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With the growing popularity of golf in Indonesia, retail
chain Golf House is aiming at beginners and women and children to boost
the company's future sales.
"Professional and experienced players remain our main market. But the
growth of our future sales will come from the beginners," Golf House
director Martin Francis told The Jakarta Post during the Golf House
Exposition 2006 in Jakarta on Saturday.
Beginner purchases of golf clubs and accessories are generally
insignificant at first, "but when they have played the sport for one or
two years, they become big spenders," Martin.
Francis said that golf had been increasingly in popularity in Indonesia
over the past few years, partly due to the growing coverage of the
sport in the media. "This has enticed not only executives but also
women and children to play the game," he added.
In order to cater to beginners' needs, Golf House has also adjusted its
marketing strategy, offering a wider range of products especially made
for those who have just begun to play the game.
He cited the expo, which opened on Wednesday and ran until Saturday, as
a part of the marketing strategy to lure more people to the sport.
"At expo, beginners can find the right golf equipment that fits with
their ability and try it out at the driving range near the exposition
site. They can also get tips from leading golf pros from the U.S.,
Singapore, Malaysia and Singapore," Martin said.
The expo offered golf clubs and accessories specially made for the
beginners with prices ranging from Rp 1.7 million (US$186.8) to Rp 6
million.
Francis said the visitors' enthusiasm was very encouraging. After this
successful event, the company plans to hold golf expos in other cities
next year.
"We are upbeat that with this marketing strategy, we can increase our
sales to 50 percent next year," Martin said.
Golf House is one of the biggest retail chains owned by Indonesia's
publicly listed retail operator PT Mitra Adiperkasa (MAP), known for
its exclusive department stores such as Sogo and Debenhams.
MAP operates 448 stores with a total selling space of more than 200,000
square meters in the country's major cities.
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