The French sporting goods retailer Decathlon is expanding its portfolio to include the German e-commerce specialist Bergfreunde GmbH.
On Monday, the Kirchentellinsfurt-based outdoor outfitter announced that Decathlon had already signed a corresponding purchase agreement with the previous Bergfreunde owner Backcountry on November 24th. Financial details were not disclosed.
Bergfreunde’s current management team remains on board
After the completion of the transaction, which is still subject to regulatory approval and is expected in the first quarter of 2024, Bergfreunde will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the French trading group, the company announced. The online retailer will also “continue to operate on the market organisationally and operationally independently and completely detached from Decathlon’s core business”.
According to Bergfreunde, the organization and staff will also remain unchanged after the change of ownership. “The two long-standing managing directors Matthias Gebhard and Ronny Höhn will continue to run the company as usual, as will the existing management team,” it said in a statement.
Bergfreunde has increased its annual sales more than tenfold since 2013
Bergfreunde GmbH, founded in 2006, was taken over by the US retailer Backcountry in 2013. Since then, the German e-commerce specialist has increased its annual sales from 18 to 242 million euros “thanks to a high level of entrepreneurial independence” and has “always been profitable,” the company said. For the current year 2023, it expects “further double-digit percentage growth.”
Managing Director Matthias Gebhard sees the upcoming takeover as the next step in the company’s history: “We will take the company to the next level of growth,” he explained in a statement. “We are convinced that with Decathlon we have a smart, financially strong and long-term partner at our side.”