The biggest Czech sporting goods retailer Sportisimo is expanding abroad and is targeting the Balkans in particular. Its co-owner and director Pavel Vajskebr says that the quickest route would be to acquire any competitors that might be planning to leave the region. “If one of the more global players in our sector wanted to leave a market outside the Czech Republic, that would definitely be an opportunity for us,” he told Hospodářské noviny. “We wouldn’t mind that kind of acquisition.” Sportisimo was founded 20 years ago in the Czech Republic, but it’s become a regional player in the meantime. Its first store in Sofia is expected to open in September, but plans to expand to Slovenia, Croatia and possibly even Serbia. Sportisimo’s biggest competitor in the Czech Republic is the French-based Decathlon. Vajskebr says the company is implementing a new IT system this month that will allow it to communicate with suppliers more efficiently and manage the flow of goods. Sportisimo’s revenues came in at a record CZK 8.9bn last year, but Vajskebr predicts this year’s results will be 10-15 percent lower.
