Dunlop Sport

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Dunlop Sport
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Sports equipment, textile, footwear
Founded1910;114 years ago (1910) [1]
Headquarters
Leatherhead
,
England [2]
Area served
Worldwide
Products Rackets, strings, balls, shuttlecock, sportswear, sneakers, accessories
Revenueapprox. $650 million [3]
Parent SRI Sports
Website dunlopsports.com

Dunlop Sport is a British sports equipment manufacturing company established in 1910 that focuses on racquets and water sports, more specifically tennis, swimming, squash, padel and badminton. Products by Dunlop Sport include racquets, strings, balls, shuttlecocks, and bags. Sportswear and clothing line includes t-shirts, shorts, skirts, jackets, pants, socks, caps, sneakers, and wristbands.

Contents

Dunlop Sport is operated by SRI Sports, a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo Rubber Industries, which acquired the Dunlop brand in 2017. [4]

In the past, Dunlop also manufactured golf equipment. [5]

History

Dunlop advertisement for its golf balls, 1922 Dunlop golf balls ad, 1922.png
Dunlop advertisement for its golf balls, 1922

Dunlop was established as a company manufacturing goods from rubber in 1889. [5] The company entered the sporting goods market in 1910, when it began to manufacture rubber golf balls at its base in Birmingham. [1] The company introduced the Maxfli golf ball in 1922. [6]

Dunlop extended into tennis ball manufacture in 1924. [7] In 1925, F A Davis was acquired, which had tennis racket manufacturing expertise. [8] [7] Dunlop opened acquisition discussions with Slazenger in 1927, but without success. [7] In 1928 the sports division became a subsidiary of Dunlop Rubber named Dunlop Sports. [5] Headquarters were relocated from Birmingham to Waltham Abbey in Essex. [6]

The Dunlop Masters golf tournament was established in 1946. [9] It was sponsored by Dunlop until 1982, and is now known as the British Masters.

In 1957 Dunlop acquired the golf club manufacturer John Letters of Scotland. [10] In 1959 the Slazenger Group was acquired. [5] The Dunlop "flying D" logo was introduced in 1960. [9]

In the 1970s and 1980s, Dunlop was slow to adapt to the new materials that tennis rackets were increasingly being made from, believing that wood would remain the dominant material. [5]

Pelota tenis.jpg
Squash Ball Dunlop Revelation Pro 1.jpg
Tennis (left) and squash balls by Dunlop

In 1983 the John Letters golf club business was sold back to members of the Letters family. [11] One year later, the sports businesses were merged to form Dunlop Slazenger. [12]

In 1986, the parent company, Dunlop Holdings, was acquired by the industrial company BTR for £549 million. [13] BTR cut marketing spending to just 8 per cent of sales and reduced investment in grass roots sponsorship and research and development. [14] Steffi Graf's sponsorship money was cut so she defected to a Wilson racket. [14]

In 1996 Dunlop Slazenger was acquired by the private equity firm Cinven for £330 million. [5] To save money, Cinven moved production of Dunlop tennis balls from England to the Philippines. Slazenger Golf and Maxfli were sold off to reduce debt. [15]

Frasers Group bought Dunlop Slazenger for £40 million in 2004. [16]

In December 2016, Sports Direct announced it had agreed to sell the Dunlop brand to Sumitomo Rubber Industries for £112 million ($137.5 million). [17] Sumitomo already owned the rights to the sports as well as the rubber industries brand in most of the world. The sale is due to be completed by May 2017. [18]

Sponsorships

Tennis

Dunlop advertisement featuring John McEnroe in 1981 Mcenroe dunlop ad.jpg
Dunlop advertisement featuring John McEnroe in 1981

More tennis Grand Slams have been won with Dunlop rackets than any other brand.

Dunlop Sport is the current supplier for the Australian Open as well as the ATP World Team Championship in Düsseldorf. It is also the official supplier for all three clay court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, which includes the Monte-Carlo Masters, the Rome Masters and the Madrid Masters. As for ATP World Tour 500 tournaments, it is the official supplier for the Barcelona Open.

Additionally, Dunlop is the official supplier for ATP World Tour 250 tournaments at the BMW Open in Munich, the Portugal Open and the Open de Nice Côte d'Azur. Dunlop Sport is also the official supplier of the WTA Tour Volvo Cars Open in Charleston, South Carolina.

