The Greg Norman Collection wants to expand its women’s business and raise its global profile.
Michael Setola, Greg Norman president and chief executive officer, and his team have set a post-recession growth strategy for the golf brand as interest in the game is reinvigorated by the return of Tiger Woods at this week’s Masters tournament. The initiatives come one year after MacGregor Golf Co. sold the label to the Tharanco Group. The privately held holding company also owns fashion brands such as Poleci, Doo.Ri and Joseph A., along with real estate and private equity investments.
Setola, a former ceo of Salant and president of Oxford Industries, told WWD that since the Tharanco acquisition Greg Norman has become “leaner, meaner and more focused, and we’re a better company for it. We had a good year despite the turmoil in the economy and the fact that golf wasn’t exactly on fire last year. But the golf industry is getting a little better and there’s optimism in the economy.”
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Along with its women’s and international ambitions, Greg Norman has launched an outerwear collection and signed an accessories license.
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The brand was founded in 1992 and is inspired by its namesake, the former top-ranked golfer in the world. The Australia-born Norman is nicknamed The Shark, a logo that’s on the clothes. He offers input into the collection and appears at events.
The company’s biggest opportunity may be in women’s, which represents about 15 percent of the golf industry’s total business. “But ours is underpenetrated,” Setola said.
The company repositioned the women’s collection under Dana Coppolino, founder and former ceo of Verdina. The collection includes everything from skorts and polos to yoga pants in bright colors and performance fabrics. Retail prices range from $55 for a basic polo to $95 for a cotton-cashmere sweater.
“We addressed it as a true lifestyle business and the sell-throughs have been fantastic,” Setola said. “We’ve really changed the attitude of how we’re looking at women’s.”
The brand’s global presence is another priority. “We’re licensed in 37 countries but we have no partner in China,” he said. “The game is exploding there and Greg is a big face in that country….China and Japan are primary expansion countries for Greg Norman. While the markets are very different, the opportunities are expansive.”
The company’s new outerwear collection features Epic Performance Fabric by Nextec. In addition to wind and water protection, Epic allows moisture and air to escape through the fabric while providing three times the breathability of conventional weather protective apparel, Greg Norman said. The label has the exclusive outerwear launch for the golf market and the product will begin shipping in August.
The collection will include jackets for men or women as well as a 100 percent cotton men’s chino or short from the same fabric. Retail prices range from $79 for the short to $179 for a heavy-weight jacket.
Some 1,500 golf clubs are expected to offer the outerwear line, about half of the company’s total distribution.
At the end of January, the company signed a licensing deal with Paramount for headwear, bags, belts and hosiery. “They have a long heritage in men’s wear and they’ve really hit the ground running,” Setola said.
Although Greg Norman offered accessories in the past, the range will now be expanded and prices will be sharper. Among the most popular items are the straw hats, a hallmark of Greg Norman, as well as belts.
The products will be sold to pro shops, resorts and off-course golf specialty stores.
Beyond that, Setola said Tharanco is also open to finding other brands that “fit within our company culture. It doesn’t have to be a golf brand but if it complements Greg Norman Collection and doesn’t compete, that would be our first choice.”