Prince Sports, Inc. announced the opening of its new European headquarters, Prince Europe, Ltd, in London, from which the Prince European, Middle East and African businesses will be managed.
The company said London provides the perfect base for Princes European operations. Further, the location positions Prince to better serve its European retailers, distributors and consumers by providing a local operations base tailored to service their unique needs, according to Prince Sports President and Chief Operating Officer Alistair Thorburn.
“We made the strategic decision to locate our European nerve center in the UK,” said Thorburn. “Were excited to truly establish ourselves in the European market by providing a local presence that offers a renewed commitment to delivering outstanding customer service to both our distribution and retail partners. Moreover, Prince is now positioned to increase its market share in Europe by providing tennis, squash and badminton players with the best equipment.”
Vice President and General Manager Mike Ballardie and Finance and Operations Director Darren Taylor are leading the team at Prince Europe. Ballardie and Taylor created the new operations base in a matter of weeks after the acquisition of the Prince and Ektelon brands; securing office space in London and warehouse space in Belgium, all while transferring company data and executing existing order commitments. The London headquarters features a new, internet-based, inventory/order entry system that not only allows European distributors access to the system, but also lets them place orders directly through the system. According to Ballardie, Prince Europes main goals include repositioning Prince as a leader in performance racquets for serious players; focusing on the core growth markets of France, Austria, Italy, Spain, and Germany; investing at a grassroots level; and making an overall push to reinvigorate the brand across the continent.
Led by Ballardie and Taylor, Prince Sports Europe, Ltd is located at 7 Mount Mews, High Street, Hampton Middlesex, TW12 2SH. The company can be reach by phone at +44 870 990 1770 or via email at info@princesports.co.uk.