The replica county GAA shirt market has been described as 'dead as a duck' since the conclusion of the men’s All-Ireland senior football and hurling finals in July.
Financial director at one of the country’s best known brands, O’Neills, Paul Towell made his comment when confirming that O’Neills’ sales of replica county shirts is down 16 per cent on last year and he attributed the drop to the shortened GAA All-Ireland championships in men’s football and hurling.
Mr Towell said: “There is no doubt about it that the shortened championship season is the main factor behind the drop in sales. There has been very little replica shirt sales in shops since the third week of July.”
Underlining the impact of the shortened season on GAA replica shirt sales, Mr Towell said that probably the best performing O’Neills replica shirt in 2022 is the one worn by Australian rugby league side, Penrith Panthers, now two-in-a-row NRL Grand Final champions.
Mr Towell said that O’Neills markets in Australia and the UK have outperformed the domestic market in terms of growth in 2022.
Mr Towell said: “2022 has been very challenging for business here in Ireland and along with the shortened GAA season, we have to deal with soaring electricity and gas prices along with inflation.”
Mr Towell said that the shortened two-week run between All-Ireland semi-finals and finals also posed major logistical difficulties in producing jerseys and getting them out to retailers.
Mr Towell said that the best-selling inter-county jersey for 2022 is the Limerick jersey boosted by the county’s three in a row All-Ireland win for the hurlers, while the best-selling county football jerseys for 2022 has been Dublin and Mayo.
Mr Towell said that business has also been boosted by FAI Cup winners, Derry City’s success this year. O’Neills provides the replica shirt for Derry City. He said: “Derry City is a sleeping giant and the team’s success has been very positive for our superstore in Derry.”
Profits down significantly
O’Neills provides 1,000 jobs on the island of Ireland and Mr Towell said that profits will be down significantly on the business’s 2021 profits.
Mr Towell made his remarks when asked to comment on new figures showing that pre-tax profits of the main Irish arm of sports brand O’Neills last year increased by 36 per cent to €1.56 million.
New accounts filed by Balbriggan Textiles Ltd show that the increase in profits came as gross profits rose by 6pc from €11.1 million to €11.76 million.
The directors state that revenue increased by 31 per cent on the Covid-affected results for 2020.
They also state: “However, the year has also seen costs increase significantly and the gross profit margin has fallen by over 4 per cent on the previous year.”
“Overall the directors are satisfied with the results and performance of the group in what has been a challenging year.”
Numbers employed at Balbriggan Textiles last year decreased from 146 to 126 as staff costs increased from €4.77 million to €4.82 million.
At the end of December last, the firm had accumulated profits of €23.07 million while its cash funds increased from €4.2 million to €6.49 million.
Separate accounts filed by O’Neills main Northern Ireland arm, O’Neills Irish International Sports Company Ltd show that its pre-tax profits last year declined by 16 per cent from £1.18 million to £993,026.
The drop in profits came as the firm’s gross profits increased by 13 per cent to £9.72 million. The firm’s accumulated profits stood at £13.65 million.
