SPORT 2000 Group International proves how strong partnerships work across national borders and make local sports retailers fit for the future. As a globally active retail service organisation, it combines strategic expertise with regional proximity. In this blog post, Commercial Director Dieter Schott shares his perspective on how data-based decisions, flexible market development and international cooperation work together optimally and why closing ranks within the Group is a decisive competitive advantage today.
With currently 17 country organisations, the SPORT 2000 Group International is broadly positioned – from European core markets to island states such as Mauritius. It is precisely this diversity that is a key strength of the SPORT 2000 Group. « Each country has its own cultural characteristics and consumer habits, which we understand and respect, » says Dieter Schott, Commercial Director of SPORT 2000 Group International. For example, a comparison between southern European countries and the DACH region reveals different requirements: While in southern markets the sportstyle aspect takes centre stage, more northern and technical regions place more emphasis on performance. « This diversity creates clear opportunities: we see a strong overlap in terms of content across national borders, particularly in the sports style sector, for example in sneakers. At the same time, regional customisation remains essential in the performance sector. It is precisely this balance that makes us successful, » Schott is convinced. At the same time, the diversity is also a challenge: « It is crucial to find the greatest common denominator. In other words, identifying overlaps in content that we can build on together. »
Data as a strategic basis
A key success factor for SPORT 2000 is data-based strategy development: « We are working intensively on consolidating and analysing the sales data of our retailers. Some countries such as France and the Netherlands are already very advanced in this respect, while others are catching up. This increasing data transparency helps us to make more targeted product range and brand decisions, recognise trends earlier and react flexibly to market developments. »
Bridge between brand and market
Global brands play a key role in this context. « They are internationally positioned, not just nationally. US companies in particular often struggle with the fragmented structure of Europe. German brands, on the other hand, usually have a better understanding of the European market, » says Schott. SPORT 2000 Group International sees itself as a strategic interface: « Our brand partners want to streamline their processes. They benefit enormously from not having to discuss all the seasonal details individually with each country organisation. That’s a huge amount of extra work. Ideally, they communicate directly with us as an international organisation and we integrate the national SPORT 2000 branches into the relevant processes at a very early stage. » For brands with purely local relevance, the respective country organisation remains the first point of contact: close to the market, people and specific requirements.
Control centrally, strengthen locally
SPORT 2000 Group International is aiming for an international product range of around 30 per cent. « The remaining 70 per cent will be market-specific. In this way, we ensure local relevance in the individual markets and at the same time play to our international strengths, » says Schott. Particularly in high-turnover segments such as skiing, running and football, bundled purchasing volumes and coordinated product ranges can provide strong leverage for the entire group. The merger of national organisations and their specialist retailers creates an effective negotiating position vis-à-vis the industry. « As the leading specialist group, we bring together most running, football and outdoor retailers, among others. This gives us differentiating features, such as exclusive models from global brands, which we achieve by strategically bundling purchasing and marketing, » says the Commercial Director.
Strong structures for local specialist retailers
Being part of an international retail service organisation is increasingly becoming a success factor for many specialist retailers. « Small and medium-sized retailers in particular benefit from our community, which not only pools product ranges but also relieves them of administrative processes such as accounting and invoicing, » says Schott. This allows sports retailers to concentrate on their customers and their local presence. The SPORT 2000 Group’s expertise and community also play a key role: « When a big player like Globetrotter joins our network, it’s not just because it expects added economic value. It’s because they know that this is an organisation that understands the outdoors. »
Dieter Schott – Commercial Director at SPORT 2000 Group International
Picture Rights: SPORT 2000 International GmbH / Fauxels (Pexels.com)
