Speaker 1: 0:00

So you're thinking about running but not sure how to take the first step. My name is Brian Patterson and I'm here to help. Welcome to Brian's Rompod. Welcome back to brian's run pod and it's me, your host, brian patterson, for another great podcast episode all about running. And this week is the second part of my discussion with Dominic Stead, who's the co-founder of Sporting Feet, a retail shop which is in Richmond, got one in Richmond, surrey, and also one in London which is in Putney.

Speaker 1: 0:59

As you'll agree with me, if you haven't listened to the first episode, then please do me. If you haven't listened to the first episode, then please do, and it's really enlightening episode. All about how he, you know, went to university, did marketing and how he got the idea of, well, how he went into advertising, media and advertising and then decided to go into sports retail. Anyway, in this episode we explore the importance of finding the right footwear for runners, how proper fitting can transform lives, the common misconceptions around shoe sizing, the evolution of brands and the significance of local running shops in fostering community and providing personalised service. So I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you didn't listen to the first episode, then please do, and I hope you really enjoy this episode and thanks very much for listening. I mean, is there anything in particular that they're getting wrong, or is it just that?

Speaker 2: 2:03

Type of shoe, whether it's support or not, overpronation or not is really common. People tend to buy shoes If someone's recommended them. The most common thing is a friend will recommend it. I love these shoes. They're great. What we know is that everybody's different. We'll get people coming to the shop saying, oh, my friend's swear by Hoka. Okay, well, let's have a look at your feet. H, my friends swear by Hoka.

Speaker 1: 2:23

Okay, well, let's have a look at your feet.

Speaker 2: 2:24

Hoka is a great brand. Shall, we have a look, shall we scan your feet, look at the width of your feet, look at the length of your feet and test you and see what's particular about you, what's unique about you, and we can try and recommend the right shoes based on that. And that's our approach. Really, it's pretty straightforward, but it requires a bit of care and effort, um, particularly around the fitting. Actually, I think this is the bit that a lot of people don't get right.

Speaker 2: 2:49

Um, certainly, on their own they don't get it right, and most people don't know what size feet they've got. Why would they? Yeah, you know, they probably haven't had their feet properly measured since they were a kid and someone told them they they think they're a size nine, so they're a size. So, yeah, the most common fault is just people are in shoes that are way too small for them. Yeah, and the running shoes, but we were just talking about the evolution of the shoes and the technology over the last 10 years plus. They've got lighter, faster, smaller the way they fit, maybe less durable, but they perform better. But they fit small.

Speaker 2: 3:24

Um, and you know, season to season they can change in the way they fit as well. So this is one of the things that you know we got absolutely right about the business. You know there's no substitute for trying them on, and trying them on in the presence of someone who knows a bit about footwear and writing footwear and other sports footwear as well, but particularly running and it makes a huge difference. I love the fact that you know it doesn't matter what demographic you're talking, doesn't matter what age group is true for everybody. You know, a little bit of help, especially if it's free. Yeah, it goes a long way. Yeah, I, I just love that. I love, I love the impact that we can have on people, especially the youngsters actually, because they often come in thinking, oh, we can. Just, you know, we could buy online or or we'll have that one. You know that one looks good, yeah, and they don't really realize until they've spent yeah 10-15 minutes with you, what value you can add.

Speaker 2: 4:13

Yeah, and you know, do you think?

Speaker 1: 4:15

because we do genuinely 20 so years back you know, I'm just thinking about the emergence of, you know, nike and you know, with the Air Jordan and all that kind of thing.

Speaker 1: 4:29

I know Adidas and Puma have been around for years and years and years, but I mean it's that people now aren't so tied to the brand. Although in saying that, I've had new balance for the last few years, uh, although in saying that I've had new balance for the last few years, yeah, and and that, um, they, you know there are other, uh, manufacturers I think people are tied to branding.

Speaker 2: 4:53

People sometimes are, but I think they're open, especially if they come into an environment like ours and other running specialists. You know they, they're open to other brands. They're, you know, and obviously because of power of marketing, there are other brands out there that you know they're open to other brands. And, obviously, because of power of marketing, there are other brands out there that you know are maybe not quite as well known as the Nikes and Adidas in this world, but Asics, brooks, new Balance On, you know, there's a lot of brands out there that, do you know, all have credibility and most people will have heard of them, I think, but not everybody. We still get people coming and saying, oh, I've never heard of brooks, you know brooks is our leading running brand. Um, but I think the credibility that, you know, they see all the staff wearing them, they see other people coming to the shop, you know, wearing them, and coming for another pair and stuff. I mean, I think people are open to it. I definitely think that. Um, yeah, and in fact that's a really interesting thing, because nike, of course, you know are a huge brand, but there is a sort of pertinent story in in in nike.

