Ex-champion's Sheffield sports gear business punches even stronger
The same passion, energy and determination that make champions can also mean success in business. Fast growing Sheffield based sports gear e-retailer Pro-X Sports today completes its recent expansion in a new 4000sq ft warehouse in a prime location in Leeds
with the launch of its new rebranded website.
The company which is trading as Pro-X Sports specialises in Mixed Martial Arts, boxing and training gear and is owned by a former world class Taekwondo champion who competed for England. Shabir Akhtar was the first person in the country to have won both the heavy weight title for the ITF BTC Championship in England (1992) and the WTF BTC title (Olympic Style Taekwondo) in 1993.
Rokham Fitness, Shabir Akhtar commented, “My vision is to make it the sort of company I would like to have bought from and trusted with the all products I would have wanted when I was training hard and competing internationally.”
Shabir’s competitive record is just as impressive: from 1992 to 1995 he won 99% of the tournaments he entered, including the Dutch Championship and the Canadian Open Taekwondo. Since injuries forced him to retire from competition, Shabir - who is 6th Dan in Taekwondo, 1st Dan in Lau Gar Taekwondo as well as an instructor in Wing Chun Kung Fu and a qualified ABA coach – has shared his extensive experience teaching martial arts in his hometown of Rotherham for the last 22 years.
It’s clear Shabir really knows what he is talking about – which is why he is personally involved in choosing and selecting the product ranges. “I have very high standards when it comes to my own equipment and other products I use. My motto is quite simple: if something is suitable for me, I stock it so my customers
can enjoy them too!”
Now he still wants to compete – this time through his business.
“I wanted to move up Pro-X not just one level – like we do in martial arts – but several at a time! I knew we had outgrown our existing premises, however the important thing was not just offering more of the same products but really giving our sports and fitness enthusiast customers what they want, and making their whole experience of Pro-X even better.” Added Shabir.
Pro-X has invested in a 4000sq ft warehouse in Leeds and, after a wide-ranging customer survey, has carefully expanded its sports’ product ranges. Today it launches a re-branded new look website (http://www.pro-xsports.com) alongside further improvements to the company’s customer services.
Shabir may no longer be fighting, but his passion is undaunted: “I enjoyed competing all the way through to the end of my career – but competitions are only a small part of the picture. Teaching young people in Rotherham martial arts ever since have proven incredibly fulfilling and challenging. And I know where to recommend that they go for all their gear!”
