There is nothing official yet, but according to Dutch officials involved in the transaction, Euretco and Intres, the Dutch buying groups that run the Sport 2000 and Intersport banners in the Netherlands, respectively, have firmed up plans to retain Intersport as their only joint licensed banner if their intended merger is approved in the coming weeks. In the merger, however, Euretco, which has been licensing the Sport 2000 banner, would come out as the majority shareholder in a joint company called Euretco. Euretco says that it would lead the search for another partner for the stores currently affiliated to Sport 2000 in the Netherlands. As reported before, the apparently most logical partner would be ANWR, which runs the Fair Play International Sports organization in the Benelux countries, but Euretco indicates that several other Dutch parties have come forward. Euretco’s intention at present is to transfer the business to another party as it stands today, implying that none of the current Sport 2000 retailers would switch to Intersport (at least initially). More in last Friday’s issue of SGI Europe.
