• Depique begins a new stage of its project with a change of image and a quality leap in products and services.

September 26, 2012 – Golfers who visit the Depique golf shop in Barcelona will notice a radical change of image. The green diamond has gone, and in its place is a modern and innovative red shield. Within the shield, two golf clubs are laid out like the initials ‘dp’, produced by the young designer Carina Rovira, from Sioux Design. It is attractive, ground breaking, decisive, and reflects the way forward for the retailing of golf equipment, in order to overcome these difficult times of crisis.

“We’d been working on it since December 2011. We were thinking about stepping up our services and products, to be accompanied by a change of image” admits Ivan Llonch, CEO of Depique. “We started this project in 2007, when Edu Sibina and I bought the store –El Cuarto de Palos–, and then we took a major leap forward in January 2011, when we decided to expand our early project and convert it in a network of shops. We laid out the bases of the new project in a business plan, and the entrance of new partners enabled us to carry out the expansion which we have had during these last two years.”

The Spanish golf market has been plummeting for four consecutive years, in numbers of player licenses, green fees, equipment sales, etc. Although the financial crisis is very acute for everyone, Depique is doing quite well in this context. With the business plan, the partners and the necessary resources, it is looking ahead at its great opportunity.

Depique has gone from 2 to 11 shops in Spain, between urban golf shops and golf course pro-shops, in one year, equivalent to growth from an surface area of ​​230 m² at the end of 2011 to 830 m² today. And it hopes to incorporate between two and four shops more in the near future. “We are already presenting our credentials in two of them” adds Ivan Llonch.

Eleven shops sounds a lot, but there is still much work to do. In terms of numbers, the expansion is already bearing fruit: “In the last year we have increased our sales by 143%. This year our turnover will be 1.5 million euros, and we hope to reach 2.5 million in 2013” says Ivan Llonch.

Depique’s new slogan: ‘Fit your golf’

“We are now facing the second phase of our project, in which we will continue with our expansion plan. And what better way to reinforce it than with a change of look, more innovative, more modern, more direct, with a slogan that I think is straight to the point: Fit your golf,” remarks Ivan Llonch. In today’s golf market, golf clubs are not the only things that matter, although perhaps Depique is best known for its “clubfitting”. Other things matter too, like the apparel, the shoes, the golf balls, the bags, the trolleys…

“Golf should only be custom made. This is the concept that we have been defending for the last five years, and we can say that today the players are giving it the importance it deserves. Now people know that the fitted golf club, and golf itself, costs no more money. And they also know that there are specialists, as people who know to us have been able to verify.”   

Every day it’s harder to sell golf clubs, right? “You have to keep on getting better, and be more prepared in order to sell golf clubs,” says Ivan feeling confident. “It no longer works to display the golf clubs and wait for a customer to come and take them off the shelf and pay at the desk. We have never done that, because we don’t understand that way of doing things. Every day you have to be better, and what is more difficult, to invest. When you invest in times of crisis, at the end you have a return, and so you grow 143%. It is the only key, it’s frightening, but in a company one can’t be afraid.”

Since the tendency in the golf market is toward customized equipment, DePique has been investing in more technology, such as the TrackMan, new products, in technical apparel, in absolutely everything that comes into the market to adapt and modernize golf to the golfer. And this change of image is intended to reflect that.

Even though, passing from a green diamond to a red shield may seem very radical, right? “Like going from 2 to 11 stores,” adds the CEO of Depique. “In fact there is a funny story here. The designer made ​​two proposals for the new corporate image, which came in two different logos. We showed both proposals, and most people preferred one logo, but both me and Edu liked the red shield. Going against the grain is a bit risky…”

“But the week we had to choose the logo, we happened to be in a bar in the centre of Barcelona and at the next table was Risto Mejide. I said to myself, ‘this is my chance to get things clear and at least get an opinion from another professional’. I went to his table and I said ‘Hey, I’m a young entrepreneur and I can’t afford your services, but can you give me a hand to decide what logo to choose?’ And he liked the red”.

And the logo is only the starting point, because the most interesting part of the image of Depique is still to come. Having prepared the flagship-store at Barcelona, “We’re going to place the logo in all our golf shops to give a consistent look, and I understand that by December all shops will have the new image.” Once that is done, the focus will then turn to other details, so that Depique breathes professionalism throughout. The customized tees have just arrived, the team will be uniformed, the fitting forms are completely new, so is the packaging where the golf clubs are presented is…

“What we want is that when a golfer comes to buy golf clubs, it shouldn’t be just a mere formality but an enjoyable occasion, an experience” continues Ivan Llonch. “We want to come up to the expectations of our new clients with quality service, by attentive, friendly and professional staff. In Depique we discuss all the fittings in order to guarantee the best work. The whole process leads to the good equipment that is about to be produced according to your needs, the moment of delivering it to you, how you receive it… Really, it is all about how the client can be confident of getting the purchase right.”

And he adds as a finishing note: “What we want is to give a complete shopping experience and the best after-sales service possible.  We stay in touch with our clients to find out how the golf clubs have gone. This is Depique, not a workshop, not a TrackMan, but a whole set of things which mean that when a golfer is buying golf, it is enjoyable.”

More information at www.depique.com.

Pictures: ©MyGolfWay.com.

Por REDACCIÓN