Holdsport (HSP), which runs the Sportsmans Warehouse and Outdoor Warehouse stores in South Africa, went public on the JSE (Johannesburg Stock Exchange).
Last week, Holdsport placed 30 million shares in the company at 31 rand each, raising 930 million rand ($135mm).
Last month, the company said its planned listing was to facilitate the exit of majority shareholder, Ethos Private Equity. Ethos, which bought its stake in the group in 2006 for 681 million rand, owns about 67 percent, while the company’s management consortium owns the rest.
Catering to outdoor and sports enthusiasts, Holdsport’s history dates back to 1986 when the first Sportmans Warehouse was opened in Rondebosch in the Western Cape.
The company operates 33 Sportmans Warehouse and 18 Outdoor Warehouse stores in SA and has turnover of about 1.1 billion rand ($159 mm).
The company also has a strategic investment in First Ascent, which is independently managed and supplies technical apparel to the sporting goods industry under the First Ascent brand.
