Quality does not mean paying top dollar
CHINA won 38 gold medals at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and will host the Winter Olympics next year. Anta Sports, a brand founded in China in the 1990s, is poised for international exposure thanks to their sponsorships within the Olympic Games.
During the opening of their 7th store in the Philippines earlier this month in Robinsons Place Ermita, John Paul Paglinawan, General Manager of AvidSports Philippines, said that Anta sponsors not just China’s Olympic teams, but also its Olympic Games committee, as well as its referees and officials. The store opening was also an opportunity to launch the KT7, a sports shoe created with the collaboration of Golden State Warriors player Klay Thompson.
The KT7 features shock absorption, and fluid, bulletproof materials that can absorb 99.4% of impact to reduce the burden on ankles and knees to a great extent. It also uses lower heights, and thin and breathable material for comfort. For stability, KT7 uses parametric for better traction and liquid rubber for better grip.
According to Mr. Paglinawan, the brand has had a presence in the country for the past 10 or 15 years under another distributor. AvidSports Philippines has only been around since 2019, but is part of a company that distributes the brand in Southeast Asia under a joint venture between Anta Sports in China and Luen Thai in Hong Kong. According to an article in China Daily, Anta is the world’s “third-largest sportswear company by revenue.” Mr. Paglinawan credits this to the sheer size of the company in its (similarly large) country of origin. “In China, the brand has 10,000 stores. With the size of China, that basically drives it.” The brand has also acquired Amer Sports, which owns various sports-oriented brands such as Wilson (as in the balls) and outdoor clothing brand Arc’teryx, adding to its bulk.
Touring the store, one finds that the brand is relatively affordable: on average, the sneakers cost P2,795, and its flagship shoe at present, the KT7, costs about P7,995. “From design to manufacturing, to retail, they own the whole process,” said Mr. Paglinawan. “Because of that vertical integration, since we’re involved on all levels… we can drive down the process.”
Meanwhile, celebrity and PBA Blackwater Bossings player Andre Paras, one of the ambassadors of Anta in the country, said that he personally wears the KT5 (two editions behind the new flagship sneaker). He said that the KT5 is “very comfortable. I’m someone who doesn’t like changing shoes.” While he was browsing through a display of sportswear from Anta (just a little above P1,000), he explained to BusinessWorld: “I’m not sure if you’re familiar: players, when they play the game, first half, they wear different shoes, and second half, they swap. I never do that, because I just stick to one shoe. I’m not even kidding.
“You want to get that extra comfort, and that’s what Anta provides for me.”
Speaking about the Anta consumer profile, Mr. Paglinawan, said, “I think you’re a practical customer who demands quality, but you know you don’t need to pay top dollar to get it.” — Joseph L. Garcia
