The world’s second-largest independent sports retail network appoints an outdoor industry veteran as Chair and a retail transformation specialist as Deputy Chair. The governance move aligns Sport 2000’s oversight with its own growth thesis: specialization over scale.
Sport 2000 Group International has appointed a new Supervisory Board Chair and Deputy Chair, completing a full leadership renewal of its governing body at the organization’s annual international conference, held last week at the ANWR Campus in Mainhausen.
Kössler and Dubbert take the top board seats
Martin Kössler, a Swedish entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience across the sport and outdoor sectors, becomes the new Chair of the Supervisory Board. Kössler has held senior roles at Haglöfs, Gore-Tex and Bergans of Norway and brings extensive board experience to the role. In a statement, he described Sport 2000 as “the people everyone in this industry at the end of the day depend on, the front line in everyday contact with the end users,” and cited further international expansion as his primary ambition for the role.
Chantal Dubbert becomes Deputy Chair. A retail and fashion executive with a background spanning Globetrotter, s.Oliver and Görtz, Dubbert currently supports businesses through transformation processes. “I want to specifically use my many years of retail experience and my expertise from transformation processes to actively help shape the development of Sport 2000,” she said.
The reconstituted board is composed as follows: Kössler as Chair (Sweden), Dubbert as Deputy Chair (Germany), Dominik Solleder (Germany), Nikolay Tzonov (Bulgaria/Greece) and Gian-Albert Munch as Treasurer (France).
Two long-serving chairs step down after decades of service
The appointments follow the departure of Dr Holger Schwarting, who served as Chair for more than 15 years and was responsible for key strategic developments at the organization throughout that period, and Marius Rovers, who joined the board in 2005 and held the Deputy Chair role from 2024. Their combined board tenure spans more than 35 years.
CEO Margit Gosau acknowledged their contribution: “Holger Schwarting and Marius Rovers have supported Sport 2000 Group International with great commitment, international expertise and entrepreneurial foresight. Both have provided important impetus for the further development of our network.”
A 60-year-old buying group, now a €5.3 billion retail network
The board changes were announced against the backdrop of Sport 2000’s 60th anniversary. Founded in France in 1966 by 36 specialist sports retailers, the organization has evolved from a buying cooperative into what Gosau describes as an internationally connected retail service organization. It now links approximately 2,000 independent retailers operating around 3,000 stores across 17 countries.
In 2025, the network posted gross retail sales of €5.3 billion, up 8.2 percent on a like-for-like basis, significantly outpacing overall market growth. Gosau framed the governance renewal around the same competitive argument underlying the results:
“In future, competition in specialist sports retail will not be decided by size, but by relevance.”
The “Home of Expert” is on a mission of international expansion.
The board overhaul comes at an active moment for the group’s international strategy. In February 2026, Sport 2000 entered Poland through a licensing agreement with Warsaw-based Savio Group. Gosau has confirmed that structured expansion discussions are underway in other countries. The ambition is now embedded in the new full name adopted by the organization: Sport 2000 Group International.
Disclosure: Martin Kössler holds a minority stake in EDM Publications GmbH, the parent company of SGI Europe. This article was produced under standard editorial independence protocols. SGI Europe newsroom retains full editorial control over its coverage.
