Unisport

Business Description

Unisport, Sportmaster and Rezet were acquired between 2012-2015 to meet consumers looking for specialised channels when shopping sporting goods. Unisport remains under Nordic Capital ownership, while Sportmaster and Rezet were sold in 2019.

Unisport, was founded in Copenhagen in 1995 and transitioning online in 2002. Since Nordic Capital acquired Unisport in 2015 it has grown to become the Northern European market leader in online football goods retailing, with dedicated country sites in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Netherlands, France, Austria and Germany. 

Unisport has an unique social media presence with a strong momentum across all social media platforms, with an overall social media reach of four million users and the Youtube channel contributing to traffic through its more than 370 million views to date (June 2020). Unisport has established an authentic global consumer connection, especially with youngsters, and has high engagement rates on social media compared to other football channels and the company's innovative e-commerce platform, centred around its unprecedented social media presence, has won numerous e-commerce awards. The company currently employs c. 170 employees at its Copenhagen office and warehouse facilities.

In April 2018, Nordic Capital’s 2008 vintage fund, Fund VII completed the transfer of its remaining nine unlisted portfolio companies including Unisport, SportMaster and Rezet to a continuation vehicle, Nordic Capital CV1.

Sportmaster, one of Denmark's leading omnichannel sporting goods retailers was during Nordic Capital’s ownership transformed from a voluntary chain of independent stores into an integrated chain with a strong position in Denmark and an increasing online presence.

In December 2019, Sportmaster and Rezet, a leading Danish premium sneaker retailer, were sold to a strong international sport group, Singaporean Sportmaster Operations Pte. Ltd. (“Sportmaster Group”) with more than 1,300 stores in eastern Europe, Russia and Asia.

Sector

Consumer

Key Information

Revenues 2019*

EUR 50 million

Employees

170

Ownership

Nordic Capital Fund VII, Nordic Capital CV1

Head office

Copenhagen, Denmark

Investment date

2015**, 2018

* Reported ** Unisport was acquired in 2015. The original investment in Sportmaster was made in 2012.