Off-price sports group Sportscape makes two senior hires to drive European push

Sportscape Group, the British operator of off-price online sports retailers SportPursuit and Private Sport Shop, has appointed two senior executives as CEO Andy Anson reshapes the leadership team.

Luis Arias will serve as Chief Commercial Officer, joining from off-price fashion platform Bestseller Group, where he was Director of International Buying. With three decades of experience across fashion, lifestyle and sports retail, Arias will focus on strengthening and expanding Sportscape’s brand partnerships.

Harminder Matharu will join as Chief Growth Officer at the end of March. Matharu brings 20 years of direct-to-consumer and digital marketing experience and most recently served as General Manager of Digital at luxury beauty brand Charlotte Tilbury Beauty. The role will focus on audience development and personalised digital engagement across both platforms.

Sportscape is looking beyond sporting goods for its next phase of growth. The group recruited its two new executives from fashion and beauty, a sector where off-price retail, rapid audience acquisition and data-driven personalization are table stakes.

CEO Andy Anson, who joined from Fanatics International after a long tenure leading Team GB, positioned the hires as central to an international push. The executives are “leaving established brands” to help unlock the “huge potential” of SportPursuit and Private Sport Shop, he said, with the stated goal of making them Europe’s leading sports and outdoor off-price specialists.