Rugby star Bowe signs a 3-year deal
A LEADING Co. Monaghan-based footwear firm has signed-up top Irish international rugby star, Tommy Bowe, in a unique deal for a huge three-year marketing drive — the first of its kind in Ireland — which is expected to deliver a further phenomenal trade boost for the company’s hugely popular Lloyd&Pryce brand of gents’ footwear.
Buddha Brand Industry, is part of the Shoe City Group based at Castleblayney — a wholesale and retail footwear group that supplies more than 400 leading stores throughout Ireland and the UK — owned by the McArdle family of Annahale, Castleblayney.
The Shoe City Group was established some twenty years ago and the Buddha Brand Industry subsidiary was created within the group in 2007 by Barry and Jim McArdle, who have brought in the top Monaghan-born rugby star for the latest mega-launch at outlets nationwide from March next.
The exclusive Lloyd & Pryce 2011 collection of gent’s footwear being promoted by the star rugby icon Bowe, is a major endorsement of the product, and is being foreseen as a huge market winner.
The appropriately named Lloyd & Pryce “Tommy Bowe Collection” for Spring/Summer 2011 incorporates the latest and most up to date design in gent’s footwear, including military boots, desert boots, leather-sole brogues, casual runners, and canvas plimsoles.
Of huge interest to the industry is the fact that the rugby star has already been working hard with the Buddha Brand design team, in producing the very latest trends to compliment the exclusivity and excellence of the collection.
It can be revealed that all individual styles which are likely to sweep the market are designed “in-house” by Tommy and the Buddha design team.
On the marketing front, Buddha has also signed a contract with a major Dublin-based PR company to help further promote their Lloyd&Pryce collection to both the trade and, ultimately, the discerning consumer.
Already, as stated, the Shoe City Group supplies more than 400 retail outlets both in Ireland and across the UK. These include top stores such as Korky’s (Dublin); Paul Bryon Shoes (throughout Ireland) ; Galvin for Men (Mullingar); DV8 (throughout Northern Ireland) ; McKenna Man; Pamela Scott; Fenwick (UK); and Mr. Shoes (UK).
Jim McArdle, Sales and Marketing Director of Buddha, also revealed during the week that the company is currently negotiating a deal with a well known North Monaghan- based commercial display company, Universal Graphics of Emyvale, to further promote the exclusive Lloyd&Pryce Tommy Bowe collection of footwear with strong and compelling in-store marketing to attract customers at shop-floor level.
The involvement of Tommy Bowe with the Shoe City Group, (Buddha Brand Industry) — one of the country’s leading and most enterprising footwear marketing companies — signals a great future for the Co. Monaghan business group, and for the ongoing promotion of their collection of in-house brands.
Indeed, Tommy’s link-up with the company heralds a great future for the Lloyd & Pryce collection of footwear which will hit the shelves from March 2011.
Full report in the Northern Standard
