Sports direct expands into Central Eastern Europe

The UK's largest Sports retailer Sports direct is continuing its expansion into the Central Eastern Europe region and now has 30 stores in 5 CEE countries. The country in the CEE region with the most stores is Slovenia with 13, Poland 7, Czech 4 and both Slovakia and Hungary with 3 each. Sports Direct also has a growing presence in other Central European countries with 44 stores in Austria and 2 in Germany.

The company is well known in the international sporting market for its high quality of sporting products and exceptional employee care. They carry several internationally-renowned brands including Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Lonsdale, Umbro, Karrimor, Dunlop, and Slzenger. The range of products the stores carry includes sports clothing and equipment. As the name suggests, customers can purchase products online as well as in store.

Founded in 1982 in the United Kingdom, Sport Direct has since grown to be the largest sports chain store in Britain. There are over 470 stores across Europe, with locations in Britain, France, Belgium, Ireland, Slovenia, Portugal, and Holland. The company has taken different operating names in different countries and currently operates as SportsDirect.com, Field and Trek, Donnay International, Gilesports, and Hargreaves Sports. They also have a shareholding in Heatons which operates in Northern Ireland and Ireland. The company also owns a majority stake in Sports Direct Portugal.