The managing director of the sports retail chain Intersport France, Jacky Rihouet, is planning to sell 30 of his Intersport stores, according to reports from the French competition authority.
The stores, which are mainly located in northwest France, are to be sold to the Schiever wholesale group. Intersport is the second largest provider of sporting goods in France after Decathlon and is a cooperative network of around 300 entrepreneurs who own a total of 800 Intersport specialist stores.
Rihouet, head of the holding company Tousports and managing director of Intersport, is in the process of selling 20 of his Intersport stores as well as five Intersport outlets. This corresponds to almost the entire Tousports holding, which is owned by the 64-year-old entrepreneur. This is according to a notice from the French competition authority, which was uncovered by French media outlet l’Informé last week. Rihouet’s term at the helm of the cooperative is expected to end in 2025, according to l’Informé.
Intersport, Blackstore and Go Sport
In addition to the Intersport branches, Schiever could also take control of four stores of the French clothing provider Blackstore and two stores of the sports goods retailer Go-Sport.
Schiever is mainly represented in the eastern French region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and operates, among others, food retail chains such as Auchan, Maximarché and Proximarché as well as hardware stores and garden centers such as Weldom and Bricoman.
The French competition authority has initiated an initial examination phase of the project, which could last up to 25 working days. If, after this examination, there are concerns about the risk of impairment of competition, the authority can initiate a second, more detailed examination phase, which in turn can take up to 65 working days.
This translated article previously appeared on FashionUnited.fr. Translation and editing: Pia Schulz