Frasers Group reportedly snaps up former JD-owned stores in the Netherlands
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A relaunch is in the works for part of the Perry Sport, Aktiesport and Sprinter stores, with British retail giant Frasers Group understood to be taking on their operations.
It comes after the parent company of Perry Sport, Aktiesport and Sprinter, Sports Unlimited Retail went bankrupt in December. At that time, 54 stores were owned by the company. Dutch media outlet RTLZ has now reported that up to 20 of the stores will continue. The actual number is not yet certain, which also makes it difficult to say anything about the jobs that will be retained. In doing so, it is also not clear what will happen to the names on the storefronts.
In the Aktiesport, Perry Sport and Sprinter stores, a clearance sale has been taking place since the declaration of bankruptcy in December. In the locations, only debit cards can be used and various discounts are given. Online orders can no longer be placed.
What will happen to the remaining stores in Sports Unlimited Retail's portfolio is also unclear. Several interested parties were reported to have come forward in December, according to RTLZ.
Partial reboot of Perry Sport, Aktiesport and Sprinter stores
Perry Sport and Aktiesport were acquired by the UK's JD Sports in 2016, which at the time had rescued the labels from the bankruptcy of United Sports Group (USG). JD Sports paid 26.5 million euros for the two Dutch chains.
Both Perry Sport and Aktiesport were incorporated into a new subsidiary: Sports Unlimited Retail. This was in turn transferred to another JD Sports subsidiary, Iberian Sports Retail Group S.L., for which the group was already a majority stakeholder. Later, in 2023, the British company acquired all the shares of the Spanish group, once again giving it full ownership of Perry Sport and Aktiesport.
In the summer of 2023, it was announced that Perry Sport and Aktiesport were being converted to the Sprinter formula. Sprinter is a Spanish sister chain of the two sports retailers. Consequently, the green and white logo of Sprinter appeared in the Dutch streetscape. This rollout seems to have been accomplished recently.