JD Sports
 | |
| Public limited company | |
| Traded as | LSE: JD. |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Headquarters | Bury, Greater Manchester |
Key people |
Peter Cowgill Chairman) Peter Cowgill , (CEO) |
| Products |
Clothing Sportswear Accessories |
| Revenue | £1,522.3 million (2015)[1] |
| £92.6 million (2015)[1] | |
| £54.0 million (2015)[1] | |
| Owner |
Pentland Group (58%) Sports Direct (6%) Aberforth Partners (10%) Fidelity Management (5%) Peter Cowgill (CEO) (1%) Other Minor Shareholders (20%) |
| Website | www.jdsports.co.uk |
JD Sports Fashion plc, more commonly known as just JD (stylized as jD[2]), is a sports-fashion retail company based in Bury, Greater Manchester, England with shops throughout the United Kingdom, and now has 25 stores in Ireland, after taking over Irish sports retailer Champion Sports, in January 2011.
Since October 1996, it has been listed on the London Stock Exchange, and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. JD Sports Fashion Plc is also a subsidiary of the Pentland Group.
History
The letters JD in JD Sports stand for the initials of the founders of the company, John & David. In 1981, the company was established by John Wardle and David Makin, trading from a single shop in Bury.[3] In 1983, the company opened a store in the Arndale Centre in Manchester.[4] In 1989, the first store opened in Oxford Street, London. In October 1996, the company was first listed on the London Stock Exchange.[4]
In December 2001 it acquired nearly 200 further stores, with the acquisition of First Sport, from Blacks Leisure Group. In October 2005, it bought 70 stores, from the administrators of Allsports, whom entered administration in September 2005.[4] In May 2005, Pentland Group bought Wardle's and Makin's shares for £44.6M; the pair later resigned from the board.[5] In December 2007, the company bought out Bank Stores, which sold fashion clothing, such as Firetrap, Alu, Henleys & Adidas Originals for around £19M.[6]
JD Sports is the official supplier and sponsor of numerous association football teams, players and associations. In August 2008, JD Sports announced sponsorship deals with Bournemouth, Charlton Athletic, Dundee United, Blackpool, Luton Town & Oldham Athletic; these sponsorship deals allow certain clubs to use the Carbrini brand.[7] In May 2009, JD Sports acquired Chausport, which operated 75 small stores in France. In addition, JD acquired the rugby heritage brands 'Canterbury' and 'Canterbury of New Zealand' as well as 'The Duffer of St. George' and 'Kooga Rugby' brands.[8]
In January 2011, JD Sports acquired Champion Sports for €19.6M, pending approval by the Irish Competition Authority.[9] In January 2012, JD Sports purchased the troubled Blacks Leisure Group from administration for a total of £20 million.[10] In February 2012, JD Sports acquired streetwear clothing brand FLY53, for an undisclosed sum.[11] In February 2013, it purchased Cloggs, a shoe retailer, out of administration.[12]
References
- 1 2 3 "Annual Report 2015" (PDF). JD Sports. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ↑ "New distribution warehouse, Rochdale". LSLav.
- ↑ Stevenson, Rachel (7 July 2004). "JD Sports founder sells 11per cent stake to firm behind Speedo". London: Daily Telegraph.
- 1 2 3 "History". JD Sports.
- ↑ "JD Sports founders sell out for £44.6m". London: Times Online. 5 November 2007.
- ↑ "John David Group makes a Bank statement". Yorkshire Post. 11 December 2007.
- ↑ "Oldham Athletic announce JD Sports Carbrini sponsor deal". Football Shirt Culture. 6 August 2008.
- ↑ "History". jdplc.com. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ↑ Champion Sports to be bought by UK retailer for €19.6m The Irish Times, 26 January 2011
- ↑ Blacks Leisure sold for £20m while La Senza finds buyer BBC News, 9 January 2012
- ↑ JD Sports acquires FLY53 Insider Media Limited, 15 February 2012
- ↑ JD Sports Fashion acquires Cloggs Manchester Evening News, 15 February 2013
