Rolf Gullestad is preparing to relinquish his job as president and chief executive of Gresvig, the buying group behind the Intersport, G-Sport and G-Max banners in Norway. The 65-year-old Gullestad has been at the helm for 11 years, leading Gresvig through a change of ownership and a move into fashion retailing. The buying group managed to retain its wide market leadership in sports retailing, with retail sales estimated at about 4,328 million Norwegian kroner (€574.3m-$717.2m) in 293 Intersport and G-Sport stores last year, excluding VAT. Still, the last years were tense, as Gresvig came under attack from XXL, the large-scale sports retailer, leading to the opening of Gresvig's G-Max outlets and its acquisition of dozens of stores. Several prominent suppliers exited central purchasing agreements with Gresvig in the last three years, from Helly Hansen to Bergans, Haglöfs and more. Espen Braaten was appointed earlier this year to take over the leadership of Gresvig's sports banners, enabling Gullestad to go into semi-retirement. He will continue to be formally employed by Gresvig and will remain available for the company until August 2014. Before his stint at Gresvig, Gullestad served as chief executive for Norway, the Nordic region and Europe at Thorn, and as a director for Komplett ASA.

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