Exclusive Interview: jet star kicks off footy venture

Located in central Bangkok's Meng Jhai area, Super Kick is the biggest premium indoor-football complex in Thailand, with four playing areas. Its artificial grass fields are certified by Fifa, the international governing body for football.

"Super Kick was designed as a meeting place not only for me and my friends. Many people get together there for their favourite activities - particularly football," Surasit Sriorathaikul, president of the company, said in an interview with The Nation.

Jet Star Super Sport Centre is a subsidiary of Beauty Gems Group, the country's leading gems and jewellery manufacturer and exporter. Entering the sport-facility business is in line with the group's plan to diversify, particularly into property projects and services.

The group manages three property projects: The Royal Gems Golf City on Rangsit-Nakhonnayok Road, Asia's biggest golf course, which required an investment of Bt1 billion; Park Lane Community Mall on Soi Ekamai, with an investment of Bt500 million; and the Bt100-million Super Kick.

While the group's income from gems and property businesses averages Bt12 billion a year, property accounts for less than 10 per cent of the total.

Surasit said Super Kick was initially expected to break even within four years. Normally, such an investment should break even in 1.6 years.

"The break-even period will have to be longer," he said, adding that he would try to do it in as short a time as possible.

Surasit believes operating a business requires a focus not only on management, but also on related factors such as lifestyle and customer relations. To this end, the company conducted a focus-group survey of 500 people asking them about their satisfaction with its services.

Surasit has had to adjust his management and investment plans to cope with the economic crisis and the rapidly changing business environment. For instance, the group has had to consider smaller investment projects, targeting projects valued at Bt30 million to Bt40 million, compared to Bt200 million previously.

Surasit, who is also president and CEO of Beauty Gems Group, said the negative economic factors had prompted the group to be more careful about its investments to reduce business risk. In addition, the world economic crisis had reduced consumer spending power, directly affecting the export market, he said.

"We have to become like the cactus plant, which can survive for three or four months without water," he said.