JD Sports’ £112m acquisition of Go Outdoors has been given the green light by the competition watchdog.

The sportswear business can press ahead with the purchase after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) revealed its investigation was complete.

It means JD will now take control of Go Outdoors’ 58 stores – the majority of which are in retail park locations – as it builds its portfolio of outdoor specialist businesses.

’Turning a corner’

JD already owns Blacks, Millets and Tiso and its chief financial officer Brian Small told Retail Week the division had turned a corner in its financial year to January 28.

The CMA launched a probe into the Go Outdoors acquisition last December, a month after JD revealed that it had agreed terms on the deal.

JD Sports executive chairman Peter Cowgill said: “I am pleased with the outcome of the CMA’s investigation and delighted to welcome Go Outdoors to the JD Group.

“Go Outdoors will make an excellent addition to the existing JD Outdoor business and I am confident that it will build upon Blacks’, Millets’ and Tiso’s recent success on the high street and strengthen our consumer proposition within the outdoor sector.”