50% increase in sales since transitioning to our business model

 Morten Borgersen is the head of Anton Sport, and he's not afraid to stick his head out and express himself clearly. And it’s not just Borgersen who believes in Anton Sport’s concept and business model.

The parent company Sport1 Holding has decided to rebrand a number of shops from Intersport to Anton Sport.

Borgersen explains that the rebranding is being done for several reasons:

“The franchise management has noted that it is difficult to operate a franchise and retail at the same time. For this reason, it has been decided that they will make a clearer distinction between independently owned and member shops in the franchises.

Anton Sport shall operate retail, selling goods to the end user. Intersport and Sport1 will operate the franchise, i.e., warehousing and logistics for Sport1 Holding. This is about selling goods to members. Anton Sport is part of a separate company called Sport Holding Retail, and will be responsible for all independently owned shops in Sport Holding.

Rebranding to Anton Sport

As part of this process, 14 Intersport outlets will be converted to Anton Sport. The Intersport shops that will not be taken over by Anton Sport will be sold to franchisees.

“At Anton, we’ve shown that we're good at operating shops. The success we’ve had in the greater Oslo area confirms that.

We've taken a large market share. This has been because of our customer service, inventory, and loyalty programme. At Anton, our foundation is guts and a winning culture,” says Borgersen.

The results have been impressive. Borgersen states that the converted shops have achieved a 50-60 percent increase in turnover in just the first month of normal operations.

“We excel at follow-up, better than the vast majority in retail. We have many promising employees at Anton, hungry young people who deliver,” says the Anton Sport head.

10-12 Anton employees from other shops have participated in each rebranding.

“The shop managers are very happy with the help they’ve received,” says Borgersen.

Anton Sport will continue to maintain a high-end position, but they account for local considerations, such as size distributions, colours, and the brands the shops will carry. However, the brands that Anton is best known for will be available in all shops.

People are adaptable

It’s remarkable how quickly Anton Sport has turned experienced Intersport employees.

“Even shop employees who have spent several years working at other franchises can make changes. We believe that people who apply to work at a sports store want to do their best. It is up to us in management to bring out the best in people,” says Borgersen.

He mentions a shop that was lagging far behind the others. They focused heavily on training, and the shop is now past the midway point. This happened in the span of a few weeks.

Everyone is seen, results are seen quickly

“Everyone wants to be seen and get feedback on what they do. We’re world champions on giving people follow-up. That’s the code. If you do an amazing job and nobody sees it or acknowledges it, you’ll lose your motivation. It's the opposite if you go somewhere that has a winning culture,” says Borgersen.

He emphasises that the franchise management is all about teamwork, and it's not a 9-5 job. All key figures are reviewed each month, including results from Maze.

Borgersen reads all the customer feedback himself.

“With Maze, we get numbers down to each employee. It’s embarrassing to be at the bottom.

However, he emphasises that they do not use Maze to get rid of employees. The tool is used to find where the problems lie.

The Anton head greatly appreciates being able to get quick answers:

“We can reach an agreement on Monday and see results already that same week. It's about being seen and assessed. In Maze, you get the results immediately.”

Elevated goals

When the Intersport shops entered Anton Sport, the ambassador grade dropped a little. It's still comfortably in the high 80s, but Borgersen wants it over 90, even if this is an extremely demanding task. The ambassador grade is now on its way up again.

Nine Intersport shops were converted to Anton Sport in just eleven weeks before the summer holidays. Five more shops are next, and by the end of the current year, there will be 37 shops in the franchise.

NOK 1 billion had long been Morten Borgersen’s sales target. With more shops entering the fray, that target has been raised.

“Next year, turnover will be NOK 1.5 billion, net. This is an aggressive goal, even as we too are seeing a tough market,” Morten Borgersen concludes.

“Those who want to succeed, will”

“We have a winning culture. We also have the ability to enact rapid change at every level. There aren’t too many others in our industry who can say that.”

These are words of Steve Green, regional manager of Anton Sport and responsible for following up with the chain’s shop managers.

He says they are good at supporting their employees.

In the past few months, nine Intersport shops have been converted to Anton Sport, which has meant changes for the shop employees.

“When new shops are added, we will be thorough in the introduction process and not afraid to be clear about our high expectations. We have good management tools that allow us to make changes along the way,” says Green.

“Maze saves us a lot of time. Moreover, it’s measurable and easy to understand, to boot.

We don’t have to rely on gut instinct,” he adds.

“Can everyone handle the transition?”

“Those who have the will to adapt handle it just fine. The vast majority of those who are willing to try to succeed will do so. It’s possible to change attitudes, habits, and behaviours among individuals as long as you do so in a positive manner,” Green replies.

He has several years of experiences as a shop manager, which makes it easier for him to handle employees with understanding.

Anton Sport gives employees greater freedom.

“We’ve given the former Intersport outlets the freedom to make changes in their shops if they want to. Giving shop employees the ability to do what is needed is the alpha and omega here. What the employees can control is their own behaviour in the shop, as well as how the shop is seen and viewed by the customer.

The employees have been broadly empowered to do what is needed to create a pleasant working environment and to ensure that the customer is seen.

“This has given them more pride in their work, and it yields true commitment and ownership,” says Steve Green.