How Sports Business Supports the Fight Against the Coronavirus

The urban outdoor brand Save the Duck is a model for the social commitment of the sports industry. Under the motto "Save the Doctor", the Italians are donating 20 percent of their income from online retail to Milan's Sacco Hospital by April 3, 2020. 

As early as February, the Chinese outdoor brand Bosideng donated 150,000 down jackets to doctors in the corona crisis region of Wuhan. China's largest sports goods manufacturer Anta donated 10 million yuan (around 1.3 million euros) to Chinese aid organisations.

The outdoor shoe specialists from Keen also provide logistical support and donations. They have set themselves the goal of donating 100,000 pairs of shoes to those who are now indispensable in the corona crisis. Everyone can follow Keen's call here.

The outdoor brands Patagonia, Columbia Sportswear and Lululemon have already closed their stores in North America on Monday (March 16, 2020) as a precautionary measure. The Canadians of Lululemon have also closed their European branches already. The stores of the sports goods brands Under Armour and Nike also closed on their own initiative. Nike did so in North America, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

As things stand, current closings will last until March 27, 2020. All companies announced that they would pay their employees for the agreed working hours despite the closings.

Now that countries such as Italy, Spain and France have imposed curfews and public life in almost all other European countries is limited, the outdoor brand Nordisk is making a virtue of necessity.

In the Instagram campaign #MakeMyHomeAnAdventure, Nordisk encourages users to post their best moments in a nutshell and shares the best posts - for a little more optimism in difficult times.

Thomas Gröger, CEO of outdoor shoe manufacturer Hanwag, appeals to the company's followers via Instagram: “Responsible behavior is essential for rope teams on the mountain and endeavors in the wild - and now becoming relevant for all of us now. Keeping a positive state of mind and staying loyal and helpful to your fellow mountaineers, to other trekkers hikers and colleagues can make all the difference. We hope your families, friends and colleagues are safe and well, and are taking the necessary precautions to keep it that way.”

The company itself assumes responsibility "for the safety of our customers, employees, suppliers and vendors and are doing our best to flatten the curve of the coronavirus spread . We are trying our best to slow the spread of corona and lower the burden on healthcare systems in any way we can."

The Swiss outdoor brand Mammut is also calling for solidarity via Instagram: "The same applies to Mammut as to every person and every company at the moment: We must do everything together to stop the spread of the virus, flatten the curve and protect the health of our community," said CEO Oliver Pabst via Instagram.

Schöffel reminds users of the credo of the hour with the hashtag #ZuhauseBleibenLebenRetten ("Stay Home Save Lifes"), but also looks positively at the future when the crisis is over: "You always need something that you are looking forward to". In addition, the outdoor company thanks all helpers.

In contrast to the large companies mentioned above, which often operate their own online shops, pure offline retailers such as Frankfurt Laufshop have been severely affected by the closure order issued for the retail trade in Germany. Owner Jost Wiebelhaus has nevertheless come up with something: Customers can continue to receive advice by telephone and order goods via a shipping service.

The e-commerce start-up SportMarken 24 offers affiliated retailers support through liquidity assistance. This means that every retailer who needs it can receive an interest-free loan for two months equal to the amount paid out in the previous month. "The payment is done pragmatically with only a minimum of contract text in order to help immediately where necessary", said Valeska Benner, Managing Director of SportMarken24.

For retailers who are not yet connected, there should be the possibility of being connected via fast track to generate online sales at least.