Notable present and former players that have used Dunlop tennis rackets (and switched sponsorships) include:

Male

Female

Retired players

Squash

Notable players who use Dunlop squash racquets include :

Male

Female

Former players

Associations

Former sponsorships

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squash (sport)</span> Racket sport

Squash, sometimes called squash rackets, is a racket-and-ball sport played by two (singles) or four players (doubles) in a four-walled court with a small, hollow, rubber ball. The players alternate in striking the ball with their rackets onto the playable surfaces of the four walls of the court. The objective of the game is to hit the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. There are about 20 million people who play squash regularly world-wide in over 185 countries. The governing body of squash, the World Squash Federation (WSF), is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the sport is included in the Olympic Games, after a number of applications. Squash has been added for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The Professional Squash Association (PSA) organizes the pro tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Racket (sports equipment)</span> Sports equipment

A racket or racquet is a sporting equipment used to strike a ball or shuttlecock back-and-forth in games such as tennis, badminton, squash, racquetball and padel. The typical basic structure of a racket consists of a widened distal end known as the head, an elongated handle known as the grip, and a reinforced connection between the head and handle known as the throat or heart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Real tennis</span> Racquet sport played in a walled court.

Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United States, royal tennis in England and Australia, and courte-paume in France. Many French real tennis courts are at jeu de paume clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rackets (sport)</span> Indoor racquet sport

Rackets or racquets is an indoor racket sport played in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada. It is infrequently called "hard rackets" to distinguish it from the related sport of squash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennis ball</span> Ball used in the sport of tennis

A tennis ball is a ball designed for the sport of tennis. Tennis balls are fluorescent yellow in organised competitions, but in recreational play other colors are also used. Tennis balls are covered in a fibrous felt, which modifies their aerodynamic properties, and each has a white curvilinear oval covering it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilson Sporting Goods</span> American sports equipment manufacture

The Wilson Sporting Goods Company is an American sports equipment manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois. Wilson makes equipment for many sports, among them baseball, badminton, American football, basketball, fastpitch softball, golf, racquetball, soccer, squash, tennis, pickleball and volleyball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunlop Tyres</span> International tyre brand

Dunlop Tyres is a brand of tyres which is managed by different companies around the world. It was founded by pneumatic tyre pioneer John Boyd Dunlop in Belfast, Ireland, in 1888.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slazenger</span> British sports equipment brand

Slazenger is a British sports equipment brand owned by the Frasers Group. The company was established as a sporting goods shop in 1881 by Ralph and Albert Slazenger on Cannon Street, London. Slazenger was acquired by Dunlop Rubber in 1959. Dunlop was acquired by BTR in 1985. Sports Direct acquired the business in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frontenis</span> Sport

Frontenis is a sport that is played in a 30 meter pelota court using racquets and rubber balls. It can be played in pairs or singles, but only pairs frontenis is played in international competitions. This sport was developed in Mexico around 1900, and is accredited as a Basque pelota speciality.

Maxfli is a brand of sports equipment, most recognized for its golf balls, currently owned by Dick's Sporting Goods. Dick's purchased the brand from TaylorMade Golf on February 11, 2008; however, the Noodle trademark and all golf ball patents remained with TMaG.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sumitomo Rubber Industries</span> Japanese tire and rubber company

Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. is a global tire and rubber company based in Japan. It is part of the Sumitomo Group. The company makes a wide range of rubber based products, including automobile tires, golf balls and tennis balls. Sumitomo tire brands include Dunlop, Falken and Ohtsu. Sumitomo also manufactures and sells the sport equipments under the Dunlop Sport brand.

Carlton Sports is a British sports equipment brand, focused on badminton and table tennis. Originally established in 1946, Carlton is currently part of the Frasers Group.

Head Sport GmbH is an American-Austrian manufacturing company headquartered in Kennelbach. It owns the American tennis racket brand Head. Head GmbH is a group that includes several previously independent companies, including the original "Head Ski Company" ; Tyrolia, an Austrian ski-equipment manufacturer; and Mares, an Italian manufacturer of diving equipment.

