Frasers Group, the UK-based parent of Sports Direct, entered into an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Italian retailer Maxi Sport. Current Maxi Sport owners, Emanuele Sala, Giovanni Sala, Ester Sala, and Giulia Sala, will continue to hold a stake in the business and remain on the company’s leadership team.
Maxi Sport operates 18 stores across Italy, including six flagship locations. The business offers “an extensive range of products spanning extreme sports and winter gear,” Frasers said.
Its chains include Maxi Sport, a sports retailer with six stores across the country; Space23, a streetwear, sneakers, and sportswear retailer; Frisco, a skateboard and snowboarding retailer; Athletic, a technical running retailer; Special, a sneaker, streetwear, and basketball retailer; and BSS, a basketball, streetwear, and snowboarding retailer.
Frasers said the business “will continue to offer Italian customers its top-tier sporting goods format as Frasers unlocks additional growth opportunities for Sports Direct stores in the region in the future.”
Frasers’ CEO Michael Murray stated, “Maxi Sport represents the pinnacle of premium sports retail in Italy, and this partnership is the next phase of that journey. I look forward to working with Emanuele, Giovanni, Ester, Giulia, and their team, bringing our international experience and strong brand relationships together with their regional expertise to grow Maxi Sport’s unique offering and also launch Sports Direct in Italy in the future.”
This announcement comes after Frasers last November acquired Hervis Hungary and Hervis Romania, adding over 75 stores to its Central European portfolio. Hervis is a sports retailer in those regions, and Frasers states that “through this move the group will provide consumers with greater access to the world’s best sport and lifestyle brands through Sports Direct.”
Last October, Frasers snapped up a majority stake in luxury U.S. fashion house The Webster.
Frasers owns other retailers, including Frasers, Flannels, Game, Jack Wills, and Evans Cycles, as well as various sports brands such as Karrimor, Slazenger, Lonsdale, and Everlast.
