Sports Direct is the latest retailer to venture Down Under with an online tie-up with Australian etailer MySale and a smattering of stores in Oz and New Zealand in the offing.

Sports Direct is the latest retailer to venture Down Under with an online tie-up with Australian etailer MySale and a smattering of stores in Oz and New Zealand in the offing.

But is the move a wise one? Australia has been a lucrative market for UK fashion players, most notably Asos, which counts it as one of its largest territories.

There is a big appetite for international brands Down Under. A friend of mine emigrated there a few years ago and says the most popular shopping destinations among her Antipodean mates are Topshop, Asos and River Island online.

However, exchange rate fluctuations has given international players such as Asos headaches over the past year with the strong British pound making its wares look pricey to the Australian consumer. One of Sports Direct’s greatest strengths is its value credentials so this could be a hindrance.

While it might not be the best time for Sports Direct to start its expansion Down Under, you can’t sit around and wait for exchange rates to soften.

The fact is Australia is an obvious expansion target for Mike Ashley. From surfing to the Socceroos, it’s a sports-mad nation and his vast own-brand offer – which includes Australian surfwear brand Hot Tuna – should fare well there.

Of course, it has competition. Super Retail Group, which owns a variety of fascias including Amart Sports and Rebel Sports, is a top 10 listed retailer with more than 600 stores across Australasia.

But we’ve seen how Ashley has obliterated the established opposition in the UK, and a quick glance at the websites of the Aussie-grown competition shows Sports Direct’s prices will remain a big draw.

Ashley also has the added bonus of local knowledge through his tie-up with MySale, the Australian etail group in which Sports Direct recently snapped up a 4.8% stake.

MySale has prowess in sportswear and will be able to advise Ashley and co what works in the Australian market, as well as access to its 12 million-strong online database.

All in all it sounds like another masterstroke by Ashley and should bring many a g’day for Sports Direct Down Under.