Retail options at clubs and resorts are expanding into more specialized shops that mimic commercial retail environments.
Increasingly, clubs and resorts are breaking away from the traditional concept of an all-encompassing “pro shop” to instead mimic more popular retailing environments where variety, specialization and design excitement can serve to influence buying decisions. This shift requires a variety of new design approaches for not only golf and tennis shops, but the many other specialized spaces being created to sell merchandise, apparel, souvenirs and other products and amenities that can appeal to spa, fitness, and pool customers—or just someone who likes to hang around the property.
SUMMING IT UP
• Retail outlets that offer a well-rounded shopping experience are playing an increasingly important role at club and resort properties.• Interior displays and specialty merchandising sets the tone for a customer’s experience. • Unique design touches and top-notch customer service help to create an inviting and customer-friendly environment. |
“We have the opportunity to engage with our members and guests in our retail spaces,” says Tonya Morrow, Director of Retail at Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami, Fla. “When they shop here, they browse the aisles, giving us a chance to engage with them and ask where they are from, why they are here, or how their game went. The more people we can attract, the more relationships we’ll establish.”
Mall-Style Shopping
Creating a commercial environment with a number of retail options and a wide range of merchandise, Doral Golf Resort & Spa has six specialty shops that sell everything from souvenirs and gifts to high-end apparel and top-of-the-line golf gear. “Guests expect to find a number of shopping opportunities when they arrive,” says Morrow. “When they are ready for a little retail therapy, our collection of distinctive resort shops is just the medicine they need.”
Several thousand miles away, Big Sky (Mont.) Resort also has a number of retail spots that carry upscale jewelry, apparel, art, clothing and resort-specific active gear and apparel. With each shop a short walking distance apart throughout the village, the property provides a Main Street-style shopping experience.
The challenge with having a number of different retail options on one property, however, is ensuring that each store provides a unique experience for guests and members. Both Doral and Big Sky carefully assess the merchandise mix to ensure there is little duplication. “We have parameters in place to make sure every store isn’t selling the same thing,” says Dax Schieffer, Resort Spokesperson for Big Sky Resort. “Each shop has its own strength, its own design and its own look. There are different price points, themes and settings for each as well.”
Seamlessly tying the shops’ themes and merchandise together requires a regular assessment of the retail enterprises, individually and collectively. For example, Big Sky Sports was formerly a large store that carried skis and ski equipment, high-end performance wear and logo gear, while also handling the resort’s popular bicycle business. The shop was trying to be too many things to too many activities, and lacked a clear focus. When the resort moved the bicycles and related gear to a dedicated bike shop—complete with a new, cycle-themed design—Big Sky Sports was able to focus solely on winter sports with its displays, merchandising and staff expertise.
Rainbows, Arches and Waterfalls
Merchandise displays can make or break a retail shop. At Bungalow, Doral Golf Resort & Spa’s upscale men’s boutique, changing certain fixtures to display items in a more unique fashion has had a big impact on sales.
“Instead of using big tables with lots of folded product, we changed to multifunctional fixtures where we can hang apparel,” explains Morrow. “[Folded apparel] isn’t as appealing to customers; they feel like they can’t touch it, because they don’t want to mess it up.”
By incorporating wall fixtures where clothing could be hung, the shop has attracted customers who are buying more items. “The customers are not as hesitant to touch, feel and try on the merchandise,” says Morrow.
Similarly, when new ownership took over the Pro Shop at Hardscrabble Country Club in Fort Smith, Ark., the Board gave Head Golf Professional Jeremy Moe the go-ahead to renovate the outdated, dark and poorly designed shop. At the top of Moe’s to-do list was changing the display options, to create a better traffic flow within the shop. He installed four feet of slat walls all around the shop to hang merchandise, thus opening up the floor space within the room.
