Tennis Express Expands Into Brick And Mortar Locale

Written by: Staff on 22nd May 2013

Tennis Express Expands Into Brick And Mortar Locale

epa03707794 Swiss tennis player Roger Federer serves the ball to Rafael Nadal of Spain during their final match of the Italian Open tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 19 May 2013. Nadal won 6-1 and 6-3. EPA/CLAUDIO ONORATI |

Tennis Express, Houston, Texas may primarily be an online business, but they are not ignoring on the ground retail.

When Syms filed bankruptcy and shut down all its stores last year, including one in Houston, Tennis Express bought the building and transformed it into a gigantic showroom. They also saved substantial space for their e-commerce business. There is even a court inside for players to sample racquets.

Managing partners Brad Blume and Sean Rudolph run a company that sells about 5,000 tennis-related products. Tennis Express generates about 70 percent of its sales online, but does not ignore the other 30 percent of its business. Their new locale comprises 41,000 square feet, up from 14,500 square feet. The company was founded in 2000 in a 300-square-foot space.

They want customers to feel at home and stay awhile. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to serve our online customers and our Houston customers more efficiently than when we were divided up into multiple spaces,” Rudolph told the Houston Chronicle. “Our main thing is our ‘wow’ customer service. In the near future, we’re going to put in a snack bar with smoothies, wrap sandwiches, things to go,” Rudolph said.

Tennis Express is considered the United States second biggest tennis retailer, only behind Tennis Warehouse, which is located in San Luis Obispo in California.

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Tennis Express, tennis merchandise, tennis retail, Tennis Store