Masters to watch: Corbert Zuijdervliet from Intersport Twinsport

Corbert Zuijdervliet is the owner-director of Intersport Twinsport: “We create an experience in the stores by creating a design for each article group that gives customers a feeling for it. For example, we have a weight room in our store in Cruquius, so that you feel like you are in a gym." Zuijdervliet talks about the rise of the company.Text: Bart-jan Brouwer
Online editorial: Noa Verseveldt
Image: John van Helvert

Fight market

“With the financial support of my father, my little brother, together with a tennis teacher friend, is playing. Started a sports shop in Woerden in 1993: Twinsport. A few months later I bought my money for 4.000 guilders and opened a store in Leerdam. We had now become a member of the purchasing combination Euretco, which had the Intersport license for the Netherlands. With an annual turnover of around 10 billion euros and 5.300 affiliates in about forty countries, Intersport, which is based in Switzerland, is the global market leader in the distribution of sporting goods. The stores are independent and operate according to the franchise principle. When we purchased an Intersport store in Waalwijk as our third location in 1996, we also became a franchisee. Almost every year after that we opened a store, the count now stands at eighteen. In the meantime, another brother had joined and there were four of us. In 2019 I bought everyone out and continued on my own. I had all kinds of ideas - improving logistics, focusing on online, working more efficiently... - but then corona came and sales plummeted. Fortunately, we had liquidity through online, although margins were poor: it was a fighting market. We have been turning a profit for the first time since May 2021.”

Red magnets

“We do everything in the field of sports and represent all major sports brands, such as Nike, Puma, Adidas, Asics and Reebok, but we are specialized in certain article groups. The smaller stores, from 1.000 to 1.500 square meters, have a fixed range: running, tennis, training, sports, lifestyle, swimming, hockey and football. The four larger stores outside the centres, at a PDV location, carry in addition to that range Bad-Beach in the summer, Ski in the winter and Outdoor all year round. Intersport Twinsport distinguishes itself firstly by its locations. We are mainly located in the big cities, but also in Alphen aan de Rijn and Waalwijk, for example. In my office there is a map with seven red magnets at the locations where I would like to have a store. Secondly, we distinguish ourselves through our staff. I want hosts who receive the customer in a friendly manner and have the expertise to give good advice. If someone comes in for tennis, there must be a salesperson who knows everything about tennis. And thirdly, we create an experience in the stores by creating something for each product group that gives customers a feeling for it. For example, we have a weight room in our store in Cruquius, so that you feel like you are in a gym. And in other stores we have a football cage, for example. There you can test things out according to the try & buy principle. In the almost thirty years that I have been in this business, the products have become lighter, stronger and faster. You used to only have black football boots, now you see gold, pink, red... Everything is possible. You see this especially in football, a sport that really wants to stand out. The replicas of club shirts contribute to this fashionability. Thirty years ago you hardly saw them. We respond to such trends. And also on the increasing popularity of sports, such as padel. I'll go for the big business, not the niche. You won't find two hundred euro table tennis bats with us. But for major sports such as football and running you will find everything at a high level.

Waka waka

“I have always skated a lot, I was even close to the Dutch Juniors. I rode the Alternative Eleven Cities Tour Weissensee twice: 200 kilometers in eight and a half hours. But I didn't start skating professionally, because you couldn't really make money with it at the time. In my current position I have the opportunity to try out the latest sports products and I am often invited to sporting events. What I remember most is the World Cup final in South Africa. Mandela stood on the field, Shakira sang the official World Cup song Waka Waka, we went on safari. If only I had brought along a souvenir of everything I have experienced in all those years. I do have a photo of me with Usain Bolt. Will I take Messi to MASTERS EXPO? At the fair we especially want to promote the branch in Cruquius, our largest store with 6.500 square meters. Cruquius is only fifteen kilometers from Amsterdam and you can park in front of the door. We will mainly promote the store in the field of Ski at the highest level, with brands such as Bogner, Goldbergh, Toni Sailer and J.Lindeberg. We recently launched a new online platform for our webshop, on Instagram we are trying to become stronger through a promotion where you can drive a BMW for free for a year, during corona times we renovated all the stores... I want to be a player in this industry where you cannot ignore. I want to achieve this with more larger stores in cities and at outdoor locations. No red magnets, but green ones!”

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MASTERS #48 with guest editor-in-chief Joseph Klibansky