Introducing Spanish Hands

Golf Retailing spoke to the team at Spanish Hands to find out about their business as the distribution partners for Nike Golf and Blue Tees Golf.

When Nike made the strategic decision to transition elements of their golf business to a distributor model, they entrusted the distribution of their brand in the UK & Eire to Spanish Hands. Since its inception, the business has undergone significant growth, evolving from a small team to a robust team of twelve professionals responsible for managing multiple regions across Europe.

In 2019, Nike underwent a strategic realignment, opting to pursue a distributor model for certain markets within the golf industry. Simon Parkhill, a veteran of nearly 20 years at Nike with diverse experience spanning golf, football, tennis, skateboard, and basketball, including notable roles such as General Manager Golf Japan and Senior Director for Specialty Categories EMEA, established Spanish Hands. He enlisted the expertise of Craig Haggerty, a former colleague from Nike who 16 years of experience in various sales and operations roles. Whilst Craig’s role was originally purely sales, Spanish Hands has since bolstered its sales resource and Craig has progressed into a role focusing purely on the Nike brand.

“Our scope was purely B2B and focused on the golf specialty channel,” explained Parkhill. “Spanish Hands began life with a sharp focus on sales and distribution, concentrating on creating a marketplace aligned to Nike’s distribution strategy and delivering the highest quality service to its retail partners from an operational perspective.”

Considered Growth
Today, Spanish Hands has undergone a significant evolution. In 2022, the company was granted additional responsibilities across multiple European markets for Nike Golf products. This led to the establishment of Spanish Hands BV, headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands, dedicated to serving these markets.

Leading Spanish Hands BV is Andrew Baldock, who serves as Partner and General Manager. Andrew brings a wealth of experience with Nike, boasting extensive expertise in sales, operations, and supply chain management.

Earlier this year Spanish Hands added a second brand to their portfolio in Blue Tees, a holistic agreement that encompasses all B2B and B2C operations for the distance measuring and technology brand across Europe.

“Our philosophy is very much about facilitating and operationalising the brands strategies in the marketplace,” continued Parkhill. “The long-term strategy for the brands we represent is our priority. This is why, perhaps in contrary to typical distributor models, we represent only two brands, with no overlap or conflict between them. It is very much about the quality of the business over volume.”

“Our first five years have flown by. We had a year of being a start-up, with the customary teething problems you would expect, amplified by the requirement to immediately service an established brand, and fulfil demand, which was obviously a good problem to have.
“Post pandemic, like so many others we faced supply chain volatility and frankly, for a couple of years, simply fulfilling demand for the products was our biggest challenge. Thankfully, that has settled back to something approaching normality and we’re excited for the next phase of our company’s growth.”

Spanish Hands have evolved into fully holistic distributor. As well as sales and distribution, have added marketing to their mix, creating content for their brands as well as their retail partners.

B2B Success
One of Spanish Hands strengths is their B2B portal. “We’ve invested significantly in the platform, and we’re proud of the user friendly experience this provides our partners with, complimented strongly by our inventories, next day deliveries and of course a dedicated customer service team,” Parkhill explains. “We pride ourselves on being easy to do business with.”

Spanish Hands believe now is the right time to further develop the marketplace, in particular whilst introducing the Blue Tees brand.

If you’re interested in the Spanish Hands portfolio, they are currently welcoming applications at www.spanishhands.net or email office@spanishhands.com

Nike Golf
Nike Golf have seen success with their Icon footwear models. 2024 is set to see a change in direction as their focus shifts to their performance range, with the introduction of three new styles designed for the golf performance category.

The Infinity Tour 2, £159.99 RRP, is designed to provide stability and traction. It’s designed to lock you in for better energy return, will be seen on the feet of Nike athletes like Brooks Koepka. The Nike Free Golf, £129.99 RRP is a lightweight silhouette that offers premium comfort, flexibility, and freedom of movement. The Infinity G, £79.99 RRP, is a stylish option combines lightweight construction with athletic aesthetics.

Nike takes its apparel game to the next level as athletes hit the greens donning a mix of products from the Tour and Victory collections. With the introduction of the Victory Line, Nike ensures that golfers of all budgets can experience top-tier performance without compromise.

The Victory Line has been expanded and elevated to include Victory+ styles, featuring performance fabrics that have been tour validated, offering quality and performance.
Athletes will be seen on the fairways wearing apparel from the Tour and Victory collection’s with polos ranging from £39.99 to £79.99 RRP, as well as mid-layers priced between £64.99 and £89.99 RRP. This will allow retail to tailor the product offering to suit their consumer’s pocket while still being part of the seasonal stories.

Blue Tees Golf

In the last four years Blue Tees has quickly risen to become one of North Americas leading golf technology brands. The Series 3 Max rangefinder is the best-selling rangefinder in the US, with over 4000 distribution points nationwide. The brand has a drive to create exceptional golf technology products and price them in a way that makes them affordable for all golfers. Blue Tees have produced a fantastic product, while creating a strong lifestyle brands Blue Tees have three key pillars of great technology, affordable quality and a strong brand that is the envy of many in the sector.

The Series 3 Max rangefinder offers their most advanced software, next-generation design, ultra-premium materials, and a weather-proof case, and at £199.99, at a fraction of the cost compared to the competition.

Elsewhere the Player+ GPS Speaker offers a combination of incredibly accurate GPS distances and loud clear sound, for just £219.99. Finally for the golfer who wants their DMD to do most of the work for them, the Ringer GPS Handheld is a simple to use device available for just £199.99.

If you’re interested in the Spanish Hands portfolio, they are currently welcoming applications at www.spanishhands.net or email office@spanishhands.com