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Royal Sporting House, or better known as RSH Limited, is one of Asia's biggest pioneering firms in the field of sporting goods. The company is founded in 1977 by J.S. and Sanji Gill as part of a sourcing firm for the family's existing retail business, and was established as an independent store in 1979. Over the years, RSH has diversified from sporting goods into the fashion industry, bringing numerous high fashion labels under its corporate umbrella. The company owns over 420 free-standing stores and 500 shops-in-shops across 5 territories and 10 countries today. 

Corporate Background

RSH Limited opened its first retail outlet in Singapore in 1979, after J.S. and Sanji Gill founded the company as a resource chain supporting their family's Indonesian sports lifestyle stores in 1977. Today, the company is one of Asia's longest running and most trusted pioneers in the field of sporting goods, with a remarkable operation record of 31 years to their name. RSH's operations are divided into 4 main categories fashion, sports, golf, and active lifestyle. The company ventured into the fashion industry only in 2002, but has since then amassed a vast portfolio of exclusive retail rights to luxurious fashion lines. Brand-names like Ted Barker, Pull and Bear, Mango, Bebe, Zara, and Massimo Dutti have signed exclusive agreements with RSH, enabling the company to hold sole rights to the distribution of these lines in countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. 

The company has had a rich history of working in close partnership with international labels, for it began its tenure in 1979 with an immediate agreement with Lacoste, securing the primary distribution rights to the line. Across the span of the following years after, from 1982 all the way to 1992, RSH developed from strength to strength, winning exclusive retail privileges to high-end brands like Wilson, Reebok, and Speedo. The company also established their first single-brand specialty store, Lacoste Boutique, in 1987, and began their regionalisation with ventures into the Malaysian market in 1989. This expansion into Malaysia was followed closely by a similar foray into Brunei in 1991. The company also proved itself to be remarkably savvy about market trends early in its operation, setting up the Golf House retail chain in 1986, and then the Pro Shops in numerous local golf and country clubs in 1990, so as to tap into the escalating interest in golf then. At the end of 1986, RSH was in command of 8 stores island-wide, which turned over an income of $20 million dollars. In 1992, this figure increased further, as the company's 120 stores recorded earnings of around $200 million dollars. 

The decision to diversify into the fashion industry has also paid off handsomely for RSH. In 2006, just 4 years after the initial acquisition of exclusive rights to Zara, Mango, Bebe, and Evita Peroni, the fashion sector contributed at least 51% of the group's total annual revenue in Singapore. The solitary Massimo Dutti outlet in Singapore's Orchard Road was particularly lucrative, as it ranked amongst 5 top international labels with regards to the sales percentage it generated. Both Massimo Dutti and Zara performed strongly elsewhere in Malaysia and Thailand, with RSH opening 11 new stores in those regions within the short time period of 4 years. Besides these international labels, the company also launched 2 of their own fashion lines in 2004 Mumbai Se, one of the first boutiques blending traditional and modern Indian fashion, and Novo, a ladies footwear chain that currently has outlets in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand.

Global Corporate Vision

RSH is very focused on developing its business outside of Singapore, with the group's attention especially on the Middle East and India. In 1998, the company began expanding into the Middle East, and joined the Middle East-based company, Emaar, in April 2007. Emaar is one of the biggest real-estate companies in the Middle East region, and in its contract with RSH, has secured RSH prime retail space in several of its key malls in Dubai. RSH has since then taken up lease in the prestigious Dubai Mall, which is on record as the world's largest mall, with a shopping area of over 12.1 million square feet. Dubai Mall draws as many as 35 million visitors from all over the world annually, and has 1,200 stores altogether. In the financial year of 2008 alone, RSH Middle East recorded $118.2 million dollars in revenue, with a 33.9% growth in profit margin. The company also brought its own house brand of Mumbai Se into Dubai in 2005. 

Accomplishments

RSH has picked up numerous accolades in its 31 years of business, including the Singapore Business Enterprise Award in 1993. In the following year of 1994, the company was named the International Sports Retailer of the Year. This award was voted on by a panel of executives and judges from over 25 American sports companies, and is considered one of the most prestigious in the field. 



Author

Esther Wang Ying Jie 



References

Gaffney, J. (1995, August). Royal Family. Sporting Goods Business, 28(8), 78. Retrieved January 19, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global database. 

Hoovers Company Records. (2009). RSH Limited. Retrieved January 8, 2009, from Hoovers Company Records database. 

RSH Limited. (2005). Milestones. Retrieved February 19, 2009, from http://www.rshlimited.com/milestones.php 

RSH Limited. (2005). History. Retrieved February 19, 2009, from http://www.rshlimited.com/history.php 

RSH Limited. (2006). Summary Report. Singapore: RSH Limited.

(Call no.: RSING 338.761658827 RSHLAR - [AR]) 

RSH Limited. (2007). Summary Report. Singapore: RSH Limited.

(Call no.: RSING 338.761658827 RSHLAR - [AR])

RSH Limited. (2008). Summary Report. Singapore: RSH Limited.

(Call no.: RSING 338.761658827 RSHLAR - [AR])