Dan Foster is the Manager of the Le Coq Sportif store, which is located just around the corner from our Covent Garden branch in Seven Dials. It is the first UK standalone store, which was opened to coincide with the 130th anniversary and marks a seminal step in the brand’s expansion across Europe.
This year’s Tour De France has been firmly underway over the past few weeks, and we are now approaching the final stages with Britain’s Chris Froome currently sporting the famed yellow jersey as the fatest rider in front.
Le Coq Sportif have reclaimed the production duties for the jersey this year, which similarly marks the 100th anniversary of the event. Five Britons have previously championed yellow – Tom Simpson, Sean Yates, David Millar, Chris Boardman and last year’s sideburned hero Bradley Wiggins. Chris will be looking to add his name to the winners list and as we approach the final stage, things are looking good for the Brit and Team Sky.
Back to the shop, and Dan is already a certified MurdockMan having been to see our Barber Lachlan for some expert beard maintenance. We managed to take some time on this occasion and get to know a little bit more about the man himself, and what his job entails.
What first drew you to the brand?
It’s got a great history. The brand is over 130 years old. It was one of the first sports brands in the world and has a long history with cycling and football – both sports that I’m hugely interested in. These are exciting times for Le Coq Sportif in the UK as we re-position ourselves in the marketplace. We are a small team working on some interesting collaborations with some big companies.
Being the first UK store, do you feel a lot of pressure with that in mind?
A little bit. There’s the pressure for the store to do well, but we also need to ensure that we use it in the right way to give the right impression of the brand. We wanted to achieve a creative showroom, not just a solely retail space.
Is everything going well so far?
So far, so good. We’ve not burned it down yet! The reaction has been really positive. I’ve spoken to a lot of middle-aged guys who remember when we did football kits for Chelsea, Villa and Spurs.
The first impressions of the shop reveal a spacious, calm and relaxed environment. Does this kind of vibe run through the entire company?
Very much so. When you go to the office in Paris and meet the guys there, everybody’s serious about work but it’s a very friendly atmosphere and everyone gets on really well. The French like to spend a lot of time on things, and even when they’ll look like they’re not doing nothing they’ll actually be having a meeting at a coffee machine. It’s a very different atmosphere than that of an office in the UK. People aren’t so chained to their desks.
What does your job entail?
In the most basic terms, I’m the store manager. I deal with the day to day running. I have also just taken control of our UK social media output. Recently I’ve been busy with one or two other duties, one of which was a model casting for our S/S ‘14 look book – which wasn’t entirely terrible.. There’s always something a little bit different to do, but I’m not complaining. It’s a small operation here, so we all muck in.
Do you cycle yourself?
I do. Every day. I’ve been a cycling commuter for about a year and a half now. I’m not quite at the level of ‘weekend warrior’ with my road bike and full Lycra gear, but I can see it happening one day.
What advice would you offer to somebody looking to start cycling from scratch in such a big city like London?
If you’re not entirely 100% sure about it, don’t spend a lot of money on a bike. Mine cost £50. Don’t be too precious about it. You can get yourself started relatively cheaply. 100% buy a helmet too. There will always be cool kids who don’t wear them, but that will come back to haunt them at some point I’m sure.
The roads in London are quite intimidating and can easily put people off. The key is to take your bike to the park first, ride around and get to know it better. You will become confident riding it and then ready tackle the streets. You can’t afford to be foolish and reckless, so you definitely need to go into it with confidence. You often spot a few people who are nervous and twitchy and make sudden movements that put other cyclists and motorists on edge. I would also avoid certain places at first. I didn’t ride over the Old Street roundabout for ages, but it was actually fine once I’d built up my confidence.
Just how much of an impact did the Olympics have on the cycling boom last summer?
The Olympics has definitely left a legacy for cycling – especially in London. British people enjoy finding a sport that we’re good at. With the continual disappointment of football, people are keen to look for something else and cycling at the moment is very much the answer. Team Sky is right up there as one of the best in the world right now.
Having attained its production for this year’s Tour de France, has the replica yellow jersey been a popular seller?
Because cycling has nowhere near the mass level of support of football, you’ll see less people wearing the gear around town as fashion pieces. They’re designed for cycling and even then, a lot of people will want the more prestigious items to simply have in their collection. We sell a lot of the jerseys and people do at this time of year really enjoy it. Our Polka Dot jersey has also proven popular as people love to make a statement with it.
There is a ‘Logo History’ post on the Le Coq Sportif blog that was really interesting to read. Do you feel that such items enhance and perhaps extend a brand’s output and appeal?
Absolutely. Things like the history of brands and development are always really interesting. We are actually launching a collection next season of college based stuff that will sport a throwback to earlier logos. In the UK, heritage, history and authenticity are all really important things – especially for men when they’re shopping. You can see right through the brands that just put it on, but we’ve got features such as the history wall in our shop with images of sportsmen and women throughout the ages that signify our heritage.
What’s in store for the future of the brand and shop?
Later on in the summer there’s a vintage bike race in Tuscany called L’Eroica. It translates to ‘Heroic’ or ‘The Hero’, which draws in cycling enthusiasts from all over the world. There’s a specific criteria for the bikes to stick to and it’s essentially a vintage rally for cyclists. Lots of guys dress to match the era that their bike is from. We’re the official sponsor so we produce the jerseys every year. They’re vintage merino wool with pockets on the front as they used to have. So we have the official L’Eroica jersey along with a small capsule collection to go with it to look forward to. The event is worth having a look at and reading about. It’s all very interesting stuff! We will have the collection in-store and hopefully an event to work around it.