JD Sports’ Dutch subsidiary Sports Unlimited Retail has been declared bankrupt.
Sports Unlimited, which is a subsidiary of Iberian Sports Retail (ISRG) that JD Sports owns, has 52 stores across the Netherlands under the Sprinter, Aktiesport and Perry Spors brands.
The control of the stores will now move to a bankruptcy trustee as appointed by the district court of Amsterdam.
A spokesperson for Sports Unlimited said: “We appreciate this is a difficult time for Sports Unlimited Retail colleagues in the Netherlands and we are doing our utmost to support them in conjunction with ISRG and the bankruptcy trustee.”
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JD Sports bought Sports Aktiesport and Perry Sport out of administration in 2016 and has since closed more than half of the stores and converted many of the remaining units to the Sprinter brand.
However, Sports Unlimited director Gerco Vonk told staff that JD Sports’ 29 Dutch stores are not affected by the bankruptcy.
It comes as JD pushes ahead with international expansion as it vies to become the “leading global sports-fashion powerhouse”.
The retailer plans to open 250 to 350 stores each year over the course of new CEO Régis Schultz’s five year plan. The sportswear giant said it was on track to increase its profits to more than £1bn this year.
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