At an extraordinary general meeting on Jan. 11, 2024, the Zentrasport Österreich e. Gen. cooperative, which is part of the international retail network Sport 2000, decided to become part of ANWR Group eG and the Sport 2000 country network led by Sport 2000 Germany. In July 2023, the Austrian cooperative announced a restructuring process starting at the beginning of August after full warehouses, as well as the payment default of one major retailer, significantly strained the liquidity of the cooperative. In November, Zentrasport then announced that the restructuring proceedings with self-administration were successfully closed and that the creditors approved the restructuring plan.
“With currently 150 financially strong retailers rated by an external bank, Sport 2000 continues to be a strong player in the Austrian sports retail sector,” said Dr. Holger Schwarting, CEO of Sport 2000 Austria. “The merger with ANWR not only provides financial security but also opens up numerous opportunities through the use of cross-border synergies. Just as the successful restructuring was a team effort by our retailers, suppliers, employees and partners, we will now work on the future as a team together with our colleagues from ANWR and the Sport 2000 country network.”
Following the members’ decision to join forces with the ANWR Group and the Sport 2000 country network, it is now important to position themselves well for the future in the new network. The Sport 2000 country network currently comprises five countries: Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Belgium, under the leadership of Sport 2000 Deutschland GmbH.
