Sportarredo has been manufacturing high quality European tanning units since 1979, but hasn’t had a large presence in the U.S. market – until now. With the opening of Sportarredo USA in 2004, American tanning professionals can offer the company’s high-end, innovative units in their salons. With plenty of equipment in stock, excellent customer service and alliances with supportive distribution companies, salon pros can be assured that Sportarredo USA will not only deliver, but stand behind its units – as well as its salon clients. This should come as welcome news to the American tanning salon owner and their clients.

The Birth of the Brand
Sportarredo USA is an extension of veteran Italian tanning equipment manufacturer Sportarredo, which was established in 1979. “The company was founded by Ferruccio Bonavia, and started out as a manufacturer of sporting equipment,” explained Gianluca Dianese, CEO of Sportarredo USA. “Sportarredo began distributing tanning units after Mr. Bonavia attended a tradeshow in Germany. He saw the ins and outs of how these German units were made, and decided that this was something that he wanted to do for himself.” Almost immediately after Bonavia began importing the units, he began to manufacture them, and the Sportarredo brand tanning system was born. The sunbeds quickly took the Italian market by storm before Bonavia began importing his popular equipment into other markets, such as Spain, France and even Japan. “The name is very well recognized overseas,” Gianluca added.

Coming to America
While Sportarredo’s unique brand of upscale tanning units was a hit in various sectors of the European market, they were not as popular in the U.S. and Bonavia wished to do something about that. “We first met American importers at the Cosmoprof tradeshow in the mid nineties, and a few of our units were imported into the American market,” Gianluca recalled. “They continued to import and distribute Sportarredo units for many years, but had not quite reached the level he wanted the company to be represented. The solution was to form an American arm of the company and continue to build alliances with distributors. The North American market is so different from the European markets that we’re used to, so it’s good for us to have a strong presence over here in order to service our customers the absolute best we can.”

In June 2004, Sportarredo USA established headquarters in Chicago, then recently moved to a 20,000 square-foot facility in Arlington, TX. Gianluca, who was a rising star in the company, was promoted to CEO of the American division, and the units made their official debut at the Indoor Tanning Association World Expo 2004 in Orlando, FL, where many salon pros were wowed by the units’ high-tech looks and dynamic features. “It’s been a very positive experience for us, and we’re looking forward to continuing to meet the needs of the American tanning salon owner,” Gianluca said.

Quality & Availability
In Italy as in America, Sportarredo assures tanning salon pros that their quality is second to none. “From the manufacturing plant, each single unit is taken to an enclosed area and tested for two hours in an environment that simulates the working conditions of a tanning salon,” Gianluca explained. “After this test, the equipment goes to a laboratory where a Certificate of Emission is issued and filed for future reference. We’ve been doing this for 25 years.” Although all Sportarredo units are manufactured overseas, the company makes sure its product line is in stock and ready to ship. That’s because the company understands that when it comes to American salon owners, availability is just as important as quality.

In order to make Sportarredo equipment available to as many salon pros as possible, the company formed alliances with some of the industry top distributors. One of the first to represent Sportarredo USA was CTS, Inc. “We felt that their European design would be appealing to the American market, and this has proven to be true, with sales being very brisk on the higher-end models,” said Frank Hutton, CTS Vice President. “Their installation program is great and they provide flexible solutions to get the equipment installed so as to not disrupt the salon’s normal business flow. They also keep an adequate inventory on hand, which brings a high level of value-added benefits to CTS and our salon clients. Best of all, their equipment gives the salon consumer what they are looking for – a great tan.”

An Impressive Array
Perhaps the very best example of Sportarredo’s Italian engineering is its top-of-the-line MasterSun 360 high-pressure bed. This system provides more homogeneous distribution of UV rays, while its innovative ventilation system keeps the acrylic cool and the tanner comfortable throughout the session. “We’re very proud of this unit because all of our passion for design and our technological achievements are in it,” Gianluca said.

While the majority of Sportarredo’s equipment caters to the high-pressure sector, the company is more than aware of low-pressure tanning’s popularity in the U.S. Their experience gained developing state-of-the-art high-pressure systems led Sportarredo to develop a range of innovative, low-pressure products – the ’Njoy Mattress and ’Njoy Mix. “These units feature fast low-pressure, in which the traditional low-pressure exposure times have been reduced without altering the gentle and gradual tanning characteristics of this system,” Gianluca explained.

In addition to its advanced, high-end tanning units, Sportarredo also offers tanning lotions. Marketed under the MySun banner, the products currently distributed in North America include Exotic Tan, Jetset, Supreme Tan, and Shocking Tan with Bronzer, and are complemented by a body moisturizer and aloe gel. What sets MySun lotions apart from the rest is an innovative complex, Tiromix, designed to support the skin during UV exposure and deliver anti-aging and moisturizing properties. “We believe in helping to take care of tanners’ skin both while they tan and after they tan, and these products are designed to naturally help the skin restore the correct hydration level and soothe any reddened areas,” Gianluca said.

What’s Ahead
The year 2004 saw the birth of Sportarredo USA, and it was an impressive debut, indeed. Three years later, the company is still going strong, and remains focused on the ideals its principals know will continue that growth. “We understand that the key to our continued success is not just in developing quality tanning equipment, it’s also in customer satisfaction. The only way we will truly be successful as a company is if we are helping the salon owners accomplish their goals.” Sportarredo plans to help salon pros achieve their goals by continuing to create tanning equipment to meet market needs, service the customer before, during and after the sale, and give salon clients access to a network of support technicians. “It’s our ambition to try to achieve perfection, or get as close to it as we possibly can,” Gianluca stated.