Business news : The Antigua Group, Inc., well known in the golf apparel, announced its entrance into the tennis market.

 The Antigua Group, Inc., well known in the golf apparel, sports licensing and casual wear business for over 30 years, announced its entrance into the tennis market with a line of men's and women's performance apparel. Designed with an emphasis on both contemporary styling and high-tech performance, the lines feature Antigua's Desert Dry and Desert Dry Xtra Lite (D2XL) technical fabrics to help players compete at their best under all conditions. The Fall line will be available prior to this year's U.S. Open.


"Tennis has experienced a rebirth over the past decade; it's one of the few sports that's seen its participation numbers increase, so we're happy to enter the market during this upward trend," said Ron McPherson, president and CEO of Antigua Group. "Our tennis apparel will appeal to all players, from the fashion conscious to weekend warriors looking for an edge. And, as we do in golf, our tennis line will have the added benefit of our custom embroidery skill set and in-stock inventory business model."

Known amongst golf retailers for its high quality custom embroidered apparel offered with small minimums and quick lead times, Antigua brings this unique expertise to tennis apparel retailers and tennis tournaments across the country. All Antigua tennis apparel sold at retail features the retailer's logo, and all tennis apparel sold at tournaments would feature the tournament's logo. This was the case in April when Antigua began its journey into tennis by becoming the 'Official Apparel' of the WTA Tour's Family Circle Cup (FCC) in Charleston, South Carolina. Antigua provided over 2500 units of apparel and headwear to tournament officials, ball kids, and volunteers. Antigua also sold tournament logoed apparel on site.

"Antigua's experience handling tournaments was immediately apparent," said Bob Moran, FCC General Manager. "They delivered, both early and smoothly, exceptional quality tennis apparel for us all. We're looking forward to working with them again in 2013."

Antigua's initial line of tennis apparel features its proprietary Desert Dry™ and Desert Dry™ Xtra Lite (D2XL) technologies. "D2XL is tailor made for tennis because of its ability to help rapidly wick away moisture," said Sean Gregg, Director of Product Development. "It's also extremely light, which gives tennis players a more flexible feel and allows heat to dissipate more quickly." 

Online Retail Store Now Open to Tennis Fans and Players

Antigua's 'Shop.Antigua.com' website is up and running now for tennis fans to see and purchase some of its tennis apparel. Unlike what will be sold at retail, this apparel is solely branded with the Antigua logo. "We realize not all fans have a convenient tennis shop nearby, so we offer Antigua apparel via our website," said McPherson. "When the full line is available, we'll add some additional pieces to the website. Tennis fans can purchase our outerwear and accessories online as well."

(SportsOneSource Media)