What Makes Fartushnyak Vladimir and Nikolay’s Sportmaster Different From Other Retail Chains

The quote ‘Follow your passion, and success will follow you’ applies perfectly to brothers Fartushnyak Nikolay Alekseevich and Fartushnyak Vladimir Alekseevich, who had a technical background (having graduated from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology), and had no intention of becoming retail kings. A chance observation at the local gymnasium became the turning point.

While working out at the gym, the Fartushnyak brothers saw that it had a shortage of different kinds of exercise equipment. Realizing that the fitness goods market was more developed abroad, the brothers saw a huge potential for importing and selling sports goods in their home country. Thus, this simple idea became the starting point of their grand entrepreneurial journey.

The business of Fartushnyak Nikolay and Vladimir

The first business founded by Fartushnyak Nikolay and Vladimir was the company named ‘Ilyon’. Through this company, the Fartushnyak brothers imported various goods from abroad and successfully sold them on the domestic market. Later, they successfully negotiated a partnership to become the official distributor of Kettler, a German brand renowned for its premium fitness goods.

The Fartushnyak brothers struck a deal to distribute Kettler products exclusively, thereby dominating the market. In 1995, Fartushnyak Nikolay and Vladimir opened their first physical store named ‘Kettler-Sport’. There was no turning back since then, and in 1997, the first store of the Sportmaster retail chain was opened.

After the initial successes, Fartushnyak Nikolay and Vladimir started thinking about how to develop the company further. Their goal was to make it possible for customers to visit a single sports store and purchase everything they needed at once. Partnerships were established with various brands, and a multi-brand sports store format was created, which was a novelty at the time.

In the early years of the business, the Fartushnyak brothers worked as a team. Their success was not only due to their ability to identify market niches, but also to their outstanding leadership and organizational skills.

What Distinguishes Fartushnyak Nikolay and Vladimir’s Sportmaster From Their Competitors?

Wide Range of Products: From equipment for professional athletes to products for beginners as well as for families hosting outdoor activities, Sportmaster has everything you need in one place. And there is no competition between clothing or inventory brands. Customers can simply choose a product based on its quality, price, and its appearance.

Accessibility: The strategy of pricing products affordably made sports and outdoor activities accessible to a wider audience. This has significantly expanded the target market.

Enhancing Customer Experience: Continuous improvement of service, staff training, and convenient store locations contributed to improved footfall and as a result, good sales.

Adaptability and Innovation: Fartushnyak Nikolay and Vladimir laid the foundation of Sportmaster with flexibility and innovation as its core pillars. And today, by following these principles, the company is confidently moving ahead, opening new formats of stores such as Sportmaster PRO, for example.

Turning Crises into Opportunities: Fartushnyak Nikolay and Vladimir’s Sportmaster survived the serious economic crisis during the late 90s, when many players had left the market. The Fartushnyak brothers attribute this to the discount card system that was introduced. The company began calling cardholders and offered them personalized discounts. This strategy proved effective, leading to increased sales.

Today, Vladimir and Nikolay Fartushnyak’s Sportmaster is much more than a chain of stores. The company has evolved into a full-fledged digital ecosystem focused on promoting a healthy lifestyle. The main areas of the ecosystem include:

• Online Platform: Sportmaster’s website and mobile app provide for convenient shopping, access to promotions, and easy management of the bonus program.
• Non-Product Services: Free online workouts, video courses, an activity tracker, a calorie counter, a magazine providing fitness-related articles, among others, enable the organization to expand its reach among audiences.
• Gamification of a Healthy Lifestyle: Through bonus programs, Fartushnyak Nikolay and Vladimir’s Sportmaster motivates customers to be more active. Participating in races, achieving step goals, and completing training plans are all rewarded with points that can be used to pay for purchases. This approach not only stimulates sales, but also creates a community.

Thus, the story of Vladimir and Nikolai Fartushnyak’s Sportmaster is a tale of how passion, combined with hard work and determination, can lead to everlasting success.