If we were to have the club shop anywhere other than the stadium, then we need to sell a wide range of products - not just Salford gear. If we had it as a sports shop, selling boots, head guards, gum shields, the under armour type stuff, then it may attract not just Salford fans, but also parents with kids wanting gear for their new season whether it being rugby or football...it opens it up to the general sports market, as well as it being linked with Salford.

I'm not in anyway involved in retail so couldnt be sure, but I would imagine the rental costs in the Trafford Centre would be high enough to ensure anything RL related wouldnt work in there. We cant even call on favours from Peel since they sold it off to Intu.

The Lowry isnt a bad shout, free parking if you spend over a fiver, busy location but would it generate more sales than a club shop within the stadium? I doubt it. We're aiming to attract at least 6,000 fans to each home game next season, if say 10% of those people each spent £20 in the club shop that's £12k per game income and £144k over the course of 12 home games. I dont think we'd make anywhere near those kind of sales anywhere else in the City.

For what it's worth, Sale only open the shop on match days, they rely on e-ordering on all other days. By the time you have paid staff costs etc you end up making a loss on all but match days. If the shop is at the stadium you could have staff available to answer a buzzer and serve when needed instead of waiting around, taking a wage and doing nothing for the vast majority of the day. Commercially this is much more viable than having an off site outlet.

Agree with Bill another dedicated outlet off the stadium site would be financial suicide

I wonder whether there would be any mileage in attempting to get merchandise into the major sports retailers - clearly there's a calculation to be made on whether increased sales at a drastically reduced margin is worth it, and whether sales through such outlets would reduce direct sales from our own shop and on-line sales too?

The presence away from the stadium and in a shopping centre would give much craved exposure. You would think it would run at a loss in terms of sales but I am sure it would be loose change to the doc and look at it more from getting the word of the club out. Take for instance the lowry, How many people who work within media centre and other businesses in the area must pass through there on a regular basis. How many of these same people will go anywhere near the stadium or get any glimpse of advertising exposure from the club? You set it up right and move some of the admin team and / or the foundation down there and use as office space as well and it then gives a multi purpose plus gets the club in the community.

I disagree, keep the club shop at the stadium. I doubt there are any examples within RL where having a presence of a club shop in a town centre or shopping centre has made any credible improvements in exposure and such.

What's the point of paying thousands of pounds in rent, fitting out a shop, wages just so every now and again someone with no knowledge of Salford Red Devils see's our shop? There not going to purchase anything. I'd much rather we spent that money elsewhere.

Just my opinion of course.

This, unhappily, is closer to the truth imo.