SportsShoes.com has reported a 22 per cent year-on-year increase in international sales for the first half of the company’s latest financial year which began on 1 March 2024.
In the same period, the £90m turnover online running shoes, running clothing and outdoor gear retailer also secured 75,000 new customers in Europe, representing 17 per cent year-on-year growth.
The total number of new and existing overseas customer orders in the first half of the financial year was 77,000, which is an increase of 18 per cent on the first half of the previous year.
Currently, SportsShoes.com has international websites for France, Germany, Italy and Spain and is targeting further growth into new markets. These include Poland, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as the Nordics.
Established in 1982, Bradford-based SportsShoes.com offers customers more than 17,000 products from 150 global running and outdoor brands.
From a running perspective these include Asics, Nike, Adidas, Hoka, New Balance and Brooks whilst in terms of outdoor they include Salomon, Montane, Rab and Patagonia.
As part of its overseas presence, SportsShoes.com has 32 athlete ambassadors across Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Austria, ranging from entry level road and trail runners up to Olympic athletes.
The retailer also has a partnership with community event network parkrun, which holds events across 11 European countries including the retailer’s target markets.
In addition, SportsShoes.com is working with more than 300 running and triathlon clubs in Europe offering members special promotions and benefits.
SportsShoes.com managing director, Brett Bannister, said: “We have an established reputation within the UK marketplace as the premium online retail brand in our space.
“There is a clear opportunity for us to do the same in Europe and beyond, and these latest sales and customer acquisition numbers show our international expansion strategy is having a positive impact.
“At the heart of this success is our commitment to having a physical presence in the international markets we serve by delivering fresh and exciting brand activations within them.
“These provide us with multiple opportunities to connect and engage further with our international running and outdoor community.
“We aim to build upon the momentum we have created by continuing to innovate and excite for the benefit of our customers and brand partners as we further expand our overseas business.”
The company’s international growth has been aided by the improved capabilities of each market’s replatformed websites which have helped further increase sales conversions.
This formed part of the retailer’s £4.6m investment over last three years in its people, processes, technologies and facilities.
SportsShoes.com’s investment has also enabled customers to make purchases in nine currencies. This includes the Swiss Franc and Polish Zloty which have been recently launched on the international websites.
