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Medical Marvel
Prognosis for Gelscrubs is Continued Success
July 13, 2010
If you do a Google search on the term “one in 10 working Americans,” you get a wide variety of interesting statistics. Included is this nugget: One in 10 working Americans has a job in a healthcare profession. That stat is among the reasons why Gelscrubs has become a major player in the licensed sports marketplace.
“Many of our end-consumers are healthcare practitioners,” says Gelscrubs owner and CEO David Hunt. “We are also very popular with college students and alumni. But our products really appeal to the healthcare industry.”
The Gelscrubs line includes surgical tops, pants and caps, plus consultation coats and lab coats. They are available in just about any college or university you can name. According to Hunt, big-time programs like Texas, Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, Notre Dame and USC drive sales for the company, but no school is too small.
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“We are well diversified,” he says. “”Gelscrubs represent a unique opportunity for retailers.”
Gelscrubs has underscored that point by signing a licensing deal with New Balance. The company will roll out the new line of scrubs this fall.
“We have high expectations,” says Hunt. “New Balance is a brand that consumers know and trust. This deal allows us to bring attributes of performance apparel to scrubs. We believe this is the strongest brand ever in the medical space.”
The New Balance line is part of a strategy by Gelscrubs to extend its reach at retail. One of the company’s goals is to create more of a niche with sporting goods dealers. Part and parcel with that is Gelscrubs’ inaugural appearance at the Sports Licensing & Tailgate Show next year.
“We’ve grown by about 60 percent over the last two years,” says Hunt. “We see the show as a great chance to achieve even better penetration at retail. The opportunity goes both ways. With Gelscrubs, retailers can bring a new type of customer into their stores.”
