Growth across Europe in the analysis of the outdoor retail channel (across both specialty and general sports and leisure retailers) has enabled Sporting Insights to bring in industry-leader Lee Kidger as Sales and Marketing Project Lead.
His focus will be on developing and bringing to market the significant industry initiative of the Outdoor Market Intelligence Service (OMIS), which is already operational in the UK and will expand into further markets during 2025.
Having worked with Sporting Insights since 2024 as a special advisor on mobility and active leisure, Lee now has a strong understanding of what Sporting Insights offers. As former Managing Director of Raleigh UK, Lee was also a subscriber to and active user of Sporting Insights’ market intelligence as part of the Bicycle Association’s MDS programme.
In his expanded role, Lee, who also boasts an MBA with a specialisation in data analytics, will focus on lending his expertise to the company’s Market Intelligence Services team.
His chief task will be bringing to market in France and DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) the new OMIS offer, and explaining and demonstrating the myriad benefits of the service to manufacturers and retailers alike.
The programmes are being well supported by leading retailers and retail groups, and the current target is for OMIS to launch in France in summer 2025 and in DACH in early autumn 2025.
“Working closely with our key partner the European Outdoor Group, and the national industry bodies in France and DACH, it has been challenging, exciting, and rewarding to be supporting Sporting Insights as they lead the market on insight and data in the outdoor market” said Lee. “My understanding of how the manufacturers and retailers can use the data will help the market be more agile and more commercially successful and help the sector manage the sales and stock mix in a more data-led and profitable manner. Sporting Insights are helping the outdoor channels across Europe, and having the support of the EOG adds real authenticity to what is being achieved.”
“We’ve been delighted with Lee’s work during our collaboration over the last year,” said John Bushell, Managing Director of Sporting Insights. “At such an exciting time, with imminent growth on the horizon, we feel Lee’s analytics credentials as well as his experience as a user and advocate of market data makes him the perfect person to promote this service internationally.”
