While the brands that have marked our shopping afternoons are gradually disappearing, one of them stands out for its recent boom.
A historic brand
Intersport is a cooperative founded in 1924 by scout associations, originally named "La Hutte". In 1956, four national groups (France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany) created the first European sporting goods association, which led to a change of name: " Intersport ".
To coordinate this organization, Intersport International Corporation was founded in Switzerland in 1968, bringing together 10 countries, 652 points of sale and sales of CHF 35 million.
Today, the cooperative is the world's largest sporting goods distribution group, with sales of €13.7 billion in 2022 and a presence in over 65 countries worldwide..
A recipe for success
It stands out for its proximity strategy. Over 70% of stores are operated under franchise and benefit from the negotiating power of the central purchasing group.
Franchisees are independent retailers bound by contract to a franchisor, whose operating rules they must respect. Cooperators are independent retailers who are shareholders in their brand, and therefore participate in the management of the network.
The decentralized management and national autonomy reinforceadaptability to the specific features of each local market.
Intersport has chosen to favour local stocks rather than a central warehouse to respond rapidly to customer needs. OMS and Ship from Store from Order Management System specialist OneStock have made it possible to expand the online range by unifying store inventories, thereby increasing product availability. product availability.
In just 9 months of use (implementation of OMS first quarter 2019), Intersport has seen a 200% increase in its web sales, reinforcing its phygital approach and improving the customer experience, which is reflected in its NPS.
The challenges facing the brand
On April 28, 2023, after examining nearly twenty takeover bids, the Grenoble Commercial Court selected Intersport's offer for the takeover of Go Sport. For 35 million euros, Intersport acquires 72 Go Sport stores stores preserving 90% of jobs. There's no denying that the stakes are going to be focused on this absorption and the overhaul of the logistics chain. overhaul of the logistics chain. A vast transformation plan to come.
"We have an ambitious industrial project for Go Sport: between inventories and investment needs, there will be a budget of 140 to 150 million euros over the next 7-8 years," points out Jacky Rihouet, CEO of Intersport France, in an interview with AFP.
Sources :
Statista :Intersport annual sales between 2008 and 2021
La Tribune : Takeover of Go Sport: Intersport boss staunchly defends his project
Les Echos: Intersport takes over Go Sport to overtake Decathlon in France