The company behind Toy Shop UK, a website that has helped hundreds of independent toy shops achieve greater online sales, has entered the sports market with a directory aimed at helping independent sports shops compete on a level playing field with the nation’s biggest retailers.
Independent UK-based sports shops are invited to visit www.sportsshopuk.co.uk and submit details of their store. All listings are free of charge – and retailers can choose which sports category they are featured in.
In addition to a logo, contact details and a company description, online sports shops can advertise themselves beside major sporting brands and get an all-important link to their website too.
Tim Hawkins, director of Toast Publishing Limited, said of the launch: “This is a great opportunity for sports shops to increase their online presence without spending a penny of their marketing budgets. We know from the shops that have joined our toy directory that real, tangible sales can result from just those few minutes that it takes to submit a shop.”
With the company’s toy directory enjoying over two million unique visitors during 2009, the owners of Sports Shop UK expect big things from their entry into the sports arena.
The directory’s designer, Michael Hawkins, says: “We have some exciting plans for developing the website in the coming months, but right now we’re encouraging shops not to delay sending us their details. The sooner they can get themselves listed, the sooner they will see the benefits.”
