Media Room

06/2024

ONE GROUP: SPORT 2000 International becomes SPORT 2000 Group International

Sports retail is currently experiencing major changes. The international sports retail group is reporting a very satisfactory level of business results for 2023. SPORT 2000 International aims to remain competitive in this dynamic market environment by strengthening its role as a strong, unified acting, agile and future-proof retail organisation. The sports retailer is implementing the next key measures in its comprehensive transformation process. It introduces a new banner and branding strategy, a new company name, an expanded role for the international organisation and establishes an advisory board alongside the existing supervisory board.

The sports retail association looked back on a challenging yet successful financial year at this year’s Annual General Assembly in Mainhausen in May 2024. SPORT 2000 International reported a slight decline in sales of just under seven per cent for 2023 compared to the previous year. “2022 was an extraordinary record year that could not be topped in 2023 given the general developments in retail. Looking at how recent years have gone, 2023 was a good year with a positive overall trend despite a slight decline,” said Margit Gosau, CEO of SPORT 2000 International and SPORT 2000 GmbH in summary. SPORT 2000 International generated gross retail sales of 6.045 billion euros in 2023 with its 3,649 stores in 22 countries.

SPORT 2000 International strengthens its own positioning with a new role and a new name
Following the challenging business environment of recent years, the sports retail sector has started to regain strength in recent weeks and months. Nevertheless, one thing is clear: future viability in retail calls for even stronger networking. The international organisation is therefore strengthening its role and taking on a new name: SPORT 2000 International becomes SPORT 2000 Group International. “SPORT 2000 Group International and the national country organisations are closely networked, pursue a common strategic approach and unite various retail formats under one roof. We are now moving even closer together and positioning ourselves even more purposefully for retail with a stronger role for the international organisation and a new name. We will only remain successful in sports retail in the long term as a group,” says Gosau. She refers to France, where this has already been implemented under the name “SPORT 2000 Group France”, and is seeking an appropriate renaming strategy for the other national organisations. Gosau added: “We are strengthening the leadership of the international organisation in the positioning of our SPORT 2000 and ABSOLUTE formats and our Expert and Club concepts with this change. We will aim to guide, steer and further develop the implementation of the brand, banner and format strategy at international level in accordance with our guidelines. Furthermore, the SPORT 2000 Group’s international organisation will in future take on the role of strategy leader and provider of structure for the national organisations, with extended decision-making powers in terms of brand partnerships, data strategy and digital strategy.” The international organisation will soon be renamed SPORT 2000 Group International. The retail organisation is working intensively on SPORT 2000’s future with the establishment of an advisory board consisting of the managing directors responsible for the national organisations, who bring with them individual core competencies and in-depth expertise.

New SPORT 2000 banner and branding strategy for the retail of tomorrow
Changing customer preferences and needs are reflected in international sports retail increasingly being segmented into specialist and multi-category stores. The staff in specialist stores are specialists with comprehensive expertise in a particular sports segment who target customers looking for specific products and offer intensive, individual specialist advice. Multi-category stores, on the other hand, offer a wider range of sporting goods and brands to satisfy a greater variety of customer needs and provide a more diverse shopping experience, but with a clearer focus and sharper positioning than was the case in the past. SPORT 2000 is positioning itself in this transformative environment as a forward-looking retail organisation with a new banner and branding strategy. The SPORT 2000 brand in future will be dedicated exclusively for the multi-category retailer format, while the specialist ABSOLUTE and Experts formats will be managed as independent brands. Margit Gosau adds: “The decision to uncouple our SPORT 2000 brand from our specialist format brands gives clarity and transparency to consumers, retailers and industry partners in sports retail. As SPORT 2000, we are the partner of choice for high-quality advice and a wider range of products in a range of sports categories. ABSOLUTE, along with the Experts and Club specialist retail concepts, are our specialist formats designed to offer in-depth expertise and exclusive products that multi-category stores do not carry. Even though the SPORT 2000 logo will no longer form part of the ABSOLUTE formats branding strategy, nor be used in the Expert concepts, the entire strength and expertise of the SPORT 2000 retailer community stands full square behind our specialist formats.”

Future agenda: digitalisation, data and expansion of the multi-category retailer format
Significant steps in the transformation process have already been put in place. The Centre of Excellence structure has been successfully implemented and is now being turned into reality together with the national country organisations. The WITEBLAZE brand has been developed and launched on the market, while the growth of the ABSOLUTE format has been accelerated. The broadening of digital expertise and optimisation of data management across national borders are two key points on the future agenda. The sports retailer is also driving forward the expansion of the SPORT 2000 multi-category retailer concept store and the elevation strategy in the SPORT 2000 format in Europe. “The rollout of our SPORT 2000 multi-category retailer concept store format, which was launched in Mauritius and Madagascar in 2022, is progressing well in Europe. The first European store in our pioneering retail concept opened on 2,000 m² in Dendermonde, Belgium at the end of 2023,” says Gosau. Further expansion of the SPORT 2000 multi-category retailer concept store format is now firmly on the agenda. Further store openings are planned in Europe by the end of 2024. The next store will open its doors to inspire end consumers on 24 June 2024 in Nordhorn.

Election and reelection confirm the Supervisory Board
Nikolay Tzonov, Managing Director of SPORT 2000 SPORT DEPOT, active in Bulgaria and Greece, and Gian-Albert Munch, Member of the Management Board of the SPORT 2000 Group in France, were elected as new members of the Supervisory Board of SPORT 2000 Group International at this year’s Annual General Assembly. Tzonov and Munch succeed Jean-Louis Parent and Roland Felder, who are leaving the Supervisory Board. Matthias Grevener stepped down from the International Supervisory Board at the end of 2023. Dr. Holger Schwarting from Austria was confirmed once again as Chair of the Supervisory Board of SPORT 2000 Group International. Marius Rovers from the Netherlands was re-elected as Deputy Chairman. The Supervisory Board is composed as follows: Chairman Dr Holger Schwarting, Austria; Vice Chairman Marius Rovers, the Netherlands; Dominik Solleder, Germany; Nikolay Tzonov, Bulgaria/Greece; Gian-Albert Munch (treasurer), France.

SPORT 2000 Group International
SPORT 2000 Group International is the second largest sports retailer worldwide with 3,649 stores in 22 countries. The sports retail company generated sales totalling EUR 6.045 billion in 2023.