E-commerce has slowed its growth after the boom experienced during the pandemic. And witness to this is the sports goods platform Deporvillage, which has seen its revenue drop to 149 million euros, -9.7% less than in the previous year, when it had a turnover of 165 million euros.
“The cycling division, which contributes more than 40% of revenue as a whole, is the one that has been most impacted by the end of the pandemic restrictions. However, the rest of the divisions, such as outdoor sports (outdoors), athletics or hiking have evolved upwardsâ€, explains José Pérez-Mila, who shares the position of CEO with Amparo Cuerda, to this newspaper.
The directors have assumed the reins of the Catalan business, founded in Manresa in 2010, after the acquisition carried out by the Iberian Sports Retail Group (ISRG), which also controls companies such as JD Sports and Sprinter. In 2021, the Alicante group paid 140 million for 80% of the capital and, at the end of last year, acquired the remaining 18%. The founders, Xavier Pladellorens and Ãngel Corcuera, maintain 2% of the property and have retired from the first line of management.
“This year, we have plans to grow at double digits. We anticipate a recovery in sales of the cycling division and expansion through two new physical storesâ€, points out Pérez-Mila. Thirteen years after his birth, Deporvillage opened the doors of its first physical establishment yesterday. It is located in Alcorcón (Madrid), since it is in this territory where the platform has the most online visits. “We have invested 1.5 million in a 1,200 m2 space dedicated exclusively to cyclingâ€, details the manager. Soon, the group will open another store in Granada and in the medium term, it will do so in Catalonia, the second community with the most sales after Madrid. This omnichannel strategy responds to the company’s desire to retain customers with face-to-face experiences, although the focus of the business continues to be in the digital world.
In addition, Deporvillage plans to land in new European countries at the end of the year or at the beginning of 2024. At the moment, 50% of the company’s sales already come from abroad, from markets such as France, Italy, Portugal or Germany.
All business operations are carried out centrally from the Manresa headquarters, where Deporvillage employs more than 170 people. At the moment, ISRG does not foresee new openings of logistics centers because the Manresa logistics plant was expanded a year ago.
