The management team made up of Stephen Proctor and John Bushell has bought back the European sporting goods equipment and sports participation business of IFM Sports Marketing Surveys. Going back to its roots, it will operate under the name of Sports Marketing Surveys Inc., to be consistent with the U.S. business that Proctor has always had. The business will focus on market research and consultancy on the sporting goods markets in golf, tennis, snow sports, running, swimming, outdoor and team sports, and on sports participation and research around the venues where people take part in sports.
While keeping his American market research business, Proctor, the founder of SMS, sold the European business three years ago to a German company, IFM Sports International. IFM (which stands for Institut für Medienanalysen) specializes in sponsorship evaluation research across all sports and sectors including Formula 1, ocean racing, and major sports events in soccer, tennis and cricket. IFM Sports decided to concentrate and invest in sponsorship and rights research, and started to discuss selling the sports market research business back to Proctor at the end of last year.
Bushell, who has been a director of Sports Marketing Surveys since 2000 ? before and after the acquisition by IFM Sports ? will act as managing director of the new European Sports Marketing Surveys, with a financial stake in the company and based in Wisley in the English county of Surrey. He and his team, which has stayed intact in the move from IFM, will concentrate on sports participation rates, usage of sports equipment and facilities, sports brand images, customer and retailer satisfaction, operating costs and associated areas. New sports categories will be added in the future.
The European SMS will work closely with Sports Marketing Surveys USA, forming what it claims is the largest market research organization specializing in the sports equipment market. The U.S. operation, which was not part of IFM, will still be run by Keith Storey. The U.S. Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association will continue to own a stake in it. Proctor will act as chairman of both the European and American Sports Marketing Surveys companies.
