Prince Celebrates Sharapova Success
The crowning of 17-year-old Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova as the 2004 Wimbledon Ladies champion powerfully marks the revival of the US racquet brand Prince.
Prince revolutionised the game of tennis in the 1970s with its introduction of the first 'Oversize' racquets, and continued to bring innovation to the sport with 'Longbody' racquets in the 1990s. Last year, after a period of ownership by the Benetton Group, the brand was acquired by Prince Sports Inc and brought back home to the USA.
The new company chose London, home of the world's most prestigious tournament at Wimbledon, as the base for its European headquarters - and Prince Sports Europe moved into purpose-built new offices in south west London on the eve of the 2004 Championships.
'We made the strategic decision to locate our European nerve centre in the UK, which today boasts the largest tennis racquet market in Europe (SMS Data),' said Prince Sports Europe's Vice President and Managing Director Mike Ballardie. 'We're excited at the prospect of establishing Prince as the leading European racquet brand over the coming years through providing innovative and performance-enhancing equipment to players at all levels and abilities.'
According to Ballardie, Prince Europe's main goals include focusing on the core growth markets of France, Austria, Italy, Spain, and Germany; investing at a grassroots level; and to be the leader in service and support both to our direct retail customers and to our network of distributors across the region. In this regard, Prince has made a significant investment in a state-of-the-art internet-based business system that allows both sales agents and European distributors direct access to the system.
Maria Sharapova was originally identified and signed by Prince as a 15-year-old, and achieved her sensational maiden Grand Slam success with the Prince MORE Attack racquet. Prince's patented MORE Performance™ technology features a fusion structure process that eliminates the drilled holes in the frame, producing a stiffer and stronger frame so that off-centre hits respond with greater power and directional control.
'Maria Sharapova's incredible victory on Centre Court embodies everything that Prince stands for,' said Ballardie. 'After sweeping through to the final with a confidence that belied her teenage years, she ruled the court against Serena Williams, despatching the favourite in straight sets in one of the most impressive matches ever seen on Centre Court - and totally endeared herself to both the crowd and tennis fans all over the world. Maria is a great Wimbledon champion and we are proud that she has achieved her success with Prince.'
Prince Sports Europe Ltd is located at Thames House, 116 High Street, Hampton Hill, TW12 1NT. The company can be reach by phone at +44 870 990 1770 or via email at info@princesports.co.uk
Prince Sports is an industry leader in the development and manufacturing of performance racquet sports equipment that is proven at the highest level of competition and used by both professional athletes and aspiring recreational players. The brand revolutionised the game of tennis with its introductions of the 'Oversize', 'Longbody'®, 'Triple Threat'® and 'More'® racquets; it reshaped squash with its innovative 'Extender'®; 'Triple Threat'® and ' More'® racquets; and redefined badminton with both 'Y-Joint' and 'More'® technologies.
For more information, contact Howard Harding Associates on behalf of Prince Sports Europe.
Tel: +44 1737-243333 or (mobile) +44 7773-325130 Fax: +44 870-706 5253
Email: Howard@hhpr.co.uk 06 July 2004
Prince revolutionised the game of tennis in the 1970s with its introduction of the first 'Oversize' racquets, and continued to bring innovation to the sport with 'Longbody' racquets in the 1990s. Last year, after a period of ownership by the Benetton Group, the brand was acquired by Prince Sports Inc and brought back home to the USA.
The new company chose London, home of the world's most prestigious tournament at Wimbledon, as the base for its European headquarters - and Prince Sports Europe moved into purpose-built new offices in south west London on the eve of the 2004 Championships.
'We made the strategic decision to locate our European nerve centre in the UK, which today boasts the largest tennis racquet market in Europe (SMS Data),' said Prince Sports Europe's Vice President and Managing Director Mike Ballardie. 'We're excited at the prospect of establishing Prince as the leading European racquet brand over the coming years through providing innovative and performance-enhancing equipment to players at all levels and abilities.'
According to Ballardie, Prince Europe's main goals include focusing on the core growth markets of France, Austria, Italy, Spain, and Germany; investing at a grassroots level; and to be the leader in service and support both to our direct retail customers and to our network of distributors across the region. In this regard, Prince has made a significant investment in a state-of-the-art internet-based business system that allows both sales agents and European distributors direct access to the system.
Maria Sharapova was originally identified and signed by Prince as a 15-year-old, and achieved her sensational maiden Grand Slam success with the Prince MORE Attack racquet. Prince's patented MORE Performance™ technology features a fusion structure process that eliminates the drilled holes in the frame, producing a stiffer and stronger frame so that off-centre hits respond with greater power and directional control.
'Maria Sharapova's incredible victory on Centre Court embodies everything that Prince stands for,' said Ballardie. 'After sweeping through to the final with a confidence that belied her teenage years, she ruled the court against Serena Williams, despatching the favourite in straight sets in one of the most impressive matches ever seen on Centre Court - and totally endeared herself to both the crowd and tennis fans all over the world. Maria is a great Wimbledon champion and we are proud that she has achieved her success with Prince.'
Prince Sports Europe Ltd is located at Thames House, 116 High Street, Hampton Hill, TW12 1NT. The company can be reach by phone at +44 870 990 1770 or via email at info@princesports.co.uk
Prince Sports is an industry leader in the development and manufacturing of performance racquet sports equipment that is proven at the highest level of competition and used by both professional athletes and aspiring recreational players. The brand revolutionised the game of tennis with its introductions of the 'Oversize', 'Longbody'®, 'Triple Threat'® and 'More'® racquets; it reshaped squash with its innovative 'Extender'®; 'Triple Threat'® and ' More'® racquets; and redefined badminton with both 'Y-Joint' and 'More'® technologies.
For more information, contact Howard Harding Associates on behalf of Prince Sports Europe.
Tel: +44 1737-243333 or (mobile) +44 7773-325130 Fax: +44 870-706 5253
Email: Howard@hhpr.co.uk 06 July 2004