UK-based JD Sports Fashion, sports apparel and accessories retailer, has announced acquisition of 100 per cent of the issued share capital of Go Outdoors Topco Limited, a UK-based omnichannel outdoor retailer, for £ 112.3 million plus the assumption of around £ 16 million in debt.
The acquisition will complement JD Group’s existing significant interest in the outdoor market through its Blacks, Millets, Ultimate Outdoors and Tiso businesses. The vast majority of the JD Group’s existing outdoor stores are situated on the high street and therefore there is minimal crossover with those of Go Outdoors, which has 58 stores across the UK, most of which are situated in out of town retail parks.
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Peter Cowgill, Executive Chairman, JD Group 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 in the Outdoor sector.”
Following completion of the acquisition, Paul Caplan and John Graham, Founder of Go Outdoors will leave the business.