Speaker 2: 5:56

Nike don't work with most of the running specialists. You know most of the smaller, smaller running specialists and that's their choice actually initially and I think it's backfired on them. You know, if you look at their numbers in. You know financial results over the last year or so, yeah, oh, what they call d to c, direct to consumer approach, cutting out everybody, bar and other people they really couldn't cut out yeah, has actually not worked. No, in fact, it's a really negative effect on the business. So I think they're busily trying to put that back together. But of course, once you, once you tell customers, uh, they tell yeah, well, we are their customers. Tell customers, other retailers, you don't want to work with them anymore, particularly if you tell them in the way that companies like nike do. They're not in a hurry to welcome you back. So it'll be interesting to see what happens there.

Speaker 2: 6:40

But they've also, at the same time, they did that. This is when brands like hoka and on um and the brands that have already had their um got the other act together, like brooks and new balance, yeah, and asics to some extent um. You know they've stolen, stolen a march, but particularly brands like hoka and on, I think for the younger generation. Um, and those two brands straddle performance and fashion as well. If you want to be a super multi-billion pound brand, I'm afraid you can't just do it on performance, you have to do it on brand as well, and fashion. So hence retailers like JD. They're huge. They don't really sell running shoes to runners, but they are running shoes in there, but they're normally because they look cool.

Speaker 1: 7:30

Right.

Speaker 2: 7:30

And people buy them because they look cool. There's a huge sneaker industry out there. Isn't there beyond what we do? Oh?

Speaker 1: 7:35

yeah.

Speaker 2: 7:37

And actually that side of the business is bigger than the performance side of the business. But it's not where we want to be. But, um, yeah, obviously that's a big part of nike's success as well. So, um, you know, they've lost out to those brands, um, on the fashion side as well as the performance side. So it's an interesting lesson, you know it's it's not all about. You know, direct to consumer and and just selling through your own shops and online, um, I think that is a mistake. Uh, I always thought it was. I didn't really understand why they didn't and just selling through your own shops and online. I think that is a mistake. I always thought it was a mistake. I didn't really understand why they didn't have a small team of really smart people serving our sector of the industry to make sure that they're the best shoes.

Speaker 2: 8:19

Why they don't have their best shoes is shops like ours. But I'm glad they don't because I didn't really want to work with them. My experience of working in the past was not great, you know. They're just not interested, you know and we're.

Speaker 1: 8:30

Do you think they? They're a bit, yeah, sort of look down on the smaller arrogant.

Speaker 2: 8:37

Yeah, yeah, that's what they tended to be. You know, kind of assume that you'll buy what they tell you to buy, um, and that's not not right. You know most of our peers, um businesses like us are, you know it's the owners that run the business. It's their money, literally their money. So you need to be felt, you need to feel a little bit like you're a partner. Yes, and actually that's the reason why brooks has been the leading brand in a lot of running specialists over the last 10 years or so, because they really have understood that and built a partnership with companies over the years and it's paid off for them.

Speaker 1: 9:13

I know that one of the things I've been guilty of is I'll buy a shoe and I'll say I'm just going to use it for running and then I'll end up using it for walking to work or at work, or, you know, at work or that kind of thing only because, yeah, um, I can't remember the last time I wore I can't remember the last time I wore leather shoes. So you know, and it's just um well, that's true.

Speaker 2: 9:35

That's a very good point as well, isn't it? Of the working home again post covid, yeah probably another wasted miles.

Speaker 2: 9:43

Yeah, yeah, it's been popular because people wear trainers a lot more of the time. Here we are having a call with each other. We both look fairly business-like from the neck up. Who knows what we're wearing? That's what it is, isn't it? People working from home, they don't need to be so smart anymore. So, yeah, those sectors must have suffered a bit, I think. But yeah, so we try to. We send a lot of trainers to people who aren't necessarily running. One of the things I'm really proud of is how good we are with the older age groups. We have a lot of people coming in with sore feet and we can help them. We can help them with a wider fit and a new balance shoe, maybe an insole, some advice. So actually, you know it sounds a bit of an overstatement, but you know we've had people come into our shops. We do have our customers coming regularly saying you know what? You've really changed my life because I can get out and about again.

