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New Balance Targets Industry Change With The School Locker Partnership

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ew Balance has announced a licensing partnership with The School Locker in Australia in an effort to drive an industry changing product delivery model with New Balance Team Sports.

The partnership aims to deliver a multilevel customer service model to disrupt the current supply chain, with New Balance in a statement, saying: “over the last two decades the sportswear industry has become saturated with suppliers selling the same products with different labels.”

“This has led to the commoditisation of the uniform.

“The uniform is fundamental to the culture, values and indeed pride of the students, parents, coaches and the schools itself.

“The uniform is consumer facing and is a key pillar of how the school is perceived.

“A lazy, stale and over saturated industry is the perfect environment for true disruption.

“This is exactly what we have created with the partnership between New Balance and The School Locker,” the New Balance statement said.

The first university to partner with the New Balance Team Sports program is Bond University, according to The School Locker general manager of commercial, Tyron Brant.

“It is an industry first and is based off the US college business model with regards to outfitting athletes, students, coaches and supporters with a premium retail quality range,” Brant told Ministry of Sport.

“There are currently 360-plus sports “brands” in the Australian teamwear market all selling the same commodity, from the same factories in a cookie cutter approach.

“New Balance stands for something bigger than apparel and footwear.

“They champion those who are fearlessly driven by their passions.

“They elevate sport.

“They do right by people and the planet, and they drive meaningful change in communities around the world.

“Their team sports partner, The School Locker, is Australia’s largest and most successful supplier to the education industry and is well placed to delivery on this strategy.

“Bond University has always been about innovation and not accepting the status quo.

“They were the first university to jump on board this new model in a deal that will benefit all athletes at the university.

“It is different, it’s disruptive, it’s unique, it’s really cool.

“[The partnership with Bond University works on a] year-by-year basis, we’ve moved away from what I guess you would call the traditional sponsorship model, because it’s a flawed model,” he said, in an interview with Ministry of Sport.

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