JD Sports boss Peter Cowgill has vowed to have a store in “every major city in Europe” after unveiling a new flagship on Oxford Street.
Cowgill said the retailer is poised to open stores in Amsterdam and Cologne in October and is eyeing other European cities, claiming everyone “wanted a piece of the JD action”.
At present the group has stores in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Spain.
He was speaking as the three-floor 34,500 sq ft JD Sports megastore at 201-203 Oxford Street was unveiled to press and suppliers last night.
Cowgill described the store as a showcase for brands and a “representation of what JD stands for”. Other similar stores will open in Newcastle this month and Glasgow in September.
“JD is a brand partner and wants to protect brands,” he said. “We are not brand bait. We are wedded to brands and a believer in brand equity. It hurts us when we see brand equity damaged.”
JD Sports Fashion, which is majority-owned by the privately-held Pentland Group, reported in April that its full-year pre-tax profits had passed the £100m barrier for the first time, jumping 22%. Like-for-likes climbed 12%.
The Bury-headquartered retailer operates 660 stores in its sports division across the UK and Europe.
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