JD Sports Fashion's boss Barry Bown reveals his love for The Clash and how his kids help keep him ahead of the fiercely competitive sportswear game. By Ben Rooth.
IT'S the Saturday morning trip that provides some of Barry Bown's best retail research.
He accompanies his family into the centre of Manchester most weeks and his children inevitably gravitate towards
JD Sports in the Arndale centre.
He might be chief executive of this high street colossus, but his four children are among the most vociferous critics - and fans - of whatever he does with the stores.
And, despite having been in the retail business for more than 30 years, Barry is fully aware of just how invaluable their insight can be.
"My children are in their teens and 20s and those are the main age groups we are trying to draw into the shops," he explains.
"Without a shadow of a doubt, they are among my biggest critics and they let me know in no uncertain terms what they like and dislike about the shop.
"Most of the time, their advice - no matter how harsh - is exactly what I need to hear."
One of the things his children regularly tell him is how much they like JD Sports' drawstring bags.
For more than 20 years, these bags have been a regular feature on the high street and today older versions in good condition even change hands among collectors on internet auction sites.
"The truth of who came up with the idea of using the drawstring bags has got lost in the history of JD Sports," he adds.
"But the fact is it has proved one of the most fantastic advertising tools, as well as giving our customers an even better shopping experience, which is what we always try to do.
"I'm the proud owner of pretty much every JD Sports bag that has ever been produced.
"And I'm also in the lucky position to be in a retail sector which allows me to indulge my enthusiasm for collecting trainers.
"At the last count, I'd collected more than 400 pairs - they've been the source of many a discussion with my wife but she's consigned herself to accept it.
"They are scattered around the house, the loft, the children's wardrobes - everywhere in fact."
Barry's passion for all aspects of the sports retail sector and his down-to-earth approach to business shine through.
Over the past eight years, he has also proved to be a successful chief executive.
In April, the firm announced a nine per cent rise in annual pre-tax profits to £38.2m, marking its fifth successive year of progress.
Over the past year, the value of shares has more than doubled while those of his major rivals -
JJB Sports
and
Sports Direct
- have waned.
JD Sports, which was founded in 1981 with one shop in Bury, has 400 outlets in the UK and Ireland, covering both sports and branded fashion.
It recently made its first move overseas with the acquisition of Lille-based
Chausport, a French sports footwear retailer with 78 stores.
Another reason for the company faring much better than its rivals is because it has been helped by its strong offering through its fashion brands
Scotts and
Bank
and its limited exposure to replica football kit sales.
Barry adds: "Without doubt, one of the main reasons why the company is proving so successful is because of the strong, harmonised team that works here - and I am always the first to pay tribute to them.
"I think this is essential for any company to succeed and in the current difficult economic times it's more essential than ever."
Despite the company's unequivocal success, Barry recently made the headlines as a result of revelations that he was paid £300,000 to renew his contract. "I had an outdated service contract which was slightly different to the other directors.
"This was a one-off payment that was intended to realign my contract."
These massive financial negotiations are far removed from Barry's first job on the shop floor of men's clothing chain
Greenwoods where he started work aged 16 after leaving Bury's Elton High School.
He describes this as a fantastic learning curve which also resulted in him meeting David Mackin soon after he had founded JD Sports with John Wardle. Barry initially went to work in their Bury shop before being given the chance to run the newly-opened Arndale store.
He adds: "I remember thinking to myself back in the early 80s that we were right at the start of the sportswear boom - and so it proved.
"One of the reasons for the success of JD Sports is because we've moved with the times to ensure that we remain important to the customers we serve."