SCS Surf shop, Sesimbra, Portugal

Shop Name: SCS Surf Shop

Location: Online store at www.scs-surfshop.com, physical store in Sesimbra, Portugal.

Age of Shop (years trading): 7 years, since 2005.

Brands Stocked: Insight, RVCA, Obey, Ezekiel, Makia, C1rca, Adidas, Vox, Vestal, Casio, Mundaka, Sabre, Spy, Xcel, Body Glove, O’Neill, FCS, Ocean & Earth, Gorilla Grip,Speed Demons, Chocolate, Prohibition.. and much more!

What percentage of your sales are from online business compared to your in-store sales? 25% online, 75% physical store.

What are the benefits of having a physical shop over simply having an online store?

Both venues can complement each other: 1) the online shop can attract “in-store only” clients which find about us on the Internet; and, 2) clients who have bought in-store, maybe during a vacation in Sesimbra, will eventually buy online because they already know us and consider the store trustworthy.

What makes your store different and in what ways does your store excel beyond your competition?

There are two things that make us different:

1)    We first support the sports and culture we’re involved in, by sponsoring clubs, athletes and artists, and only then think of the profits – we don’t conceive a business otherwise. It’s not an easy task, but we’re very proud to, as a small business, have 14 athletes and artists in our team, while still sponsoring two clubs and two surf schools, all this is in a time of crisis (and those we can’t sponsor we promote on our blog at http://blog.scs-surfshop.com).

2)    We have a different type of offer, with many alternative brands which are not easily found on most stores. Even within the brands we have, we pick the less ordinary products from the available collections. As such, most of our clients are people who try to differentiate themselves from the mainstream offer available in the majority of stores.

What trends do you see upcoming?

Things are grim in Portugal, so we’re betting on improving our sales in the EU via our online venue.

What kind of advice can you give other independent retailers who are trying to compete against the big box megastores?

Offer something different, be it a business philosophy, alternative products or an original image and concept. Above all, offer a high-quality, personalized service to your clients.

Which up and coming brand do you hope to stock in the future?

We have one or two surprises lined up, but we can’t say much about them right now 😉

What are you doing to pull people into your store?

1)    Gain new costumers via advertising in magazines, facebook, etc. (and of course, via the work we do with our team riders, and so on).

2)    Earn the loyalty and trust of costumers by offering a very high-quality service.

How confident are you for the coming summer?

We’re apprehensive due to the Euro crisis, nonetheless we’re tackling it head-on, and are hoping for the best.

How’s the local market in these days?

It’s weak and getting weaker. People don’t yet see the light at the end of the tunnel and are afraid to spend.

What have been the best three selling categories for you in the last 12 months?

T-Shirts, wetsuits and bodyboards.

Please tell us of any upcoming initiatives your shop has planned? (events, signings, re-vamps etc…)

We’ll try to continue to support our current team riders, and maybe add one or two in 2013. In terms of events, they’re mostly over this year, but next year we’ll probably sponsor three or four regional surfing, bodyboarding, skimboarding and/or skateboarding competitions. We’re also organizing a fashion show-like event in order to present our 2013 summer collections.