Article on Babolat: its history and its success
- Babolat, head of number one series
Babolat offers the rope, the rackets, the balls, and today shoes to tennis players of any countries. No doubt that the small firm of Lyon is going to be the best one of the tennis market.
- Some figures about Babolat
Creation: 1875
Turnover: 60 million euro
Growth: + 14 % with regard to Actual 2004
Export: 80 % of the CA outside France
Advertising Budget : 10 % of the CA
- A successful diversification
Rackets in 1994, balls in 2001, shoes in 2003. So, within ten years, the SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED FIRM OF LYON led a diversification while remaining focused on the tennis framework.
- The shop window of the champions
To be successful thanks to its diversification, Babolat supplies and sponsors the biggest players. The Chairman of Babolat said that “the vistory of the champions is our best shop window”
- Our innovation for the tennis players
To seduce the players, sponsorship is not enough. It is necessary to offer them equipments ahead of those of their opponents.
Within the company, twelve persons work in the research and development department, in Lyon and in Asia. The budget used for the R and D department reachs 10 % of the turnover. Moreover, the SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED FIRM developed partnerships with universities or laboratories as the technical center of the leather in Lyon to target more and more tennis players and satisfy their demands.
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