On the ball

THE FRIDAY INTERVIEW/Grahame Jenkins, Premium Golf Brands:ONE OF the most coveted items of clothing in golf is the green jacket that the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington are playing for in this weekend's US Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National in Georgia.

Like many golfers, Grahame Jenkins may once have harboured ambitions of donning that jacket but, these days, it’s more everyday golf wear that interests him.

Jenkins is managing director of Premium Golf Brands (PGB), a company little more than a year old but which is already playing from a strong position on the green, with the competition a few shots behind.

Last month Calvin Klein agreed a deal that makes PGB its official global licensee for golf apparel. This makes the Cork-based company the designer brand’s only partner in this market anywhere in the world.

The terms of the deal prevent Jenkins from disclosing what it is worth to PGB beyond describing it as “multimillion”.

But around the time it was announced, the day before St Patrick’s Day, some sources suggested a value of €50 million over a period of years.

Jenkins does say that the company is turning over $15 million (€11.3 million) a year, a performance with which he seems happy.

Either way, it’s not bad for a business founded in January 2008, when the country was on the cusp of what has turned out to be a bitter recession.

PGB came about when Belfastman Jenkins and business partner Charlie Casson joined forces with Cork-based Eurostyle, a family firm with roots in the city’s old textile industry run by Alan and Peter Dwyer.

The company is Europe’s biggest specialist designer and distributor of golf wear. All four principals have long experience in the business, something which came in useful when doing the deal with Calvin Klein.

PGB already had an indirect relationship with the New York design house through Windsong, a US company that previously had the contract which the Irish firm now holds.

PGB was Windsong’s partner in Europe and, through that, was responsible for distributing Calvin Klein’s golf wear in this part of the world.

But Calvin Klein and Windsong parted company and, once the main licence fell, it also severed PGB’s connection with the prestigious name, hitting an important part of its business.

There was only one thing for it. “We flew over to Calvin Klein in New York to see if we could keep the European business,” says Jenkins.

“They explained that it had not worked out with Windsong, and that all they were interested in was one global licence and one global partner.

“Then they asked, ‘why not put yourself forward for the global partnership?’ They said they would help us and they liked the way we did business.”

And so began six months of negotiations, during which Jenkins says the Irish business had to convince Calvin Klein that it was the right partner – a professional company capable of designing high-quality products for the golf market.

This was nothing new to PGB. It has two well-established lines which originated with the Eurostyle business – Dwyer Co and Green Lamb. As a result, the Cork company has more than 30 years’ experience in the field.

The company also has other high-end US golf apparel names in its portfolio, including Cutter Buck and Fairway Green, which do a broad range of products; Pukka, which makes headgear; and Zero Restriction, which is focused on rainwear. This meant the firm was well used to dealing with the partnership model.

Eventually the deal was done, and it was formally announced – along with a raft of others – during Taoiseach Brian Cowen’s St Patrick’s Day trip and trade mission to the US.

Previously, PGB was focused only on Europe; the arrangement with Calvin Klein means it will be doing business in 25 countries around the world.

It will also involve a lot more than simply selling and distributing Calvin Klein golf wear. PGB designs the products, commissions their manufacture, and then markets, sells and distributes them.

Jenkins explains that Calvin Klein sets out the parameters for the designs. The Irish company then creates the designs and submits these for approval to its partner.

“With some of them, we get approval straight away; with others, they tell us to change this and change that, and they reject others,” Jenkins says.

Calvin Klein retains the intellectual property of its brand name, while PGB keeps the intellectual property on its designs.

In addition, if Calvin Klein wants to do anything in golf clothing or golf-related products, it has to do so through the Irish company. Once the designs are approved, PGB has to source manufacturers.

The company has established relationships with manufacturers in eastern Europe and Asia. These businesses, Jenkins says, have to meet their partner’s requirements across a broad spectrum of headings, including quality, environmental standards and labour practices.

The overall process is similar to the one that operates elsewhere in the rag trade: the clothing and headgear are planned, designed, manufactured and targeted at a particular season, which means there is a long lead-in time.

“What’s going into the shops at the moment is for spring/summer ’09,” Jenkins says. “That started 18 months ago. It follows the same timelines as the fashion industry.”

The design and management are handled from the company’s base on Mallow Road in Cork. It has 47 full-time staff there and a further four in Britain, with 33 self-employed agents throughout Europe.

This means its executives are on the road a lot. Jenkins already commutes from his Belfast home to Cork, but his company’s new role means he is now travelling even further afield. Last week, he was just back from a trip to Korea.

But even so, Jenkins still finds the time to squeeze in regular games of golf at Shandon Park in Belfast.

On the record

Name: Grahame Jenkins

Age: 45

Post:Managing director, Premium Golf Brands

Why is he in the news?Calvin Klein has just appointed the Cork-based company as its sole global partner for golf wear and golf-related products.

Career:He began his own golf distribution business in his native Belfast 26 years ago. Twelve years later, as the Troubles receded, the multiples moved into the market and he joined Tom Hunter Sports Distribution, which was then sold to JJB Sports.

At that point, Jenkins “stumbled” across the rights to Ashworth golf apparel, and subsequently became managing director of Ashworth Europe, giving him direct experience of working for a US plc. He increased its European turnover to $32 million (€24 million) from $4 million. Once Adidas took over Ashworth, he and colleague Charlie Casson went looking for a new challenge, and founded Premium Golf Brands with brothers Alan and Peter Dwyer.

Family: Married with two sons.

Something you'd expect:He plays golf regularly and is a member of Shandon Park Golf Club in Belfast.

Something that might surprise: He once represented Ulster at table tennis.