JD Sports buy Go Outdoors

Retailer JD Sports Fashion Plc has bought Go Outdoors Topco Limited for a price of £112.3m.

JD Sports, who have a headquarter in Bury, announced on Sunday that they have acquired 100% of the issued share capital from Go Outdoors also they have assumed a net debt of around £16m.

During the 53 weeks to 31st January 2016, Go Outdoors recorded a pre-tax profit of £4.9m and revenue of £202.2m.

JD believes the acquisition will help them to strengthen their foothold in the outdoor market, which already included brands such as Blacks, Millets, Ultimate Outdoors.

JD currently have a total of 182 outdoor-focussed stores which are mainly located on the high street, however, most Go Outdoors shops are located in out-of-town retail parks.

JD’s executive chairman, Peter Cowgill, said: “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.“