Speaker 2: 10:40

Right, that's good to hear, you know, but some, sometimes you have to persuade these people. You know, I've never worn a pair of trainers in my life. You know how am I gonna? I don't want a pair of trainers really, but actually when you try them on, they realize actually. You know what this is, this is, you know, it's transformational to some extent.

Speaker 2: 11:00

I had a customer a couple of weeks ago who'd um from the military, who'd had a quite serious accident, a foot reconstruction surgery, and he came in to see us about a month ago, actually in the Putney shop, and he said look, I just want to try to get back to running. It's been two and a half years and then my doctor's now signed me off and said you could try. Um, you know, and obviously one of his feet, you know, just really didn't look like a conventional foot. You know, can you help me, right? I honestly think we were one of the only retailers who could have helped him. I know he came to us because he, you know, he'd got friends who'd been to us and they thought we might be able to help them.

Speaker 2: 11:43

Um, and, yeah, we, you know, we, we scanned his feet, had a look, and because of the sort of knowledge that we have of the footwear market as well, we were able to order him a very wide new balance uh running shoe and, um, I took a risk on it actually, because I just thought it was such a touching story. You know, if we get stuck with this size 14 4e shoe, you know we'll sell it to someone eventually, um, if he doesn't like it, then, uh, we are going to get stuck with it for a while. But anyway, it's uh, partly again because we we've done this kind of thing many, many times, we were able to um order something for him that worked really well and, uh, you know, look on his face when he was wearing those trainers thought you know what, actually, I may be at a, maybe at a run.

Speaker 2: 12:30

In these I'm certainly going to be at a fast walk and I may be at a run. Yeah, um, you know, it's just. It's one of the reasons we do it. You know we do get that's a particularly extreme example, but we do get lots of examples, yeah, um, where we're sort of helping people. Obviously, we're a business, we're in business to to make a profit, but it is nice if what you do actually genuinely does change someone's life.

Speaker 2: 12:52

Yeah, yeah, and it can be at the extreme level it really can, particularly with that older demographic or people recovering from, you know, accidents and operations and things it really can. You know the fact that you're not. You know we all know this. Um, you know the effect that has on your mental health is dramatic and so we are definitely helping people, um, with that and we help people with a lot of beginners who come in running you know, who might not really look like a runner, um, and they're doing it partly to lose weight and just, you know, to get fit and help their mental, mental health side of things. You know it's amazing how how it transformative it can be running. Yeah, um, you know the number of times we recommend a couch to 5k, uh, and the number and the sort of people who conquer it. You know it's, it's incredible yeah all in.

Speaker 2: 13:44

Some, you know, you don't have to run it in 20. You know, run a 5k in 20 minutes, it really doesn't matter, does it? And that's the ethos, of course, behind parkrun, which is so wonderful, um, but the idea that you could get round, you know, might walk some of it, um, then you might run some of it, but just the health impact of of that is wonderful and also I like the fact that on on your website you do um, uh sort of advertise.

Speaker 1: 14:11

You know the local events. I mean, like parkrun, there's always on a every you know. So it's either at richmond or yeah, yeah we you know, absolutely we try and help people, that's.

Speaker 2: 14:21

You know, we're very much part of the community um, so we have great relationships with a lot of good running groups and organizations. That's helped us over the years a lot um, we always try and cooperate. If local schools want some kind of you know raffle prize, we always say yes, it doesn't have to be much. We always say yes. And you know, the impact on the communities, on our business, has been significant and I think we, you know we played our part in those communities as well. But you know, we have good, really good relationships with quite a lot of running clubs and get involved in a lot of events. They're quite good, fun, those things um, but they also add quite a lot of value to the business. I think they've helped us with our growth over the years. So, yeah, we we don't underestimate the importance of those things um, but at the same time we we know that we have a business to run, you know. So we have to tread the line really and balance um, so we don't have our own running group, for example.

Speaker 2: 15:16

A lot of running retailers do yeah that's partly because we just feel we'd like to have a relationship with lots of different running groups and actually we're a retailer, not a running group. So yeah, you know, if we don't, you're not careful. You know you concentrate on things that it's hard enough to run a good, successful business and sometimes you can get a little bit distracted by those things. So it's a balance really. We've always liked to try and be friends with lots of people rather than necessarily run our own running groups.

