Slinger Bag, the manufacturer of equipment for all ball sports with a focus on the global tennis market, today announced a multi-year, distribution agreement across nine key markets in Europe with the tennis equipment manufacturer, Dunlop Sports. This announcement follows similar global strategic agreements in key tennis markets including Ireland, Japan, UK, Ireland, Switzerland, and all four Scandinavian markets, bringing the total value of Slinger Bag’s international distribution partnerships to a cumulative five-year retail value of $200 million, stated Slinger Bag.
Under the terms of the new agreement, Dunlop International Europe Ltd, whose parent company is Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Japan, will have exclusive distribution rights for Slinger Bag’s tennis ball launcher in core European markets —Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg Portugal, Netherlands, and Spain.
“There is no bigger endorsement of how far Slinger Bag has come in a short space of time than this new commercial association with Dunlop, a global giant in tennis with an unequaled market reach and a reputation to match. We have the utmost confidence in the sales and marketing strategy provided by the Dunlop team to rapidly build Slinger Bag brand awareness in the core markets covered by this deal and to activate this partnership through a multitude of traditional grassroots marketing activities allied with aggressive online marketing to European tennis consumers,” said Mike Ballardie, CEO of Slinger Bag.
Frans Swinkels, Dunlop Managing Director commented, “Following the highly successful launch of Slinger Bag in the USA and intensive product testing by our sales and marketing teams, we are delighted to leverage Dunlop’s network across the largest tennis markets in Europe. Our premium status as the number one ball on the ATP Tour and official ball of the Australian Open, coupled with Slinger Bag’s dynamic and high-performance ball launcher is an exciting proposition for the market. The partnership further enhances Dunlop’s complete offering in the tennis ball market as a complete equipment supplier.”
Yasutaka Doko, COO, Dunlop International Europe Ltd. commented, “Having seen the successful introduction of Slinger Bag to the Japanese market and further extensive research in our operations, we are very excited to partner with Slinger Bag. They share our drive and passion for innovation, to offer this revolutionary new tennis product to our customers and consumers across our European territories.”
Photo courtesy Slinger Bag/Dunlop Sports
