What is your name and position within the organisation?
Charlie Preston, Partnerships Manager at Physique Management Company
Give us an overview of Physique Management as a company in general and your approach to partnerships specifically
Physique Management (physique.co.uk ) is the leading sports healthcare product supplier with over 20 years’ experience supplying to: medical professionals, elite sports teams and organisations, as well as general consumers. Our product range covers: Taping and Strapping, Pitch Side First Aid, Therapy Furniture, Massage, Supports and Braces, as well as Rehab & Exercise, Complimentary Therapy and Education and much more.
We work with the world’s leading brands, clubs, medical professionals and professional organisations to provide top-rated products to help keep athletes in top condition.
Our approach to partnerships is to create long term relationships that are focused on adding value for our partners and their members / fans. This is done by providing the large range of products needed for their medical department and working with the organisation to create educational and informative content, as well as specific added value promotions to engage with their audience.
Which sporting teams and organisations does Physique Management partner with?
Physique has agreements with over 100 professional sports clubs and organisations, including GB & England Hockey, England Netball, Exeter Chiefs, Harlequins, Sport Wales, GB Speedway, Durham Cricket, England National Ballet and many more.
What approach makes Physique Management unique? What is your USP/differentiator?
Physique is in a unique position as we are a supplier to professional sport and player welfare is at the heart of our business.
We stock over 3,000 products; with such a vast range it is a great opportunity and challenge when working with partners to clearly communicate the offering from Physique relevant to the target audience. Therefore we work hard to understand our audiences’ needs and wants so we can adjust our service accordingly.
For example, we have collaborated with GB & England Hockey to create a specific first aid kit which is designed to have everything required for an amateur Hockey club, so parents, coaches and those involved in the club can be confident that they have the correct first aid supplies to cover their fixtures.
How do you activate these partnerships? Has the emphasis of your activations changed in recent times?
Activations are always focused on adding value to the audience, therefore a lot of what we do involves educating and informing people – for example, Physique launched the webinars series in 2020, which is in collaboration with multiple partners, the most recent being Cardiff Blues and the British & Irish Lions player Josh Adams. These activations provide insights and knowledge from those working in the professional game and an opportunity for people to connect with players / medical professionals.
Content like webinars, educational videos, buyers’ guides, exclusive promotions and running workshops such as the Medical Awareness & Strapping Course we hold in conjunction with Welsh Rugby Union, have been a big part of our partnerships over the last decade or so. In recent times these activations have become more digital out of necessity however, we are excited to bring back some of our face-to-face activities and we are confident there will be a more blended approach in the future due to the high levels of success from the recent digital activations.
How have you adapted to COVID-19 – have you launched any new products or initiatives to navigate this period?
At Physique we regularly develop and update our product range, adding new products throughout the year so we can keep meeting and exceeding our customer’s needs and adapting to the market. For example, we have increased our supply of PPE and hygiene range as this has been and likely to remain a big part of our customers’ requirements moving forward and we have increased our range of Rehab and Exercise products to ensure customers can be fit and ready for the return to sport.