Speaker 1: 15:45

But yeah, community and the other beauty of it. Do you do where you may have people like suppliers coming in or various people coming in and maybe talk, do talks with?

Speaker 2: 15:54

Yeah, we've done a lot of that over the years.

Speaker 1: 15:56

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 15:57

Do as much of that as we used to. Um, to be honest with you, and I suppose, if I'm going to be really pragmatic about it, I think those things take quite a lot of organization.

Speaker 1: 16:07

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 16:08

Don't always necessarily deliver that much. Um, I think in the early days it was really important for us to do more of that. Now we have to reach out to the community in different ways. You know, not necessarily go to go to events, it's just, you know. Actually, the funny thing is this as the shops have got busier and busier over the years, we just don't have enough staff. You know, we we have more staff than we've ever had and we need them in the shops, and long may that continue. You know. So, to do a race as well, it's just very difficult, you know. So we do. We do still do it a few times we can, but yeah, we just don't. You know, we have to focus on the right things, which is, you know, we've got a lot of people going to the shops.

Speaker 2: 16:49

I'll give you an example we, we have a nice relationship with the run fest team, so we have a good system where we help each other. Um, when their races are coming up, um, we do number collection for them, race number collection for them. So people come to our. You know, they collect their race numbers in different ways, but some people like to come to a local running shop and collect them that way, and so that delivers a lot of football for us, but also we're doing the job, a job for the race organizer. So that's a really smart way of having a, something that works for both of us.

Speaker 2: 17:22

So we're involved in that race and we might provide some prizes, but we're not actually at the race, that's you know. So there's finding ways to cooperate and work together that that deliver value for both really, rather than necessarily always, always being there. So it's a balance really, but the import. We don't underestimate the importance community and also for us, because we're across other sports. You know we can have relationships with tennis clubs and yeah, um, and a lot can we do, and so you know that's, uh, that's an important part of the business, always has been, and we always try and take, you know, spend some attempt, some time on that kind of thing and developing those kind of relationships.

Speaker 1: 17:58

What do you see as the sort of trends going forward?

Speaker 2: 18:05

Well, it's interesting Big question, you know, I do think that there is a place for good retail, and I think we have our kind of business and others are like us, because it's more, if you like, experiential and there's a sort of point to going there. You're going to get some value from going there. I do think that retail, hopefully, will still exist in that way, um, and but there'll probably be less retail. Just, it's just obvious, isn't it? You know? Um, unfortunately, the sort of middle of the market retailers that don't provide a lot of added value, right, um, they're the ones that have suffered most in the last, you know, five to ten years in the tough environment that is retail. Um, I think more specialists and more experiential will be a role for them. Um, I don't think you can stop the rise of online, you know. I think you have to work with it. So online is well, like you've proved. So our business, yeah, it's an important, more important part of our business, um, you know, and we probably expect it to be somewhere between five and ten percent of our business this year. So that's a good balance, because it's not, with it, not insignificant, but it's obviously still clear that 90 of our business is about our face-to-face retail business, our bricks and mortar business, which is the bit that we're more most passionate about.

Speaker 2: 19:30

Um, and you know, as I say, I think the future is reasonably rosy on the sense that you just see all these generations coming in. So the younger generations, they come in, don't get me wrong. They're coming with their phones in their hands. They're looking at the website. You know they're looking at the manufacturer's website at the same time as they're looking at your shoe. Yeah, more broadly speaking, it's the same price, so that's good. Yeah, it's not like it's way cheaper online. It shouldn't be really with the latest products from the kind of suppliers we work with, but sometimes it can be be a rogue retailer out there online selling it much cheaper.

Speaker 2: 20:04

Um, also, there's myriad colors that you probably haven't got them all in every size. Why would you? It's too expensive to do that. So it's not without its challenges, but I think if you add value, customers will still mostly want to do business with you. So we, you know we find ourselves ordering quite a lot of one-off shoes for people. If you know they they love the shoe we've got, but they don't want the color we've got. They want another color, but we can normally get it not always, but mostly we can and customers because we've spent 15, 20 minutes with them and added quite a lot of value normally quite patient and don't want, you know, want to give us the business, so we end up ordering it for them. But I think the future is yeah, I mean, it's hard to say obviously technology is moving so fast, isn't it? And uh, things like ai, you know, are clearly gonna make it a little easier to sell this kind of stuff online, you know, to have kind of virtual fittings and this kind of stuff is.