Moe also incorporated grid walls into the design. “On the grid walls, you can do a rainbow display of shirts, with an arch in the middle,” he explains. “You can buy two attachments and do waterfalls on each side, too. The grid wall has a modern, cool and interesting look, and it is a nice way to get a lot of merchandise on the walls and off the floor.”
Hardscrabble brought in a couple of small nesting tables to break up the space, and Moe worked with vendors to obtain racks, hangers and other new merchandising furniture. One of his most innovative and cost-saving concepts was a black dining table with benches that he purchased at a big-box retailer. He used them to create a multi-tiered display by placing one bench on top of the table and one bench below. “It looks just like a merchandising table, and it matches the style of the shop,” says Moe.
By utilizing the space more efficiently and getting more creative with its overall design strategy, Hardscrabble has doubled its inventory. “The space is much more usable,” says Moe. “The walls didn’t move, but it feels and looks considerably bigger.”
Stooges and Flowers
Design touches go a long way toward creating a lively and inviting shopping environment. At Indian Pond Country Club in Kingston, Mass., for example, the pro shop is outfitted with tasteful figurines of the Three Stooges, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, as well as an antique chest of drawers, 30 antique golf clubs, and large fresh flower arrangements to highlight the season. These adornments help to give the shop its own personality. “While our merchandise mix is relatively standard, our shop is unique, thanks to these personalized design elements,” says Mike Mitchell, Head Golf Professional. “When you walk in, you would not say that this is just another pro shop.”
During Hardscrabble CC’s pro shop renovation, one of the club’s goals was to make the space more inviting. The club decided to remove three old ceiling fans and six large spotlights and painted the ceiling off-white, to give it a more open, airy feel. “The shop only has an 8-foot ceiling, so with the fans hanging down it made it feel really cramped,” says Moe.
Hardscrabble also moved the main counter—which was resurfaced by a craftsman member who replaced the outdated, burgundy-laminate countertop with a dark walnut-stained wood and new edging—to the middle of the shop, to establish better traffic flow. “It looks awesome,” says Moe. “For $1,200, it looks like a $7,000 counter.”
The pro shop also has a small seating area with comfortable chairs, a coffee table and a television (which Moe plans to replace with a wall-mounted flat-screen), and a bookcase where books, videos and DVDs are displayed. “We want members to have a comfortable area to try on a pair of shoes, sit down, watch some golf and visit,” says Moe.
Hardscrabble Country Club (Fort Smith, Ark.) “The grid wall has a modern, cool and interesting look, and it is a nice way to get a lot of merchandise on the walls.” —Jeremy Moe, Head Golf Professional |
Logo Laws
When stocking their shelves, many clubs and resorts struggle with displaying logoed gear. “At Doral, logos act as a visual display of a guest’s golfing pedigree,” says Morrow. “But if you’re not a golfer, and the logo means nothing, this type of merchandise can be detracting.”
To address this, Doral retails its signature merchandise in a dedicated logo shop, with limited logoed items available in other stores. The resort’s Blue Monster shop, for example, is devoted to the famous course at Doral and features an array of clothing for men, women, and children—plus themed gifts and accessories. The shop is designed to focus on the color blue and two different logos—a spooky pair of monster eyes, and a youth-driven monster character. “We had to be careful with the design, so as to not to scare off the more traditional golfers but also find ways to attract non-golfers,” says Morrow. (For more on the Blue Monster shop, see “A ‘Monster’ Success,” C&RB, December 2009).
Logoed gear has also become an important part of Indian Pond’s identity. Looking to capitalize on its nationally renowned golf course, the pro shop almost exclusively retails logoed products. “The key is to balance this with a simple and classic pro shop design and feel, so the guest doesn’t feel overwhelmed by the branding,” says Mitchell.
Regardless of the type of merchandise or the place where it’s being retailed, another key component to every shop’s brand statement is a friendly and knowledgeable staff working the floor. By ensuring that the customer service matches the design and merchandise mix within retail shops, all properties will reap the benefits. “Having a good pro shop helps us build our brand and grow our membership,” says Moe.
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