Sport & Leisure
Sport & Leisure covers the business performance, product innovation, and consumer trends driving the UK’s sports, fitness, and leisure retail sectors. This section reports on brand strategy, partnerships, sustainability, and digital engagement across apparel, equipment, and lifestyle categories. Retail Sector’s Sport & Leisure coverage provides insight for retailers, suppliers, and brand managers into how evolving health trends, technology, and consumer behaviour are shaping growth and competition in this dynamic market.
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Dec- 2024 -16 December
Sports Direct opens new 29,000sq ft store in Westfield White City
Frasers Group has opened its latest Sports Direct’s latest store in London’s Westfield White City Shopping Centre. Complementing Sports Direct’s first flagship, situated on London’s Oxford Street, the retailer’s new White City location aims to bring a “cutting-edge retail experience”. Spanning 29,000 sq. ft across two floors, Sports Direct White…
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3 December
Mike Ashley ‘met by stone wall’ in HMRC data dispute
Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley has launched legal action against HMRC, saying that the government body made “extensive” breaches of data protection, The Times has reported. The High Court has heard that Ashley was “met with a complete stone wall”, having requested his personal data after HMRC made him aware…
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Nov- 2024 -27 November
JD Sports acquires Courir in €520m deal
JD Sports has completed its acquisition of French sneaker retailer Group Courir for €520m (£433m), which will be paid through a combination of existing cash and a drawdown on the group’s revolving credit facility. The acquisition, which was first announced on 9 May 2023, follows receipt of conditional clearance from…
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27 November
Frasers acquires South African sports retailer Holdsport
Frasers Group has expanded its global footprint through acquiring South African sporting, outdoor and recreation goods company, Holdsport.It acquired the retailer for an undisclosed sum from Old Mutual Private Equity (OMPE) and Holdsport’s management, and the transaction is expected to close in the coming months. Holdsport operates across retail, wholesale,…
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21 November
JD Sports to hit low end of guidance amid ‘volatile’ October
JD Sports has said it expects its full-year profits to hit the lower end of its £955m to £1.035bn guidance, as the retailer’s sales fell by 2.4% in the third quarter to 2 November. While the group saw “increased trading volatility” in October, particularly in the UK and North America,…
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18 November
Go Outdoors swings to pre-tax loss of £1.5m
JD Sports-owned brand Go Outdoors has reported a pre-tax loss of £1.5m for the 53 week period ended 3 February 2024. The group attributed its pre-tax loss to a disproportionate increase in costs compared with the previous period due to increased staffing and distribution costs, reflecting national wage changes and…
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1 November
Castore swings to pre-tax loss of £28.8m despite sales surge
British sportswear brand Castore has reported a pre-tax loss of £28.8m for the year ended 4 February 2024 after previously recording a profit of £14.7m the prior year. The group stated that this result has been impacted by non-recurring warehouse consolidation, ongoing investment in the cost base and a challenging…
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Oct- 2024 -22 October
Halfords sales flat in H1 as consumers remain cautious
Halfords has reported broadly flat revenues in the first half of FY25, with group sales down by 0.1% as consumers were “cautious” with their spending over the period. According to the group, this was compounded by ongoing uncertainty ahead of this year’s Autumn Budget. In the 26 weeks ended 27 September…
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16 October
Sports Direct to open new store at Trafford Palazzo in 2025
North West shopping and leisure destination, Trafford Palazzo, has secured Sports Direct as its latest occupier on a long-term agreement for early 2025. Due to open a 40,000 sq ft space in the new year, this latest Manchester Sports Direct will stock brands such as Nike, Adidas, Puma and ASICS,…
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9 October
Angling Direct revenues rise to £45.8m
Angling Direct, the fishing equipment retailer, has announced a 5.6% increase in revenues to £45.8m for the six months ended 31 July 2024. The group’s store sales were up 8.4% to £26.4m, while its online sales rose 2.8% to £17.0m. Like-for-like store sales also increased by 1.8% underpinned by improved…
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