UK-based JD Sports Fashion PLC acquired its second outdoor specialty chain since November, 2013, indicating growing confidence in the Outdoor Division it formed after acquiring Blacks Leisure out of bankruptcy in early 2012.
The company's latest acqusition is Oswald Bailey, which reported on its website last week that it had been acquired by JD Sports March 28. Oswald Baily operates 17 stores under the Millet banner, which JD Sports acquired with its acquistion of Blacks Leisure.
The stores, which are located in the Midlands and southern England, will continue to operate as normal, according to an announcement on Oswald Bailey’s web site.
JD Sports has been focusing on the outdoor specialty channel since January 2012, when it spent £20 million to acquire most of the assets of Blacks Leisure, including a network of about 300 corporate and franchise stores operating under the Blacks and Millet banners. The company closed 122 of those stores in 2012 and brought in a new management team that has focused Blacks on serving the core outdoor enthusiasts and Millet on selling mostly apparel and footwear to more casual outdoor customers.
The business, which JD Sports reports under its Outdoor Division, had larger than expected operating losses of £14.9 million in the fiscal year ended Feb. 2, 2013, but JD Sports said performance has been improving; a claim that appears to have been validated by recent acquisitions. Last November, the company acquired control of the Tiso Group, which operates 10 Tiso outdoor stores in Scotland.
The United Kingdom is the second largest market for outdoor products in Europe after Germany, according to the European Outdoor Group.
