Sporting duo a hit with Theo

ENTREPRENEUR Theo Paphitis (centre) hands the Small Business Sunday award to Dean Kimpton (left) and Sam Green

TWO former college lecturers have set up a sports business in Shaw — and won recognition from retail entrepreneur Theo Paphitis.

Sam Green and Dean Kimpton established Sport4real.com while working as PE teachers at Hopwood Hall College, Middleton. They had worked together for more than 10 years.

One of their roles was sourcing kit for students: “It was a nightmare,” said Sam. “We set up a dedicated website which allowed the students to key in their measurements and requirements and the kit was then delivered to us.”

That was April 2008. When they took redundancy later they were able to use their pay-outs to expand the business and go full-time.

Sam (42), originally from Birmingham but now living in Whitefield, and Dean (39), a Shaw man now living in Heywood, found premises in Rochdale Road, Shaw, and expanded into a retail operation.

Around 80 per cent of turnover is generated by contracts with colleges across the North-West.

“Our expertise is in the college sector — we know the problems and how to solve these for students and teachers,” Sam added.

The company, which provides playing and training kits, travel suits and rainwear and also offers a range of equipment from cones to posts, has 8,500 products on its website — www.sport4real.com.

They work exclusively with six colleges in the region in addition to Hopwood Hall. Their innovation has been recognised by the Small Business Sunday (SBS) organisation established by former BBC TV “Dragons’ Den” investor Papitis.

“His people took at look at our business model, liked what they saw and invited us to a ceremony in Birmingham where we received our recognition,” said Sam.