How does playing rugby for England compare with running your own business? Fran Cotton tells Growing Busines about scrums and manufacturing.
Issue 40, June 2005
“Rugby taught me nothing about business,” insists Fran Cotton, former England rugby union captain and co-founder of Cotton Traders, the leisurewear manufacturer and retailer that now boasts 500 employees and a turnover of £50m.
“However, rugby is also all about team spirit and the whole ethos of the way we run this business is that everyone is part of a team” he concedes. “Both Steve (Smith, his partner) and myself captained our country and learnt a lot about leadership and it’s those skills that translate to business.”
Unlike today’s well-paid professionals, Cotton and Smith had to combine their playing careers with employment and it was there that they picked up their business grounding.
Having set up a sports clothing division for French Connection they eventually decided to go it alone. “We put together a business plan and did the fundraising circuit. The first people that showed interest were 3i and we did a deal,” says Cotton.
Having proved their business credentials, they had little problem raising the money and Cotton insists the only influence their name had was persuading investors to take a closer look.
Cotton Traders started off selling England replica rugby shirts and then moved on to Wales, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand and France, growing a £2m turnover in under two years. The company has since expanded into general leisurewear through mail order and also has 42 nationwide stores.
Rugby now only accounts for 2% of the company’s sales, but the sport remains core to its brand. “People know rugby products need to be durable and of good quality to offer high performance,” says Cotton.
“That’s why we work to keep the association and sponsor Bath, Gloucester, Leicester and Sale Sharks. That whole association is essential. Our personal continued involvements in the sport have also obviously helped build that brand awareness.”
