JD Sports to increase outdoor offering with new acquisition
28/11/2016
Based in Sheffield, Go Outdoors was originally established in 1998 by Paul Caplan and John Graham. In 1996, John Graham was managing Sheffield’s Camping and Caravanning Centre. Paul Caplan, who ran and sold fashion retailer Bankrupt Clothing, went in to buy something and loved the store’s eclecticism. Two years later the owner decided to sell and the two joined forces to take it over. Go Outdoors has grown from that single store to have 58 stores across the UK now, the majority in out-of-town retail parks. Mr Caplan and Mr Graham will leave the business when the acquisition is complete.
JD Sports said on making the announcement that this acquisition will complement its existing “significant interest” in the outdoor market. The group also operates Blacks, Millets, Ultimate Outdoors and Tiso, outdoor retailers that have a combined total of 182 UK stores, most of which are on the high street, giving what it called “minimal crossover” with Go Outdoors.
Executive chairman of JD Sports, Peter Cowgill, Executive Chairman, commented: “Go Outdoors is a great addition to our existing outdoor business. The minimal overlap in store locations and their out-of-town, one-stop retailer approach complements the work we have done on the high street with Blacks and Millets and further strengthens our offering. I am excited by the future prospects this holds for the JD Group.”
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