Perry sport and Aktiesport starting afresh with JD Sports

The liquidators of the bankrupt parent company, Unlimited Sports Group (USG), announced that it has reached an agreement for the sale of Perry Sport and Aktiesport.

The Dutch sport retailers will be starting afresh with British retailer JD Sports. The continuity of a large number of shops is ensured by the agreement and guarantees employment for a great part of the current 800 employees at Perry Sport and Aktiesport.

It has not yet been confirmed how many branches JD Sports will keep open. The British company will eventually transfer or close some outlets, depending on the performance of the stores and negotiations with landlords. Perry Sport has a total of 70 outlets, with a majority of independent stores and Aktiesport has 180 outlets across the Netherlands.

Unlimited Sports Group filed for bankruptcy in February after facing financial difficulties. The company was greatly affected by the bankruptcy of Dutch department store V&D and shoe chain Scapino, where the sports chains operated with shop-in-shop formulas. Perry Sport had 11 shops in various V&D department stores, while Aktiesport had 128 units in Scapino branches. 

The agreement between JD Sports and the curators of USG still has to be reviewed and approved by The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) before it is final. A decision by the ACM is expected to be reported later this week.

The first Dutch branch of Perry Sport opened in 1866 in Amsterdam, at the time named The English American Warehouse Perry & Co. The American company Unlimited Sports Group took over ownership of Perry Sport in 2006. Aktiesport was established in 1983 when the first store opened in Gouda.

JD Sports is the leading retailer and distributor of branded sportswear and fashion wear. The company was founded in 1981 and currently has over 800 stores and formulas, operating in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Germany and The Netherlands. 

By Shomara Roosblad