Speaker 1: 21:00

You know that technology already exists it's only based on what's happened in the past, though, isn't it? That's the thing.

Speaker 2: 21:08

Yeah, yeah, I still believe that if it's better doneto-face, by people who know what they're doing, providing you do genuinely know what you're doing and we're not alone. There's a lot of good running retailers out there in the UK Not loads, but enough to make you fairly confident that there's a future for them. I think the problem is the challenge is that everything gets more global. Yeah, so the brands are getting bigger, uh, and so that's the challenge, I think, for smaller retailers like ours how how do we, how do we, remain important to a huge, you know, multi-billion pound brand? You know, will they still think we're important if we're all sort of separate and doing our own thing? So that's probably our biggest challenge. Five to ten year industry is whether we can survive like that. But at the moment prognosis is good.

Speaker 2: 22:06

You know our performance over the last few years. You know, took us a few years to make a profit. That was another challenge we faced. You know us a few years to make a profit. That was another challenge we faced. You know we stuck with it because we thought we would eventually um, and now you know again touchwoods, and we work hard at it, but we've never been more successful. In a way, in our own small way. You know, the business is growing quite fast, more profitable than it's ever been, um, and that's wonderful, isn't it? But you, but you can't. You know, you have to keep ahead of the game. I can't assume that's always going to be the case, but certainly the last, as I say, really post-COVID, those growth numbers and I know it's the same for a lot of other retailers because I speak to them it's quite healthy, this sector's quite healthy, which is wonderful.

Speaker 1: 22:55

Now.

Speaker 2: 22:56

I know for our american listeners, you are in ted lasso capital, oh we are.

Speaker 1: 22:58

Do you, do you get that? I think that's been quite good news.

Speaker 2: 23:01

Yeah, do you get, and I do have american listeners. But I mean the.

Speaker 1: 23:05

Do you get that?

Speaker 2: 23:06

uh, footfall from that we do they overspill because our shop is really close to it's?

Speaker 1: 23:11

really, really close to where his so-called flat is.

Speaker 2: 23:15

Yeah, We've considered selling Ted Lasso merchandise but we've decided not to. But we could probably sell it.

Speaker 1: 23:25

You probably could yeah.

Speaker 2: 23:26

Yeah, I think it's probably been quite good for football. It is tricky because you want football, but you want the right football.

Speaker 2: 23:30

This is tricky because you want football, but you want the right football. This is always the challenge, you know, for small shops like ours, with, you know, three or four people in there serving. The problem is you get this deluge of people coming in and you're not sure which of them came in first. You're not sure which of them really are serious buyer or not. But you can't can't be rude to people. You've got to treat them all as if they're the same uh, and they all are potential buyers because some of them are just literally on a ted lasso tour.

Speaker 1: 23:57

You know they're not interested in buying running shoes at all but you can, I know, I know when I went in there the other sunday it was, it was rammed, it was, it was really packed it can be.

Speaker 2: 24:07

I mean, again it's. You know, we're very good at managing that Because we're used to it. There's certain behaviors. We run this business, we try and learn from our mistakes. We try and run this business like a bigger business, even though it's a smallish business, and so we have ways of doing things, ways of greeting people, the things that we say to them, behaviors that we train in our staff to try and sort of work our way through that situation. But yes, it can be suddenly go from you know nobody in the shop to 10 people in the shop and there's only four people serving, so you can't serve them all at once. Um, how do you, how do you navigate that nice problem to have?

Speaker 2: 24:49

yeah but it is nevertheless a bit problem. So you have to work your way through it. But I find that if you just talk to people and you're honest and you say, look, I'm not sure who came in next, you know who came in first I think it might be new, you know they're. Normally most people are reasonable, aren't they? And they will, they'll help you with that and most people accept that you want to serve people in the order that they came in, through the shop, through the door, and, uh, most people are okay with that. But yeah, it can get a bit hairy it can um gosh.

Speaker 1: 25:16

We've nearly come to an hour of the of the podcast, but, um, I just wanted to. I said some quick fire questions which I sent to you yesterday. I don't know if you had a try chance to have a look at it. Um, one of the things I did want to ask you do you have a sporting icon?

