Sports PLC, the leading online retailer of sports, outdoor leisure and fitness equipment and clothing, is seeking to expand its global operations through acquisitions, its CEO Simon Millington has announced.
The UK-based company, which owns golf and cricket brands Forgan and Woodworm and also has successful retail operations in the USA and Australia, sees expanding its product portfolio by acquiring other sports equipment companies as a key part of its growth strategy.
Millington, 45, said: “We are proud to be in a position where we can continue to invest in Sports PLC and strategically plan our growth efforts. Our successful business has been built around establishing our own brands and acquiring others, as we did with Woodworm in 2008, and we are actively pursuing this plan.
“We would be interested to hear from any sport brands and companies in all markets. All enquiries will be treated as highly confidential. Our economies of scale in product sourcing, sales and customer support and warehousing and distribution mean we are ideally-placed to either galvanise an established company that’s suffering in the current economic conditions, or provide a fantastic platform to help a new company or brand achieve its objectives.”
Sports PLC rescued cricket batmaker Woodworm from administration in 2008 and has turned it into a renowned cricket equipment and clothing brand, used by England’s man of the series in the test against Sri Lanka, Chris Tremlett. Woodworm supplies the West Indies cricket team with all its match and practice clothing.
The Alvechurch, Worcestershire, based company also resurrected the fortunes of Forgan of St Andrews, the world’s oldest golf club makers, and its clubs and equipment are used on the European Seniors Tour by 1991 US Masters winner Ian Woosnam and DJ Russell and on the Ladies European Tour by Krystle Caithness.
Sports PLC supplies a vast range of sports, outdoor leisure and fitness equipment including golf clubs, balls, clothing and shoes, cricket bats and accessories, camping equipment, exercise bikes and rowing machines, skiwear, mountain bikes and the revolutionary I-onics magnetic sports bands.
The company sells its products via www.thesportshq.com