JJB Sports
JJB Sports PLC is one of the
United Kingdom's leading
sports retailers. Formed in 1971 to acquire a single sports
store which had been established in
Wigan during the early 1900s, the store portfolio grew to 120 stores in 1994, at which point the Company was
floated on the
London Stock Exchange. The original store was established by JJ Broughton in the early 1900s and was then bought by JJ Braddock and then JJ Bradburn. As these initials were all the same the business was known locally as JJB's. When David Whelan bought the store from John Bradburn he maintained the JJB name.
In 1998, JJB Sports acquired the
business of
Sports Division (which was JJB's largest competitor at the time). The acquisition then made JJB one of the largest sports retailers in the UK.
JJB has now expanded to over 430 stores (
as of 2005) throughout the UK and
Ireland.
In 2005 JJB Sports launched their online shopping site, JJB Sports Online Store, with a view to expanding their market into cyberspace. The majority shareholder of JJB Sports Plc is
Dave Whelan, who also owns the sports teams
Wigan Athletic (
association football) and
Wigan Warriors (
rugby league). JJB Sports doesn't just sell sporting goods, they also have health and fitness clubs and 6 soccer domes where people can play
five-a-side football in well-organised leagues. JJB Sports also owns the rights to
Slazenger Golf in the UK and Europe.
JJB is also the official retail partner to two of the U.K's biggest clubs Rangers and Everton, the deal with Rangers was reported to be worth an inital £18 Million, rising to around £54 Million over Ten Years, with bonuses for reaching sales targets
*
JJB Sports Online*
JJB Fitness Clubs*
JJB Soccer Dome*
JJB Teamwear*
JJB Sports Blog
