Prosport hockey project

An interview between  journalist Red from hockey magazine POWERPLAY and Wolfgang Nickl, the owner of PROHOCKEY-Austria, based in the Hockey Hall of the Vienna Capital. Interview was conducted on August 1, 2010.

 Red: Hello, Wolfgang Nickel. We have learned that you and your strategic partner in Slovenia have recently opened a new company. Can you tell us more details about your new PROSPORTS.si project?

Wolf: Since the beginning of 2010, my friend and business partner Klemen Fortuna and I have been working on the PROSPORTS.si project, and in the next few weeks it will finally come to life!

Red: After so many successful years in Austria, does it worth opening a new company in Slovenia? Where did you find the motivation for this?

Wolf: I have several reasons for this step. Let me introduce just the most important ones. Slovenia is a member of the EU and as a result the market situation is completely different than years ago. People are open and ready for novelties.
At the beginning of 2010, we reached an agreement with two main brands in hockey - Reebok and CCM. I can proudly say that we have become representatives for their products for the entire Balkans (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro).
My friend and business partner Klemen and his family are the owners of company FORTRADE d.o.o.  from Vrhnika, Slovenia (near Ljubljana). The company is very well organized and is one of the largest wholesalers in Slovenia specialized for furniture. Together we create excellent conditions for starting the PROSPORTS.si project.  We combined staff, offices, computer systems, logistics and warehouses. Additional benefit of cooperation with the FORTRADE is also their experiance with direct import of goods from the Far East. Yearly they import more than 100 containers from this area.
Last but not least.  The project is very important to me also because my family lives in Slovenia. My son Lukas will soon be 9 years old and the family needs me everiday more. A successful project will  enable us in the future to live together in Slovenia as a family.

Red: Similar shops already exist in Slovenia. What are your reasons to believe in your ideas and expect them to be successful?

Wolf: Our primary goal is to create a new organization of service centres, which do not exist in Slovenia at the moment. Of course, there are a few companies that are trying their best, but we want to be different. Our vision is following. We want to bring in Slovenia everything that the hockey market offers. Products  are awailable for a good price, with constant stock, fast delivery and service/repair on site with the purpose to meet all customer needs.

We import products, which means that they will be in stock in Slovenia at all time. At least those products which are by our experience most wanted .We have available more than 2,000 m2 of storage space, and the current sales value of the stock already exceeds EUR 400,000. Delivery of products in Slovenia will be free of charge if the order exceeds the value of EUR 99. Orders received from Monday through Friday before 10 a.m. will be shipped of from the  warehouse  in the same day.

I have been working in the hockey industry for over 30 years. I intend to use all acquired knowledge and experience to establish a strong position in the Slovenian market as soon as possible. The partner company FORTRADE is excellent organized and supported with modern technology which makes them a perfect bussines partner.
In Slovenia, we want to be present in or near hockey halls. Before the start of winter, we will open a PROSPORTS store in front of the Tivoli Hall in Ljubljana. In addition to the brands and products we represent, we also want to provide our customers with quality services and repairs such as grinding skates and adjusting hockey sticks and hockey goalie equipment to our own wishes.

Furthermore, we want to find professional partners in all Slovenian regions. We will also rely on local partners from Gorenjska and Štajerska. We will shipped our products wherever they want them.
The B2B department (Business-to-business- online trade-information portal) is very promissing and that why is also one of the future priorities of the company. We are preparing to expand to the Balkan within a reasonable time frame. We intend to cooperate with local stores and hockey teams, with the great emphasis to good cooperation with all hockey assoations.
With a sponsorship system for young talents, we will support the development of ice hockey and rollerblading. Our children are the future in this sport!

Red: Will PROSPORTS.si expand its offer to other sports or do you just stay with hockey?

Wolf: No, our main goal will always be InLine (roller hockey) and Ice hockey (ice hockey), but we wish success in other sports as well. We already provide professional jerseys and other textile products for sports such as football, basketball, volleyball, American football, cycling, paintball and lacrosse. We supply and adapt GRAF skates for the best figure skaters in Slovenia. We also offer IceCourt - the best base for playing InLine hockey. These playgrounds are the only right direction for the expansion of this wonderful sport in Slovenia, which will in the long run ensure even greater competitiveness of Slovenia in this sport on a global scale.

Red: Thanks for all new information. We wish you and your partners a lot of success in the new market.