TIDMSPD

RNS Number : 4583B

Sports Direct International Plc

07 October 2015

7 October 2015

Sports Direct International plc

Potential acquisition of Irish company Warrnambool (Heatons)

Sports Direct International plc ("Sports Direct" or the "Group"), the UK's leading sports retailer, announces that it has entered into: (i) a sale and purchase agreement with Sandra Minor (a minority shareholder in Warrnambool) to purchase shares in Warrnambool which, following completion of that purchase will result in Sports Direct owning just over 50% of Warrnambool (the Purchase Agreement); and (ii) a conditional put and call option agreement (the Option Agreement) with Mark Heaton, Hugh Heaton, John O'Neill, Warrnambool and Katipo Limited in relation to the remaining shares in Warrnambool which are not already owned by Sports Direct (Sports Direct currently holds 50% of the issued share capital of Warrnambool).

Warrnambool is the holding company of Heatons, a retail business which specialises in retailing men's, women's and children's clothing together with homewares, with 44 stores in the Republic of Ireland and ten stores in Northern Ireland. 27 of the 44 stores in the Republic of Ireland incorporate a dedicated "SportsWorld" section within the store and each of the ten stores in Northern Ireland either incorporates a "Sports Direct" branded section or is located immediately adjacent to a "Sports Direct" outlet which forms part of the premises. In addition, Warrnambool owns and operates a further five standalone "Sports Direct" branded stores in Northern Ireland.

The total cash consideration payable under the Purchase Agreement and the conditional Option Agreement is EUR47.5m, which will be funded from the Group's operating cashflow and existing bank facilities. The Purchase Agreement and the conditional Option Agreement are both conditional upon merger clearance from the Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission being obtained. If such merger clearance is obtained, completion of the purchase of shares from Sandra Minor under the Purchase Agreement will take place shortly thereafter. The options are exercisable at various times during a period commencing after such merger clearance has been obtained and ending on 2 July 2017.

For the year ended 30 April 2015, Warrnambool had consolidated revenue of EUR219.3 million, gross assets of EUR158.0 million, EBITDA of EUR17.2 million and profit before tax of EUR10.0 million.

Dave Forsey, Chief Executive Officer of Sports Direct, commented: "We look forward to accelerating investment into the existing store portfolio and strengthening the Heatons and Sports Direct brands across Ireland".

For further information, please contact:

 
 Sports Direct International    T. 0344 245 9200 
  plc 
 
 Dave Forsey, Chief Executive 
  Officer 
  Matt Pearson, Acting 
  Chief Financial Officer 
 
 
 Powerscourt    T. 0207 250 1446 
 Rory Godson 
  Peter Ogden 
  Nick Brown

Notes to Editors

Sports Direct is the UK's leading sports retailer by revenue and operating profit, with approximately 400 stores across the UK. The Group provides an unrivalled range of products, offering exceptional quality and unbeatable value, from a wide variety of third-party and Group-owned brands, both in-store and online. Sports Direct now operates in 20 countries in Europe.

For more information please visit: www.sportsdirectplc.com

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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October 07, 2015 02:00 ET (06:00 GMT)

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