gaspard

Is this dispute not over RFC removing Rangers Retail's use of the logos etc???

 

If Rangers Retail are not allowed to use the badge etc, they then can't produce OFFICIAL club merchandise. Puma used the reasoning that they had fulfilled an order from RR while they had the right to produce merchandise, and therefore were legally able to sell the strips. SD & other retailers are getting their stock direct from Puma rather than RR.....

maybe so regarding strips, but what about the pencils, hats, air fresheners, mugs etc etc that SD sell all RFC crest branded?

I worry it would have been very stupid of SD to sign a contract without tying in the use of the badge. I even worry that Rangers signing to give the contract to SD makes an unwritten agreement that they have use of the tradmarks. I can only see us winning if there is a get-out somewhere that says something like" Rangers reserve the right over trademarks at all times"

Yup and if there was a "get out" surely it would have been acted on by now.

The loan repayments that re-secured our IP was for me very positive and at the time I had high hopes it would lead to moves that could in some way either offer an alternative to SD or be the lever to renegotiate with them.

Alas nothing has changed and doesn't seem likely to any time soon. That's despite DK making rash prognostics months ago that a kit resolution was weeks away prompting speculation of deals with alternative kit suppliers.

The whole thing has been handled poorly IMO, though in their defence it's difficult without the full facts to judge too harshly, that said DK should have kept his council regarding kits and more effort should have been made to keep the kit supplier on-side , working with the club rather than creating another commercial partner in dispute.

The RR SD JV structure is without doubt one of the major stumbling blocks, what with the A and B shares allocation and I initially though there would have been a legal recourse to nullify the contract based on L&L's conflict of interests - however too much time has passed and looks like this avenue has been deemed non viable.

Goodness knows how much legal costs we have accumulated to date trying to resolve but there comes a time when we may just have to say there's nothing more we can do.

Good luck to those who advocate demos, boycotts and singing songs about Mike whilst well intentioned I don't think they will make one jot of difference to the retail relationship.

Frustrating I know but he's simply too big, wealthy and diverse in his interests for anyting we do to influence his stance.

Purely from a "devils advocate" position I will ask this though - if the club were to admit that every avenue had been exhausted and we were in fact tied to the contract until it expired, would it not be better to then start buying club merchandise again, ensuring at least some revenue from retail rather than the little or nothing we currently receive due to a combo of bad deal and boycott ?

Tin hat on

Whether you have to re-evaluate your expectations or not depends what your expectations are.

 

Of course you could always subscribe to Club 1872

FS, think everyone's expectation is success, and I think we all know very well what defines success at Rangers - just look in the trophy room if you need an example.

what troubles me is, given the that FM has been little more than crack-papering for years and our current squad has been assembled rom the bargain bucket and looks to be lacking on all fronts - just where is the investment coming from?

DK said months ago that the retail deal would be sorted in a matter of weeks, but the reality is we cannot expect any meaningful retail income for years.

TV money is a pittance

CL cash, currently looks like a pipe-dream

and we have very little on the books with any significant resale value.

Can't for the life of me see a queue at the front door desperate to throw money at us.

As for Club 1872, well I simply do not get it at all if I want shares I will buy them, they will be mine to pass on, mine to vote with and mine to proxy as I see fit.

Fan ownership! you cant get half a dozen bears to agree on anything never mind a collective.

Didn't they not buy a chunk on the market this year? why not wait for an issue and invest in RFC, found that very strange, didn't many of the individuals involved not criticise MA for doing the same thing?

Doomed to fail I'm afraid, and do you know what will stop it dead in it's tracks? the very thing you say we need to provide a capital injection - one or more pre-emptive issues would see their holding shrink and their noble ambitions go with it.

as for CCP shares I had those from my employer at one point, they were eventually scrapped and dissolved with no benefits ever or divvies ever coming my way.

They don't, and not all the shares which are in what was known as the 'Easdale Bloc' are eligible to vote and it's 75% of the eligible votes cast that count not 75% of potential votes.

 

Last year the resolution to dis-apply pre-emption rights got (iirc) 73.8% of votes cast and that was despite what I consider a relatively weak push by the Board , I suspect any similar resolution this time round would receive a greater push from the Board and would be passed.

forgive my ignorance cos I'm pretty thick, but what would be the point of getting this passed unless the board has either an appetite to reinvest or has new investors willing to put money into a business with little hope of an investment return.

and wouldn't the kind chaps who have given us loans not be first in the list to receive equity for what they have already given before investing many more.

Simply cannot see where the level of new capital we urgently require (for both playing staff and fabric maint) is going to come from.

In the past whenever we needed dosh DM simply got Lloyds to loan it of the back of MIH whilst perpetuating the myth that he was personally investing -most fans couldn't care less where the money comes from but all loans will eventually require settlement in some form be they soft or hard.

Do we all need to re-evaluate our expectations and settle for what we currently have, because frankly I cannot see any source of new funding or realistic chance of the current board/shareholders stumping up anything other than keeping our heads above water finance.

