Go Sport

History

2022: Network Closure

Sportmaster closes the Go Sport sporting goods chain in Poland due to sanctions. This became known in mid-June 2022.

In March 2022, Sportmaster's parent structure, Sportmaster Operations Ltd. (registered in Singapore), announced plans to sell Go Sport. Two months later, according to the Polish publication Wprost.pl, the Polish Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (UOKiK) even approved the sale of Go Sport to the British Sports Direct structure. But the deal never took place, the source said.

On April 27, 2022, the Polish authorities added Go Sport to the sanctions list along with 35 companies from Russia and Belarus. All accounts of the retailer in the country were blocked, 25 points of sale and the retailer's online store closed.

According to experts interviewed by Kommersant, due to sentiments in Poland regarding Russia, only a foreign company could buy the network, but for them the asset could be unattractive, because due to the suspension of work for several months, Go Sport could have problems with mandatory payments. Transferring business to local top management is also unlikely: to open stores, investments are needed that the team would hardly be able to attract.

The Polish division did not have time to take a significant share in the overall structure of Sportmaster Group of Companies and its closure is unlikely to have a serious impact on the business of the entire group, says Olga Sumishevskaya, partner at One Story. According to her, the current situation in Asia, where the retailer has its main production, is more critical.

The usual supply chains are disrupted due to the refusal of large container companies to work with Russia, transportation from China is carried out only by rail or through a large number of ports by small players, the expert added.[1]

Notes

Шаблон:Remarks