Frasers takes Sports Direct Down Under
Frasers Group has entered into a 25-year partnership with Accent Group to introduce the Sports Direct brand to Australia and New Zealand, as part of its international expansion strategy.
The deal includes plans to open up to 100 stores across the region over the coming years.
As part of this collaboration, Accent Group has also acquired Frasers’ online fashion outlet MySale, incorporating it into its digital strategy and strengthening Frasers’ presence in the Australian market.
Accent Group already has a presence in the Australasian retail sector, with more than 900 stores and a portfolio of 12 distributed brands.
The new agreement positions Accent as the local operator of Sports Direct, benefiting from both its established retail network and Frasers’ global brand connections.
Michael Murray, CEO of Frasers Group said: “Since acquiring a strategic shareholding in Accent, we have developed a robust partnership between Frasers and Accent. Accent has an impressive, well-established platform with various sneaker concepts and a strong distribution of brands. We’re looking forward to expanding our partnership to launch Sports Direct in Australia and New Zealand, working towards our bold plan of opening 100 stores. This reaffirms our commitment to drive the growth of the Sports Direct brand internationally and marks a significant step forward in our ambition to becoming the leading global sporting goods retailer.”
The Shirebrook-based retail giant has also increased its shareholding in Accent by 5%, now holding a total stake of 19.57%. The £29m investment will help fund the initial rollout of Sports Direct stores across Australia and New Zealand.
Accent will gain access to Frasers’ owned brands such as Everlast, Slazenger, Karrimor and USA Pro.
The partnership also opens up new opportunities through Frasers’ relationships with major global labels like Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Asics, and New Balance.
Daniel Agostinelli Accent Group CEO said: “After extensive discussions, we are very pleased to announce a long-term strategic relationship with Frasers to open Sports Direct in Australia and New Zealand. Sports Direct is one of the leading sporting goods retailing businesses globally. Frasers and Accent see a significant opportunity to bring a new and exciting global sports business to the Australian and New Zealand markets.
“Accent plans to build a large Sports Direct business in Australia with an initial rollout of at least 50 Sports Direct stores plus online targeted over the first 6 years. The rollout has key brand support and will leverage the proven operating model, combined capability and global brand relationships enabled by the Frasers and Accent alliance. Accent and Frasers see an opportunity for up to 100 stores in ANZ over time. We are looking forward to working with the Frasers team to bring Sports Direct to ANZ consumers.”
