Posted: 03/11/15
Students score business goal for football club’s fan shop
Business students came face-to-face with their own Dragons’ Den scenario at West Nottinghamshire College before half term as they pitched product ideas for the town’s football club shop.
Mansfield Town Football Club’s commercial manager Paul Nyland, visited students at the beginning of the academic year to seek creative ideas from the students for a new product to sell in the club’s gift shop.
Since then, the group of 18 learners on the BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Business Studies programme, have been researching ideas, speaking to target markets and interviewing the general public about what would be the ideal product to sell in the club shop, based on Quarry Lane.
Before breaking up for half term, students presented their ideas in four groups to a Dragons’ Den-style panel which included Paul, the college’s director of communications and marketing, Louise Knott and the head of academic and professional studies, Lucy Howes.
The four product ideas were, a branded protein shaker cup, an engraved hip flask and lighter, a phone case complete with players’ signatures and a Stags customised bedding set.
Tutor Alex Norbury said: “This was the first time the students had done any research and presenting like this and they did a superb job and presented to the panel in a very professional and enthusiastic way.
“They used intelligent information to influence their project ideas and carefully planned the business ideas taking into account production costs, planned profit and marketability of their ideas. I was very proud of each group’s attention to detail and creativity.”
The winning business idea picked by the panel was the protein shaker cup, which was researched and presented by 18-year-old Jakub Olszewski and class members Alex Peacock, Sam Thompson, Jarrod Fillingham, and Steven Reason.
Paul Nyland said: “Since I visited the students in September with my brief to come up with an ideal product to sell in our shop, I’ve been amazed by their professionalism and passion they’ve put into this retail opportunity.
“Every group has come up with very viable products and it was hard to choose a winner. I have decided on the protein shaker cup and I’ll be taking all these product ideas back to the club and my suppliers with a view to having them produced for our shop.”
Jakub added: “Shaker cups are a big concept at the moment and we think that the design possibilities are endless. We’d like to offer an adult cup for £9 and a children’s cup with handles at £6.50. We’ve worked carefully on the figures and taken into consideration VAT and cost of production. We’re delighted that Paul likes our idea and can’t wait to see it in the shop at the football club.”
