🠈 Sports Direct 🠊
Sports Direct
Sports Direct PLC is the largest sporting goods retailer in the United Kingdom. The company was created by a sports enthusiast and investor named Mike Ashley. The early growth of the company was tied in with personal investments. For example, Ashley owns the team New Castle United as an independent investor.
The portfolio currently includes the US based chains Easter Mountain Sports and Bob's Sports.
Acquisition History
During the financial crisis, Sports Direct acquired several large sporting goods stores. This section lists transactions that I encounter in other research.
- 1982: Mike Ashley established the company in Maidenhead as Mike Ashley Sports
- 2000: company formed a joint venture in Belgium called Disports.
- 2002: Ashley acquired the Lilywhites.
- 2004: Ashley acquired Dunlop Slazenger for £40 million
- 2004: Ashley acquired Karrimor for £5 million.
- 2006: he acquired Kangol for an estimated £12 million.
- 2007: Sports Direct held its IPO.
- 2011: Sports Direct acquired clothing manufacturer USC
- 2013: SD acquired a bankrupt firm called Republic which had 116 stores.
- 2017: SD acquired the bankrupt Vestis Retail Group from Versa. This acquisition included Bob's Sports and Eastern Mountain Sports.
History of Bob's Stores
Bob's Stores is a chain of 30 sporting goods stores in the Eastern US with a focus on team apparel.
- 1956 Bob Lapidus opened Bob's Surplus in Middletown, Ct.
- 1975: Bob opened his second store in Enfield, Ct. The chain grew to five stores.
- 1990: Melville Corporation acquired Bob's Stores. They expanded the chain to 34 stores and intended a nationwide rollout.
- 1997: Melville changed its name to CVS and announced intentions to sell everything but its pharmacy.
- 1997: Management with help by Citicorp Venture Capital bought the chain.
- 2003: Bob's declare bankruptcy.
- 2003: TJX Companies bid $113M for the store. Dick's Sporting Good's outbid TJX. Dick's planned to close most the stores; so the court accepted TJX's bid.
- 2008: Versa Capital Management and Crystal Capital acquired Bob's
- 2012: Bob's launched its online shop.
History of Eastern Mountain Sports
Eastern Mountain Sports EMS is a chain with about 15 sporting goods stores on the East Coast.
- 1967: Company was founded in Wellesley, Ma by climbing buddies Alan McDonough, whose family owned a chain of hotels, and a lawyer Roger Furst.
- 1968: They built a 10,000 square foot store in in Boston.
- 1981: The Franklin Mint a division of Warner Communications acquired the firm.
- ????: Warner sold EMS to American Retail Group.
- 2004: J.H. Whitney and Company acquired EMS
- 2012: Versa Capital Management acquired the firm.
References:
- Wikipedia - Sports Direct (Drawn 6/23/2018)