Go Outdoors set for ‘limited’ store closures following JD Sports buyback

Retailer JD Sports has unveiled plans to restructure recently bought-back struggling business Go Outdoors.

The outdoor brand, which went into administration last month, was bought back by the group in a £56.5m deal.

JD Sports plans to integrate the Go Outdoors brand with its existing assets in order to boost its capabilities for online sales.

In addition, the group is working to determine an ‘appropriate’ store base for the longer term, negotiating with landlords for new leases more suitable for the current economic environment.

In a statement this morning, JD Sports commented: “We believe that the restructuring of Go Outdoors will correct fundamental historic structural weaknesses in the business.

“Whilst we regret that there will inevitably be some limited store closures in future months, we are pleased that it will protect the maximum number of jobs possible.”