Group News

Success starts with the numbers and ends with the numbers

Andy Martin

Andy Martin, Managing Director of Foremost Golf, discusses how understanding the numbers will deliver more profit to a member’s bottom line, and explains how the company’s latest Foremost POS development supports their business development consultants (BDCs) to help members work smarter.

Success starts with the numbers and ends with the numbers. It’s the same in so many walks of life in 2025 from sport to the tech industry, and golf retail is no different. The subsequent analysis of reliable data is what separates good from great.

Foremost Golf is increasingly a data hungry organisation. Sharing our findings with mutual business partners and suppliers will help them deliver a better service to member retailers. The group’s rapidly growing Foremost POS retail management system, now with over 230 users, is already offering multiple insights into new opportunities and efficiencies for businesses.

The group’s long-established Central Payment & Invoicing system populates the member’s Foremost POS system, saving them considerable time on product data-entry but also increased reporting accuracy to help guide business decisions. The analysis we can draw from the system allows our BDC team to work with individual members to review retail performance to identify category growth, efficiency and business opportunities.

Finding problems and delivering the solution

Our retail analysis is already showing areas across different stock categories where golf retailers and our members can improve profitability with relative simplicity. One example is golf balls, where turnover and gross margin percentage return is varied across the estate of member retailers. Within the group, our team of regional BDCs already have the answers within their portfolio of business consultancy advice.

Group Callaway ERC high margin ‘exclusive line’ execution

Identify products that are good for your business

It is increasingly important to identify areas in which to generate margin. Too often, effort is carried out for little reward. We all know the well-documented phrase of ‘turnover is for vanity, margin is for sanity’.

In 2025, the group introduced an exciting new proposition to its members in the form of an ‘exclusive line product’. Members can invest in a ball franchise and build for the long term with a credible golf manufacturer that will keep delivering year on year.

New ForeSignage, a new tech system to help member retailers easily ticket key products in-store

Business Review can include:

• Category Share – Is the member retailer selling as many golf balls as we would expect versus the rest of the Foremost POS estate?

If not, we can look at what can be done better to drive category sales at that shop.

• Retailer ‘Segmentation comparison’ – against other similar sized retailers and from the member retailers geographic region?
• Gross Margin return – is the business returning the GM% that we would expect for the ball category?

If not, we can look at solutions to create a better mix to help drive the bottom line.

• Stock Turn – is the member retailer overstocked, do they have too many SKU’s – too many delivering the same position but not offering sufficient growth in sales.

Comprehensive sell-through support

It is equally important that customers are aware of these key products, so just like all other Foremost group exclusive lines, retail campaigns and supplier product launches, the new golf ball will enjoy the group’s comprehensive 360-degree retail marketing support, including digital e-newsletter, special mail, website, video and social media. Designed specifically to encourage sell-through, these services are combined with live monitor video and animations, to external and internal store signage and modular hotspot displays.

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For more information on how Foremost can assist you and your business in simply email membership@foremostgolf.com or call 01753 218 890