A fighting chance of big success
WELL-KNOWN martial arts store Fight World has new owners and a different location as it battles a wave of mixed martial arts gyms and clothing and equipment suppliers.
The business was based for decades at The Local Shopping Centre on Southport-Nerang Rd, highly recognisable due to its statue of martial arts legend Bruce Lee on the footpath outside.
In December, tiler Danijel Baresic and wife Dijana bought the Fight World business from previous owner Peter Ogilvie.
The pair say they wanted to provide a future for their son Brandon Baresic – a keen Muay Thai fighter who has made multiple trips to Thailand to train and fight.
“I always wanted a store and gym but to have it all in one,” Mr Baresic said.
“We also wanted a business we could build up and pass on to Brandon.”
They heard about the Fight World business hitting the market in June last year and registered their interest with Mr Ogilvie.
“The store was very rundown, dated, we hated the location,” Mrs Baresic said.
“I told Danijel, ‘I’m not staying here every day’.”
However, they say there was an opportunity to further develop the business by creating a massive fighting or mixed martial arts gym alongside the store in a new location and offering an expanded range of products.
Martial arts gear is a niche business and Fight World was one of the only stores on the Gold Coast to sell gis – the traditional uniform used for karate practice and competition as well as other martial arts.
Mrs Baresic said the business also had a good name and Mr Ogilvie was well respected in the industry, ensuring goodwill.
They took the plunge and found a location in Helensvale to relocate Fight World.
They sold a duplex unit to fund the purchase of the business, however they soon found they needed to sell another investment property to fund the fit-out of the store and mezzanine level.
“Funding that ate away at the money we needed to buy stock,” Mrs Baresic said.
“So, it was very slow at the start.”
The gym the pair have built next to the store spans 416sq m, including mezzanine space, and caters to boxing and Muay Thai fighters.
It includes a boxing ring and full-size fighting cage (8m by 8m) to make it the biggest mixed martial arts gym on the Gold Coast. There are beginner, intermediate and advanced classes offered for Muay Thai as well as boxing, kickboxing and fitness orientated boxing classes.
They already have 100 members and are aiming to build that up to 300.
“The gym is a huge asset for us and represents an opportunity to build our customer base significantly,” Mrs Baresic said.
“There are no lock-in contracts and we allow people to use our gloves while they decide if they want to pursue the sport. If they buy them next
door they get 10 per cent off.”
However, Mrs Baresic said the main way they could compete with the other stockists for products, such as Punch, is to source hard-to-find martial arts equipment and clothing overseas.
“Punch sell to so many other gyms on the Gold Coast, they sell to their students, so why do they need to come here to buy it?
“We need to go to Thailand to get the Twins and Fairtex and go to the US to get Cleto Reyes.
“These are the brands that are not readily available. You can buy them online but you can’t try them on. If I can build that up that would provide us a competitive advantage.”
Mrs Baresic said they took pride in placing families at the centre of the business.
“Everyone is friendly, there are no egos, and there is a great atmosphere with all the kids who come along.
“But we want everyone to know we are here. So many people have come to tell us they thought the shop was closed because we disappeared from the Southport location.”