Lee & Co drive European golf's dominance - and American Golf's sales figures

American Golf has chipped in with a 20 per cent hike in annual sales thanks to new stores and a successful year for British players, with Lee Westwood just holding on to his status as world No1 ahead off Luke Donald, for whom victory in yesterday's World Match Play Championship in Spain - he lost to yet another leading Englishman Ian Poulter - would have seen him overtake his compatriot, writes Scott Reid.
The retailer, which has ten stores north of the Border, said turnover totalled £86.6 million in the year to 31 January, up from £72.3m a year earlier. Since the year end, like-for-like sales are up by almost 14 per cent.

Seven stores were opened last year, taking the firm's portfolio to 83 with six further openings planned during the current financial year. The launch of a number of product innovations, including TaylorMade Golf's new "white" woods, and the success of European players in the major tournaments helped boost sales.

Chief executive Nick Wood said: "We've made excellent progress with our growth strategy over the last 12 months despite one of the toughest climates for retail for several decades. We have an excellent opportunity to grow further by expanding our footprint in the south of England where our brand is less well represented."American Golf was founded by Robert and Howard Bilton in the late 1970s and was subject to a management buy-out, backed by private equity group LDC, in 2004. Following last year's acquisition of SW Golf, operator of Onlinegolf.co.uk, the group's internet channel now accounts for more than 15 per cent of sales.