Olympia Sports has acquired four stores from Sportshoe Center Inc., the Maine-based athletic footwear and apparel chain based in Kennebunk. The stores, located in Wells and Scarborough, MI; Manchester, VT; and Lake George, NY, will have a grand reopening on June 23. The retailer now boasts 167 stores.
Another two stores in Londonderry and Merrimack, NH, were purchased by an employee, Michael Muzyczka. The stores have since been renamed, “Sportshoe of New Hampshire.”
Dick Coffey, president of Olympia Sports, said in a statement that “our hope is to retain Sportshoe Center's well trained and professional staff as we welcome the opportunity to open in new markets.”
Sportshoe Center, which now has eight locations after the sale of the six units, said it sold the locations to take advantage of new opportunities. According to a statement by Marc Brunelle, president of Sportshoe Center, “downsizing the company's retail holdings while minimizing the impact on store personnel was an important objective and will allow us to take advantage of new and different business opportunities.”
Brunelle, who could not be reached for further comment at press time, also told a local Maine publication that further downsizing is likely later this year.
