Intersport International reports 13.4% sales growth in 2022

Translated by
Cassidy STEPHENS

Published
Jan 31, 2023

Intersport International has acheived a record turnover for 2022, reaching €13.7 billion through its 5,300 outlets in 42 countries. This represents a growth of 13.4% for the sporting goods retailer compared to 2021 (+12.1% in local currencies).

Intersport International, which is based in Bern, Switzerland, said in a statement that 2022 started slow, before seeing an acceleration of activity in the spring and autumn, and a stagnation at the end of the year, “due to the difficult economic environment.”

The three countries that contribute most to the group’s turnover are Germany, followed by France and Austria. Without detailing Intersport’s share of online sales, the company said that its web business was “slightly down, following Covid-19 and a huge return of customers to physical shops.”

The company’s chief executive, Steve Evers, describes himself as “cautiously optimistic” for the year ahead. “We may feel some pressure in early 2023 due to the weather in Europe,” he says, adding that “the current economic situation has somewhat dampened our growth forecasts”. These targets are not specified.

In France, where Intersport is present with more than 750 shops, results have not yet been disclosed, but the €3 billion mark was in sight. By 2021, the French entity had generated €2.76 billion in sales. In the third quarter of 2022, Intersport is still the largest seller of textiles in France (according to Kantar data), ahead of Decathlon and Leclerc.