied our products to clubs across Europe including those based in Germany, Spain and Holland. |
Download Article THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES:
Digital media remains a significant threat to us as more content is being made available across the internet. We are also up against unofficial stock being produced and sold through auction sites and other outlets that cannot be properly policed. For new opportunities we are looking to expand further into other sports such as rugby, cricket, golf and horse-racing, whilst our intention to enlarge the non-UK market has seen a concerted product drive continue across Europe. There is some competition, though our licenses do help us retain our market position. It’s natural that the greater the profile of a company, the more others will be alerted to try to emulate its success.
THE MARKET POTENTIAL:
The majority of stock is still to be found in club shops, so there is obvious potential to spread supply through high street so our main aim is to exploit that bigger arena via retail distribution and through the internet.
THE FUTURE FOR PINEAPPLE AROUNDSHOT:
Our aim is to continue to expand overseas with the USA the next key target, as we form strategic alliances with like-minded companies in foreign locations, each keen to represent our product mix. From simple beginnings we now employ 20 staff from our offices which are 7,500 square feet in size, with an infrastructure that enables us to easily produce 3,000 framed products per week. |
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