Frasers Group plc is a British retail, sport and intellectual property group, named after its ownership of the department store chain House of Fraser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunlop Slazenger</span> British sports equipment brand

Dunlop Slazenger was a sports equipment manufacturing company formed by now-defunct BTR plc by consolidating the various sports brands acquired as part their take-over of Dunlop Holdings in 1985.

Dunlop Sport (Australia) was the local subsidiary of the international sports equipment company Dunlop Sport. Focused on the tennis and golf markets, Dunlop Australia products included tennis and squash racquets, tennis balls, squash balls, golf clubs and golf balls.

Dunlop Ltd. was a British multinational company involved in the manufacture of various natural rubber goods. Its business was founded in 1889 by Harvey du Cros and he involved John Boyd Dunlop who had re-invented and developed the first pneumatic tyre. It was one of the first multinationals, and under du Cros and, after him, under Eric Geddes, grew to be one of the largest British industrial companies. J. B. Dunlop had dropped any ties to it well before his name was used for any part of the business. The business and manufactory was founded in Upper Stephens Street in Dublin. A plaque marks the site, which is now part of the head office of the Irish multinational departments store brand, Dunnes Stores.

Dunlop is a brand of tyre originally produced by the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company from the end of the 19th century, taking its name from John Boyd Dunlop. The brand is used for many other products made from rubber or with rubber components and some with a looser connection to rubber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Srixon</span> Sports equipment brand

Srixon is a sports equipment brand owned by SRI Sports Limited, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd., also owner of Dunlop Sport. Srixon focuses on golf, with its balls holding the largest number of patents worldwide, and having previously supplied other leading manufacturers such as Dunlop Slazenger. They also produce a full range of golf clubs and accessories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ProKennex</span> Taiwanese manufacturer of tennis racquets

ProKennex is a Taiwanese manufacturer of racquet sports equipment for tennis, squash, badminton, racquetball, and pickleball. The company enjoyed wide global distribution in the 1980s, when manufacturing in Taiwan was booming due to domestic economic conditions. Parent company Kunnan Enterprise Ltd. has faced financial difficulties since the mid 1990s, leading to a contraction of the ProKennex name globally. Today, the company focuses on a niche set of consumers interested in technology advancements in racquet sports. The company focuses on this aspect of its products by promoting itself as a "science and design company", rather than a standard racket manufacturer.

References

  1. 1 2 The Growth and Performance of British Multinational Firms before 1939: The Case of Dunlop Geoffrey Jones The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 37, No. 1 (Feb. 1984), pp. 35–53 Published by: Wiley on behalf of the Economic History Society Article Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2596830
  2. ↑ "Terms & Conditions".
  3. ↑ "Dunlop » IBML". Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  4. ↑ Wood, Zoe (27 December 2016). "Sports Direct sells Dunlop for $137m". The Guardian.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Klaus Schmidt; Chris Ludlow (2002). Inclusive Branding: The Why and How of a Holistic Approach to Brands . Palgrave Macmillan. pp.  183–9. ISBN   978-0-230-51329-7.
  6. 1 2 Jones, Stephen G. (1992). Sport, Politics and the Working Class: Organised Labour and Sport in Inter-war Britain. Manchester University Press. p. 51. ISBN   978-0-7190-3680-4.
  7. 1 2 3 Grieves, Keith (1989). Sir Eric Geddes: Business and Government in War and Peace. Manchester University Press. p. 112. ISBN   978-0-7190-2345-3.
  8. ↑ "Dunlop And F. A. Davis, Limited." Times [London, England] 29 January 1925: 18. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 16 January 2014.
  9. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ↑ John Letters – History & Heritage Archived 1 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ The Guardian (London) 17 November 1984 Dunlop divides into seven 'profit centres' BYLINE: By MAGGIE BROWN
  13. ↑ Dunlop sold in BTR re-focus – Business – News – The Independent
  14. 1 2 BTR eyes overseas sites to cut losses
  15. ↑ Dunlop back on form after golf sale | The Sunday Times
  16. ↑ Osborne, Alistair (5 February 2004). "Game, set and match for Dunlop Slazenger". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2008.
  17. ↑ Wood, Zoe (27 December 2016). "Sports Direct sells Dunlop for $137m". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  18. ↑ Butler, Sarah (29 December 2016). "Pension expert call for scrutiny over Sports Direct sale of Dunlop". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
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