A major retail consolidation is reshaping the sporting goods landscape across Central and Southeast Europe, with Austria positioning itself as the regional powerhouse in a sector increasingly defined by scale and digital integration. The acquisition opens significant opportunities for commercial real estate investors targeting retail clusters in the Balkans, where modern sporting goods formats remain underdeveloped compared to Western European markets, whilst also creating a powerful multi-channel platform across 12 countries with substantial property portfolios ripe for optimisation and redevelopment.
Intersport Austria is acquiring the Intersport Slovenia Group, headquartered in Slovenia, thereby assuming responsibility for a strong retail network spanning eight countries in Southeast Europe. With the acquisition, the Intersport Austria Group expands to over 500 locations in twelve countries, including Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, and North Macedonia. As a result, the Group's external sales will, for the first time, rise to around €1bn, underscoring the Group's growing economic strength in Central and Southeast Europe.
"This acquisition constitutes a strategic milestone for INTERSPORT Austria," explains Franz Koll, CEO of Intersport Austria. "With this move, we are not only securing our strong foothold in the European sporting goods retail market, but also creating synergies in procurement, digitalisation, and logistics. At a time when size, strength, and expertise determine a company's market position, we are sending a strong signal for the years ahead."
Intersport is the market leader in Slovenia and also ranks among the top three sporting goods retailers in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. In Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, and North Macedonia, the Group operates through franchise partners. The integration will be completed under the umbrella of Intersport Austria GmbH, headquartered in Wels, with the local management teams remaining in place. Intersport Austria currently encompasses 104 Intersport retailers at over 280 locations in Austria and employs around 4,000 people. The retailers are strongly anchored in the regions, with flagship stores in the cities and rental stores in tourist locations. In the four-country alliance of Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia, a total of 131 retailers with 355 locations operate. In 2025/26, Intersport was once again awarded "Best Retailer of the Year" in the sports category, both online and in-store.
Tom Foley, CEO of Intersport International Corporation, comments, "We strongly welcome this move. Consolidating our operations in Central and Southeast Europe marks a significant step forward and will boost the expansion of the INTERSPORT brand in a dynamic market environment."
The completion of the acquisition remains subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities. The parties have agreed to keep the purchase price confidential.
People Mentioned:
• Franz Koll, CEO, Intersport Austria
• Tom Foley, CEO, Intersport International Corporation
• Mag. Irene Haider, PR Director, Reichlundpartner
Companies Mentioned:
• Intersport Austria GmbH, sporting goods retailer headquartered in Wels, Austria
• Intersport Slovenia Group, sporting goods retailer headquartered in Slovenia
• Intersport International Corporation, international sporting goods retail organisation
