Sport Alliance International (SAI), the new international arm of the Italian buying group by the same name (see SGI Europe of last Dec. 8), is finalizing contracts with about 30 independent retailers managing 50 sporting goods stores in Austria. Ready to provide financial guarantees for their payments, they have expressed interest in joining the Gigasport chain of Kastner & Öhler in bundling their purchases for the spring-summer 2012 season with Sportler and some 250 other Italian retail members, especially in areas such as outdoor products and cycling.
SAI has appointed a 26-year-old sports enthusiast, Roberto Radivo, to handle business development in Austria, after a stint in financial brokerage. Francesco Snyder, who had been involved in Sport Alliance's internationalization project before, is now one of four category sales managers, in charge of snow sports, water sports and tennis.
The challenge now is to convince more brands and manufacturers to work with the enlarged group. Several brands, including Black Diamond and The North Face, have already agreed to sell their products via the new entity for the autumn/winter 2011/12 season. In addition, the members have access to the private labels of Sport Alliance.
