Deportes Alvarado will be severing its ties with the Intersport Spain buying group on Oct. 31, according to CMDsport. This is its 50th anniversary year, and it has been with Intersport for about half of its existence.
“We are not leaving Intersport over any difference or dispute with the group,” said second-generation owner Javier Alvarado, “but because I think I’ll go down a better path if I go it alone.” Alvarado wishes to keep his 150-square-meter store in Valencia focused on the outdoor market, whereas Intersport is hewing to a multisport model. “We’re betting on a more niche, more specific market.”
The store never works with Nike and seldom with Adidas, carrying nothing from the latter but the Terrex line, whose Spanish distributor is BM Sportech. Spain’s mountain sports market has many brands but few stores. This “favors mutually beneficial relations between suppliers and retailers that don’t require buying groups, which these days are indeed necessary if you’re going to deal with Nike and Adidas, especially at the moment.”
Deportes Alvarado enjoyed year-on-year revenue growth of 15 percent in 2022. First-quarter 2023 is looking to produce year-on-year growth of 10 percent. Ski sales have been solid despite less-than-ideal snow, and so have sales in climbing, which has drawn many new customers in cities. Other bright spots are spelunking and canyoning, while hiking and scuba diving have been stable.
