Troubled outdoor clothing retailer Blacks has been sold to sportswear chain JD Sports in a £20m deal, with closures and redundancies possible.
Although JD Sports has not specified how many Blacks outlets will close their doors for good, it warned that any “underperforming stores” could face the axe. There are currently around 100 Blacks outlets, while the group also owns 200 Millets branches as well as the Eurohike and Peter Storm brands.
“We are delighted to add another leading multi-branded retail proposition to our portfolio of retail businesses,” said JD Sports executive chairman Peter Cowgill. “We believe with the support of JD's operational disciplines and financial strength, along with the existing Blacks management team, we can restore the Blacks business to a profitable market-leading position.”
JD Sports added in a statement that it would evaluate the performance of its newly-acquired Blacks shops before making any decision as to their future. It also stated that it hoped to retain the various Blacks brands as “individual fascias within the group”.
The announcement came as struggling lingerie chain La Senza was snapped up by Arabian retail group Alshaya.
