JD and Intersport growing closer through JD Pro?

By

Olivier Guyot

Published
Nov 28, 2012

JD Sports saw the demise of the JJB Sports chain as an opportunity to fill in the gap in sports performance retail in England. And now the British press is reporting on the opening of the first JD Pro store on Bow Lane in London this week. The 740 square meter store offers sports techology with brands like Asics, Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Under Armour, The North Face and Wilson. Tom Knight, former CEO of JJB Sports, will oversee the rollout of the new concept.

The first images of the store exterior show window displays featuring running products and signage that superimposes the JD Pro and Intersport logos. The store opening has apparently been a surprise at Intersport International, which stated that the agreement involves the group's UK branch and that Intersport is only handling centralized payments (purchases from brands) for JD Pro.

However, discussions are underway for more advanced cooperation, possibly concerning the introduction of in-house brands. Still, Intersport International emphasized that it does not intend to develop this type of concept in other markets.

A second JD Pro store is scheduled to open in the spring in Chelmsford, 50 miles northeast of London.