Gulf Market Group expands sports retail operations across MENA and South East Asia

What's the Deal

Mita Srinivasan
What's the Deal
Published:

Gulf Market Group expands sports retail operations across MENA and South East Asia

Acquisition of RSH’s Southeast Asian, GCC, and Egypt sports retail operations expands GMG footprint to over 550 retail stores in 57 cities across 12 countries, with the potential to reach more than 700 million consumers

UAE-based, Gulf Marketing Group (GMG) has significantly expanded its global presence in the sports retail market through the purchase of Royal Sporting House (RSH), one of the largest multi-brand sports retailers in Southeast Asia. Through this acquisition, GMG Sports increases its presence in the Gulf and Egypt as well as enter some of the largest markets in Southeast Asia including Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. GMG will now operate over 550 sports retail stores in 57 cities across 12 countries. This will include more than 1.9 million sq. ft. of physical retail space, 10 warehouses, and employing nearly 8,000 people. With the expanded presence, GMG Sports will now have the potential to reach more than 700 million consumers around the world.

Mohammad A. Baker, Deputy Chairman and CEO of GMG, said, “This acquisition is a significant milestone in the evolution of GMG’s diverse portfolio. Despite the significant disruptions to the global retail industry, the strength and resilience of GMG’s business strategy enabled us to overcome these challenges and double down on our expansion plans. As people around the world continue to embrace active and healthy lifestyles, the integration of RSH operations into the GMG network of stores further strengthens our leading position in sports retail across the MENA region and allows us to reach hundreds of millions of potential new consumers across Southeast Asia. This expansion is a strategic step in taking our business and vision global.”

In addition to the sports division, GMG also has a growing presence in other business verticals, including healthcare, food, education, real estate, and logistics. Across the holding group, it has successfully scaled homegrown brands such as Supercare pharmacies, food brand, Farm Fresh, and logistics provider, Trilogi. GMG has also introduced more than 90 international brands into the Middle East to date.

“As an entrepreneurial business, we always look to where the market and consumers are moving to. We are extremely excited to take our GMG vision and our sports expertise to new geographies, creating economies of scale while delivering additional value to our customers,” concluded Baker.