Sport 2000 International reports an 8 percent increase on a comparable basis in the retail turnover of its affiliated retailers all over Europe in 2015. The growth rate was higher in absolute terms as big national retail organizations in Italy, Finland and Sweden joined the group in the course of the year.
Spain and Poland should follow in 2016. Reports from Spain indicate that negotiations have started that may lead one of the major local buying groups, Base Detall Sport, to rejoin Sport 2000 International after many years of absence.
With the annexation of Italy, Finland and Sweden, Sport 2000 International estimates that it is covering 16 percent of the European market with a retail turnover of €6.6 billion generated through 4,154 shops in 25 countries. For 2014, Sport 2000 International had reported a retail turnover of €6.26 billion and 3,728 affiliated stores.
Hans-Hermann Deters, interim managing director of Sport 2000 International, wants to intensify the cooperation with major international players like Adidas, Asics, Nike, Puma, Under Armour and the Amer Sports group. Sport 2000 has been working with Nike only on some joint campaigns, but Deters hopes that the group will be able to strike a strategic agreement with the Swoosh.
At the same time, Sport 2000 International wants to see the share taken by its own exclusive brands rise from less than five percent to ten percent, allowing the affiliated retailers to make attractive offers at entry-price levels.
As we have already reported in The Outdoor Industry Compass, Sport 2000 announced at the OutDoor show in Friedrichshafen earlier this month that North Bend, the best-selling private brand of Team Sportia, the Swedish retail chain that joined Sport 2000 International together with SGN Sportia of Finland in September last year, will be sold in Germany by Sport 2000 exclusively.
From autumn/winter 2016/17, the Swedish performance outdoor apparel brand will be sold at 15 selected outdoor stores. From spring/summer 2017, the North Bend label will be available for all Sport 2000 retailers in the German market, serving as a complement to the German Sport 2000's exclusive brand, High Colorado. North Bend was the best-selling outdoor brand of Swedish Sport 2000 retailers in 2015. In the medium-term, Sport 2000 International also plans the exclusive distribution of North Bend in other markets, like Austria and France. It is possible that Sport 2000 Germany will develop hardware for North Bend at a later stage.
Meanwhile, new efforts will be made to expand the visibility of the Sport 2000 brand.
