Scapino and Aktiesport in strategic tie-up

NETHERLANDS: Scapino and Aktiesport in strategic tie-up

By Leonie Barrie | 15 May 2012

Dutch sportswear retailers Aktiesport and Scapino are teaming up to broaden the reach of their products after research showed new ideas are needed to make bricks-and-mortar stores more attractive to online shoppers.

The opening this month of Aktiesport shop-in-shops at Scapino stores will kick off the strategic collaboration between the two firms, with a wider roll-out of the new format due to be completed by the end of 2013.

As well as selling its best brands in the most up-to-date Aktiesport in-store format, a wide range of products will be available to access online through touch screens.

The aim of the collaboration is to make the stores more attractive to consumers with better product displays, as well as using the floor space in a more profitable way.

The move comes after Macintosh Retail Group, the owner of the Scapino chain, found that rising online sales are leading to a decline in traffic to bricks-and-mortar stores. It also discovered that shoppers increasingly collect information online before making purchase decisions in the stores.

Scapino currently operates 211 stores in the Netherlands and 29 in Belgium. While Aktiesport, a subsidiary of Unlimited Sports Group (USG), is the largest independent sports retailer in the Netherlands, operating 150 stores selling discounted brands.

Sectors: Apparel, Footwear, Retail