Speaker 2: 25:32

um or hero hero yeah, hero yeah, I do, I've got quite a few really. Yeah, what's my line? But I picked jack nicholas, actually in golf all right the bear he's fought these days. I just think he was, yeah, the golden bear. Yeah, because you know his record. It's a bit like football in the premier league people who sort of existed before the premier league, like like Jimmy Greaves, yeah, you and I probably both hold an eye on him, I know, I remember him.

Speaker 2: 26:00

Although I don't remember him yeah, remember. I never watched him play because I'm not quite that old, but I'm well aware of him. He's got the best non-scoring record, never mind Alan Shearer, but he existed pre-who. Everyone's forgotten about, a bit like Jack Nicklaus with Tiger Woods. People have forgotten about Jack Nicklaus. But he's won the most majors. He won 18 majors, but when you dig down into his record, he came second 19 times. So not only did he win 18 times, he came second 19 times. Incredible Five of those were in a playoff, so he could easily have won those. And in those days you didn't just have a three-hole playoff, you had an 18-hole playoff the next day. So his record's incredible and he's also quite well remembered for a very sporting gesture that he did in the Ryder Cup in 1969, where he conceded a putt to half a match with Tony Jack. So yeah, you know, great winner, but also very sporting. Yeah, the Golden Bear is probably my one of my sporting heroes got lots of them pick that and what else did I ask you?

Speaker 1: 27:03

I've got the questions in front of me well, you asked me favorite sporting moment yes yeah, I'm gonna pick.

Speaker 2: 27:11

I'm gonna pick my football team, watford. Quite famous match that I was at in 2013 in the playoff semi-final against Leicester. I don't know if you've ever seen it. Are you into your football, do you remember? I?

Speaker 1: 27:24

am a man City supporter, so I have since the 70s In fact. I remember I watched them. My dad took me to see them in 67 playing against Chelsea, and that's when Somerby Bell, I mean they had an amazing team then.

Speaker 2: 27:46

Francis Lee.

Speaker 1: 27:47

Francis Lee yeah, so, and then, since then I kind of you probably have to explain that to people all the time.

Speaker 2: 27:54

I know you probably have to explain that to people all the time, I know.

Speaker 1: 28:01

So I have been through the complete doldrums. When they're in, I think, Division 2.

Speaker 2: 28:03

Well, I'm still in the doldrums. I'm still in the doldrums. I don't think we've ever been at the doldrums, really, but this was a particularly famous moment actually that a lot of people do know about, and I was there with my son behind the goal, so lot of people do know about, and I was there with my son behind the goal, yeah, um, so it was the playoff semi-final in 2013 and literally in the uh, final stages of the game, leicester got penalty, yeah, and if they converted the penalty, they'd have won the match 3-2 and gone to the final playoffs. So they had this penalty. You know, being a long-suffering watford fan, it's just, that's just typical. You've got penalty in the 90th minute yeah, he's going to score.

Speaker 2: 28:39

It's all over and we're going to watch it because we're behind it. So what happens is the keeper saved the penalty. Then ball came out and it looked like it was harder to miss the rebound than even the penalty in the first place, and the keeper saved the rebound as well, and then the ball was basically went straight out. Manuel Almunia, spanish goalkeeper, threw it out, watford went straight down the other end and Troy Deeney scored. It's just one of the great moments, you know. It's obviously one of the great moments for a Watford fan, but I think even a lot of non-Watford fans remember that Deeney goal. It was just such a incredible moment, really, and I nearly broke my leg, falling down the stand at the time, because it was just. You know, it's just one of those things. It just didn't look like it was possible. You went literally from despair to to to incredible joy in the space of about 10 seconds, which is what sport's all about, really, isn't it? So it's a particularly great moment. Brilliant, that's.

Speaker 1: 29:34

That's my nomination for that yeah, and who would play you in a film?

Speaker 2: 29:39

the other one was film. Actually, yeah, yeah, lots of those actually there's not lots of greats are there, but uh, I picked moneyball. Actually, I don't know if you've ever seen moneyball I think that's brilliant.

Speaker 1: 29:50

I've seen that about more than any other sports film. So I think that's about. I've seen it about four times, but it's brilliant, brilliant. I never tire of seeing that film.

