Championing the cause of fitness in Pune — Champion Sports

When it comes to sports shops in the city, those who have grown up here would foremost think of this one name—Champion Sports. Catering to the sports goods and sportswear needs of Punekars since 1963, this enterprise, which started off with one shop on Fergusson College Road, is now spread across the city, having expanded to five stores.

The enterprise was started by three brothers, Subhash, Ashok and Vivek Madan, after they bifurcated from their ancestral sports shop, Kukreja and Company. Vivek says, “When we started out, my brothers and I were young, and capital was less. But being sportsmen ourselves, we had good contact with sportsmen and strengthened our relationship with sports associations over time.”

He adds “From the outset, we have laid more emphasis on tennis and badminton gear. Cricket continues to be perennial favourite, so cricket gear has also sold well over the years. Our clients mostly include sportspersons, besides regular folk.”

Business grew quickly, and around 1969, the trio also introduced sportswear in their shop. The response for it was phenomenal, and in 1991, they launched Champion Sportswear, off Fergusson College Road. Also in the 1990s, when awareness about the need for helmets grew and people increasingly sought to buy them, Champion Sports diversified their product range to include these.

The decade was a period of rapid growth for the enterprise, as the fitness revolution started making headways in the country, and an increasing number of youngsters actively took to sports. About seven to eight years ago, Champion Sports also launched Champion Fitness Mantra, a shop for exercise equipment.

With the growing popularity of sports and the fitness craze came greater competition and more international players in the market, who launched multiple outlets in the city. So how have they managed to stay in the business and expand amid this fierce competition? “Customer satisfaction has been our biggest strength. We have never advertised. Our customers’ faith in us has kept us growing and sustaining in the business,” says Vivek.

“As far as brand outlets are concerned, their clientele includes sportsmen and regular folks. Our clientele mostly comprises sportspersons, since we house niche products. We also house international brands, so people can compare different brands under one roof, instead of going outlet-hopping. That is another strong point that works in our favour,” he adds. Besides this, customers can exchange goods at Champion Sports, or return them and get their cash back—something that is very rare in the city. “Within six months of buying products from our shop, if a customer wants to return them for whatever reason, we accept them, no questions asked. We also replace them immediately on the counter, if someone is not happy with what they bought. We debate the problem with the manufacturer, never with the customer,” says Vivek.

Now, the enterprise has three shops on and off Fergusson College Road—Champion Fitness Mantra, Champion Sportswear and Champion Sports. It also has two outlets in Aundh. Vivek’s sons Amit and Rajesh and Subhash’s son Neil have also joined the trio in the business.

“We are now six people looking after our family business. We are very happy that we have continued growing together, since family businesses often witness broken partnerships. Our journey of 48 years has been great. We have three generations of customers coming to us for sports goods. We are planning on launching two more outlets by 2012, one in Koregaon Park and the other in Hadapsar, so we can continue serving our customers across the city,” he says.