You’d have thought that trying to turn around the fortunes of American Golf was enough for Nigel Oddy to be getting on with.
The retailer endured a difficult few years during the Covid-19 pandemic, with Oddy being parachuted in just over a year ago to revive the ailing brand’s finances.
Since then, American Golf’s balance sheet has been revitalised and the company is looking to the future with renewed confidence.
In the latest episode of City A.M’s on-camera interview series, Boardroom Uncovered, Oddy opened up about the pressures of the job and the ways that he manages his busy workload.
They include getting up early in the morning and running a 10k every day – reviewing the sales figures from the previous 24 hours at the same time.
He boasts an impressive marathon record as well, never completing the distance in a time over the two-hour, 40-minute mark.
Nigel Oddy took over as CEO of American Golf in 2023.
Oddy also spoke about the impact that Netflix’s hit gold documentary, Full Swing, has had on American Golf’s sales as well as the importance of the sport’s four major championships to the calendar.
Like a lot of retailers across the UK, American Golf has been no stranger to having to tackle the increase in shoplifting and violence directed at employees in recent years.
In the interview, the CEO explains what impact this is having on the company – as well as some of the sneakiest ways some have tried to evade security.
The interview is the latest edition of City A.M’s new on-camera series, Boardroom Uncovered, which features the top bosses of the biggest and best-known companies operating in the UK today.
The first episode saw the UK chief executive of IKEA interviewed about his journey from the shop floor to the boardroom and how he believes leaders should take risks in order to drive their businesses forward.
American Golf lining up expansion plans
Last month, American Golf hailed its improved financial performance despite facing “global and national factors” which negatively impacted how much customers wanted to spend and their confidence.
The Warrington-headquartered company reported an EBITDA of £4.3m for the year to the end of January 2024, up from a loss of £1.4m in the prior 12 months.
Turnover at American Golf, which is owned by International Leisure Group and backed by private equity firm Endless, increased by £300,000 to £135.8m in the year while its pre-tax losses were cut from £10.5m to £5.2m.
At the time, Oddy said: “There is no doubt that 2023 was challenging for all retailers, including golf retail, as global and national factors impacted consumer spend and confidence.
“We listened to our customers and their feedback has helped inform our strategy for the years ahead.
“Due to the continued cost of living pressures, customers told us they were reducing their non-essential golf spend last year, but we were able to take action to leverage our core strengths: focusing on data, our own brand products, our omnichannel offering, and our relationship with third parties.
“American Golf has refocused on core retail, including our 88 nationwide stores, to put us in a strong position for FY 2024/25, with exciting plans for this year and onwards.
“We have a vision to become the ultimate one-stop destination for everything a golfer requires.”