Good post Gaspard which gives us a lot to think about. You are correct in thinking about the livelihood of the shop employees and I have to imagine Rangers Retail are paying their wages. I do however think missing out on thousands in sales of replica kits must have a significant effect. I would agree that if we did put protesters on the door then they certainly must low key pamphlet distributors and certainly not aggressive activists.

SD/MA missing out on thousands of shirt sales was certainly not part of their strategy when this contract was negotiated that's for sure. But from what we are told SD has had ample opportunities to renegotiate the terms, which I'm sure would have generated more revenue for both parties.

They have failed to do so, so obviously they are either

happy with the status quo,

too stubborn to back down

have not been offered terms that are acceptable

are worried release of contract details would be compromising

Unfortunately cannot see a boycott influencing any of the above to any significant extent.

Sport Direct are suffering at the moment though and would want to avoid any further reputational damage, this begs the question, why has someone not accidentally left some contract details in the back of a taxi or in Costa café?

Rangers are effectively gagged regarding this contract, but I am genuinely surprised there has been no leakage, there usually are ways and means.

Yeh, I was there myself that day mate. I'm on about protest every single home game rather than a headline grabber.

Get the concept Boabie, but would also imagine that a protest every other Saturday could bring it's own issues, the protesters would have to be very well self-policed and would have to refrain from intimidation , anyone trying to get into the shop who felt they were threatened could very well generate negative publicity.

Also the livelihoods of the store employees should be considered.

There is no easy answer to all this I fear, despite DK saying some time ago that a resolution was imminent.

In reality I think the boycott (of which I do my best to support) has very little effect other than reduce the little revenue Rangers receive from this JV even further.

Boycotting gives us fans a avenue to feel we are taking action against SD and helping Rangers in the process, how much this influences the position of SD is very debatable.

My own opinion is that boycotting is this instance does very little other than provide a method for fans to "believe" they are making a difference when in fact there is very little of any significance we can achieve.

It has always surprised me that none of the supporters groups didn't organise protests completely blocking the superstore to anyone wanting to spend money in there.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/watch-young-rangers-fan-leads-6787869

Thanks Craig, it is almost surreal. The chances of a young boy from Durban getting the chance to be spotted by Rangers and to have supported the team all of his life, is just beyond belief. He was taken around Ibrox and Auchenhowie on Monday and sent me the photos. Thought I was going to burst with pride!

At a Q&A, I once asked Richard Gough, who was the best ever SA Ranger - Kitchenbrand, Hubbard or Gough? he replied Hubbard.

I sincerely hope, that in the future, your son is not only added to this illustrious list but goes on to top the poll.

Well done to both him and you.

Ah well the focus seems to be whether babies in club merchandise are socially acceptable, fair enough but that wasn't really the point of my original question.

let me try again

I'm new here so only fair you know my own position,

I long for the day SD and MA are no longer associated with our club

I do not patronise the club shop

I no longer regularly look online for official merchandise

Nearly all my rangers related purchases are either vintage products or RSC related.

but I do have a Rangers calendar, have bought baby products and family members have bought me bits and pieces over the last year or so, all presumably generating revenue for SD.

In light of this, I am reluctant to condemn the fans who have bought the new tops, and just wondered if anyone else was similarly compromised in this matter.

Oh, and just to clarify, the baby does not go around in his pram slabbered in rangers gear (but he was bedecked in colours for a photo which was sent to Rangers family abroad) and I have checked with his mum and he shows no initial signs of brainwashing, perhaps the SNP named person may have other ideas, who knows?

bought a newborn family member a rangers bib this year, and must admit never crossed my mind this would demonstrate a "lack of class" never mind an attempt at brainwashing!

Lot's of attention on the new tops and whilst they are the headline grabbers and many have refused to buy them, what about every other bit of branded merchandise.

I wonder how may of those who condemn the fans wearing this seasons tops have succumbed to purchasing other retail products since the SD RR JV dispute began?

New baby in the family? been tempted to buy bibs, babygrows, mini strips?

Rangers calendar this year anyone?

what about birthdays ?

It's easy to take the moral high ground and boycott the replica kit (very easy for me cos I'm too old and fat to wear them) but how many will admit to some wee purchase in a moment of weakness?

mea culpa

wish someone would bin that fooshty TV

Greetings Gersneters,

Have been looking in as an observer for some time now and delighted to final register and join the debate and hopefully contribute to your community.

Chose the name Gaspard as a homage to Gaspard De Coligny the Huguenot, don't read too much into that though, just Gaspard was catchy and hadn't seen it used on any forum before.

Please be advised that due to my advancing years I could well be described as an archetypal, grumpy old man, so will try to constrain my curmudgeon by can't promise.

my bio is pretty typical and unremarkable but I am, a ST holder, RSC member, COS member and proud Conservative and Unionist.

Look forward to interacting with you all