England rugby skipper Lewis Moody is the new face of Sci-MX. Founder Tim Hyman tells Simon Creasey how such heavyweight backing will boost the sports nutrition brand
Tim Hyman always had an entrepreneurial streak.
He paid his way through college by doing up old bikes and in his twenties he ran a successful martial arts training business while working full-time. But the eureka moment came in 2007. A keen sportsman and user of sports nutrition drinks, Hyman found that demand for these products was far outstripping supply. The time was ripe for a new contender on the market Sci-MX.
Three years on, Sci-MX's sales are at £30m a year. The 35-strong range has muscled its way on to the shelves of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Waitrose, national specialist sports retailers, health food stores and gyms. This summer the company moved into a 20,000 sq ft Cheltenham factory and redesigned the range's packaging. Now he's forked out £1m on a marketing campaign featuring England rugby captain Lewis Moody. So why has Sci-MX been so successful?
Sci-MX's first listing was at Tesco, which took on five SKUs. These flew off the shelves, says Hyman, illustrating a voracious appetite for sports products and convincing the retailer to take on more of the range. "Once you establish a strong rate of sales the shelf space opens up," he explains. "Five went up to 13 SKUs in the second season and 35 SKUs in the third."
The rest of the multiples followed suit, and in recent years they have aggressively expanded their sports nutrition drink offers. The market is worth £230m a year and is growing at 25% a year [Nielsen]. But don't be fooled into thinking the growth is all down to beefcakes pumping up their pecs. Hyman says most Sci-MX customers are gym-goers looking to tone up not bulk up to Schwarzenegger-like proportions. This means flavour is important.
"We use freeze-dried strawberries, real vanilla essence and proper cocoa powder, which make for great taste," he says. As a result repeat purchasing is high many consumers spend as much as £50 per trip to stock up. Pricing of the range spans a vast gamut Protein Flapjacks start at £2.50 and a 5kg tub of Lean Grow retails for £70 .
The key to building Sci-MX's sales is NPD, Hyman believes. Next March, Sci-MX's Ultimate Breakfast Shake a mixture of natural mulled oats with whey protein will hit Tesco and future innovation will receive some hefty backing in England skipper Moody, who Hyman says is the perfect fit for the brand. "Lewis has integrity and passion; what you see on the field is what you get," he adds.
Sci-MX could well need such a powerful friend. Sports nutrition is a competitive market and raw material inflation is spiralling, with whey protein up around 30% in the past year. Specialist health food giant Holland & Barrett is now producing sports supplements and closest competitor Maximuscle is limbering up for a bigger push.
Hyman remains optimistic. Winning listings with pharmacies and sports shops remains a focus, as does bagging a deal with Morrisons. "There's a lot of room to grow," he says. "We could double turnover simply by filling these obvious spaces."
That would make Sci-MX a very buff brand indeed.
Tim Hyman always had an entrepreneurial streak.
He paid his way through college by doing up old bikes and in his twenties he ran a successful martial arts training business while working full-time. But the eureka moment came in 2007. A keen sportsman and user of sports nutrition drinks, Hyman found that demand for these products was far outstripping supply. The time was ripe for a new contender on the market Sci-MX.
Three years on, Sci-MX's sales are at £30m a year. The 35-strong range has muscled its way on to the shelves of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Waitrose, national specialist sports retailers, health food stores and gyms. This summer the company moved into a 20,000 sq ft Cheltenham factory and redesigned the range's packaging. Now he's forked out £1m on a marketing campaign featuring England rugby captain Lewis Moody. So why has Sci-MX been so successful?
Sci-MX's first listing was at Tesco, which took on five SKUs. These flew off the shelves, says Hyman, illustrating a voracious appetite for sports products and convincing the retailer to take on more of the range. "Once you establish a strong rate of sales the shelf space opens up," he explains. "Five went up to 13 SKUs in the second season and 35 SKUs in the third."
The rest of the multiples followed suit, and in recent years they have aggressively expanded their sports nutrition drink offers. The market is worth £230m a year and is growing at 25% a year [Nielsen]. But don't be fooled into thinking the growth is all down to beefcakes pumping up their pecs. Hyman says most Sci-MX customers are gym-goers looking to tone up not bulk up to Schwarzenegger-like proportions. This means flavour is important.
"We use freeze-dried strawberries, real vanilla essence and proper cocoa powder, which make for great taste," he says. As a result repeat purchasing is high many consumers spend as much as £50 per trip to stock up. Pricing of the range spans a vast gamut Protein Flapjacks start at £2.50 and a 5kg tub of Lean Grow retails for £70 .
The key to building Sci-MX's sales is NPD, Hyman believes. Next March, Sci-MX's Ultimate Breakfast Shake a mixture of natural mulled oats with whey protein will hit Tesco and future innovation will receive some hefty backing in England skipper Moody, who Hyman says is the perfect fit for the brand. "Lewis has integrity and passion; what you see on the field is what you get," he adds.
Sci-MX could well need such a powerful friend. Sports nutrition is a competitive market and raw material inflation is spiralling, with whey protein up around 30% in the past year. Specialist health food giant Holland & Barrett is now producing sports supplements and closest competitor Maximuscle is limbering up for a bigger push.
Hyman remains optimistic. Winning listings with pharmacies and sports shops remains a focus, as does bagging a deal with Morrisons. "There's a lot of room to grow," he says. "We could double turnover simply by filling these obvious spaces."
That would make Sci-MX a very buff brand indeed.
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