Speaker 2: 29:59

Yeah, it's so interesting and it's so interesting with what goes on in football analysis, particularly football these days. You know sports analysis, particularly football, the data that's involved. I know Moneyball was kind of I know it's about baseball.

Speaker 2: 30:12

First example of that and it's a true story. You know I always enjoy when it's a true story. Yeah, how this team, you know, outwitted the some of their bigger competitors by just recruiting smarter, recruiting on metrics exactly good examples of how that works these days. And obviously you know data analysis is so important in all sport these days. But you know it's been a real driver for clubs like brighton and so on, allowed them to compete with the man cities of this world who've got unlimited funds.

Speaker 1: 30:40

Yes, that's true.

Speaker 2: 30:42

That's another conversation, but yeah, it just shows you can outsmart if you know how to use the numbers. I think in some ways that's probably a reasonable segue back to us. We're not the biggest, but we definitely try and, you know, use data and be as smart as we can. And yeah, go the extra mile. Um and uh. I think that's the great thing about you know, the most satisfying thing about our business. I think people appreciate it. People appreciate the fact you go the extra mile yeah, and then also you've, you've found your niche not used to it anymore.

Speaker 1: 31:17

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 31:17

Yeah, People are not used to the fact that you will order them something. Well, yeah, that's no problem, Of course we can. You know, Of course we can do that, no problem. You know it's what we're in business for, really. You know 90% of the people. The other 10% are not, and I think the independents usually do those other 10% really well, and you know that's what makes the difference.

Speaker 1: 31:41

And I think especially with the areas where you are Putney and Richmond people do appreciate local businesses. Yeah, without a doubt.

Speaker 2: 31:52

I think they do, they do.

Speaker 1: 31:53

You know, I know we have a local butcher and you know that kind of thing. You know they appreciate that personalized approach and you know, I know we have a local butcher and that kind of thing they appreciate that personalized approach and that local customer service they do.

Speaker 2: 32:07

Long may that continue. I think there's a bit of you know that came from COVID a bit, didn't it? People appreciated their local stuff a bit more. Maybe I think we're quite fortunate to be in the areas we're in in a way although can we did pick them? Yeah, um, but yes, you're right, I think the problem is, you know it's, it's just retail's not easy. So, yeah, you know the world needs to, it does need to adjust.

Speaker 2: 32:32

Um, I sit on the uh positivity putney board, which is a business improvement district for putney, so I see sort of firsthand, you know, some of the struggles that, yeah, retail has. Um, you know, and obviously you know it's not always plain sailing for us either. But you know there's just, it's just not easy. The rent's too high, particularly on the high street. Um, you know the environment, the business environment, is not easy.

Speaker 2: 32:56

Um, in this year for retail is going to be quite a difficult year, I think, because the relief on rates comes down. So that will affect businesses, really affect some of the big businesses quite a lot, which is not good news. I'm not quite sure that some of those moves make a lot of sense, but yeah, the rent and rates issue is a big issue for retail and, uh, it's a barrier to entry and some, some of those right, you know, if you look down the high street in richmond you know it's not quite what it was. No, no, it isn't. We're still there, not really proud of that, but I've seen so many people come and go um and you know it's, it's sad really, um. So the the you know go back to what I said. I think there's definitely um going to be some retail and the good ones will survive to some extent. I think um, but they're just probably going to be less of it.

Speaker 1: 33:50

We have to accept that thing right, uh, I could have talked to you for ages, but, but I think we're going to have to wrap up. I hope you've really enjoyed our conversation and, as I said, as I normally do, we will split up the podcast into two.

Speaker 1: 34:15

But thank you very much, uh, for coming on. Um, if you want to, uh, I don't know if you wanted to sort of promote your website where you are and if you have anything at the other links you wanted to promote at this time yes, obviously we're um, so it's sporting feet.

Speaker 2: 34:31

we're in pumpley in richmond. The web URL is wwwsporting-feetcom. That's F-E-E-T.

Speaker 1: 34:44

So that's where we are really, and I think there's various links to your Instagram and Facebook page and likes as well.

Speaker 2: 34:53

Yeah, they're all on our website.

Speaker 1: 34:57

Those aspects can becoming more important to our business, right um great, okay, well, thank you very much for coming and um uh, and I hope you've really enjoyed the podcast I have.

Speaker 2: 35:10

Thank you, yeah, good to talk to you all the best thank you.