From a single Kettler showroom in the 1990s to a multi‑format sports supermarket, Sportmaster scaled by systematising stocking, logistics and private‑label strategy. Its disciplined focus on replenishment cadence, regional distribution and click‑and‑collect turned stores into fulfilment assets and sustained growth beyond episodic marketing.
They began, as many practical retailers do, with a single, straightforward decision: make dependable kit available where people shopped. That simple choice—importing trusted fitness equipment and keeping it visible, explained and supported—underpinned the rise of Sportmaster from a small specialist to a multi‑brand sports supermarket. The story often told about brothers Vladimir and Nikolay Fartushnyak is one of steady operational learning rather than flash-in-the-pan marketing, and the company’s subsequent choices show how that early discipline was scaled and systematised.
Origins and the early playbook
According to contemporary company histories, the business that would become Sportmaster traces back to the early 1990s. Founded in 1992 by Nikolay and Vladimir Fartushnyak together with partners, the enterprise began life distributing Kettler fitness goods and opened its first Kettler‑Sport shop in 1995. The Sportmaster trademark was registered a year later, and from 1997 the business moved into deliberate network expansion. Those milestones matter because they underline how the founders translated supplier relationships and category knowledge into a repeatable retail format.
What distinguishes the early years is not a single innovation but a string of pragmatic choices that became company doctrine: group products by activity, present a clear ladder of options from entry to premium, and make spare parts and clear instructions part of the offer. That approach—less about celebrity endorsements and more about staff who could explain shoe cushioning or ski‑boot sizing—helped the brand build trust among families, schools and clubs alike.
Scaling logistics to match ambition
As the chain grew, the operational stakes rose sharply. Sportmaster’s supplier base is heavily Asia‑sourced; industry reporting from the period when the retailer was standardising systems noted that roughly 70–80 percent of merchandise originated there. Handling that flow required significant investment in distribution infrastructure. The company’s logistics footprint includes a 70,000 square‑metre distribution centre outside Moscow and several regional warehouses to serve stores; in 2008 Sportmaster selected an extended enterprise management platform to gain better visibility over inbound shipments, improve receiving productivity and use DC space more efficiently. Those choices reinforce a central lesson of the founders’ early years: momentum depends as much on replenishment and availability as on product choice.
Private labels, margin management and product strategy
One reason multi‑brand supermarkets endure is their ability to offer both international names and in‑house alternatives. Sportmaster’s private labels are an explicit part of that balancing act. The Demix brand, for example, is presented by the company as a cost‑accessible range of footwear, clothing and equipment designed to specific technical specifications—cushioning systems, water‑repellent fabrics and the like—made in partnerships across Asia. The house brands provide an affordable entry point for many shoppers and help manage margins, but they also bring inventory risk; company materials and industry reporting note that careful replenishment rules and regular demand reviews were introduced to keep overstocks and heavy clearance events rare.
Omnichannel: from click‑and‑collect to ship‑from‑store
The retail environment changed again with the rise of e‑commerce and, later, the pandemic. Sportmaster’s official communications and independent accounts both emphasise a deliberate omnichannel transformation: an Order Management System, synchronised inventory, and the introduction of click‑and‑collect that turned online orders into incremental store traffic. Technical teams worked to shrink stock‑update intervals to roughly fifteen minutes and to introduce pick‑up and fulfilment workflows that made stores a part of the supply chain rather than just a sales endpoint. Industry commentary credits these moves with materially increasing e‑commerce sales and converting digital interest into physical visits—an exemplar of how a bricks‑and‑mortar‑first retailer can pivot without losing the logic of its store layouts.
Formats and the discipline of range selection
Not every location needs the same breadth. As Sportmaster expanded into denser urban centres, it introduced more compact concepts with fewer aisles but deeper size curves in best‑turning categories—effectively trading breadth for depth where local demand required it. Those satellite stores also serve as fulfilment points for online orders, enabling ship‑from‑store models and reducing pressure on dedicated warehouses. The company presents this as part of a deliberate omnichannel play to offer consistent customer experience across physical and digital touchpoints; independent reporting adds that marketplace ambitions and broader assortment expansion are part of the roadmap.
What the story shows more broadly
Two threads run through this evolution. First, disciplined operations—inventory visibility, replenishment cadence, supplier partnerships and a logistics backbone—have been as important as merchandising instincts. Second, private labels and multi‑format store design have allowed the business to serve both budget‑conscious and premium shoppers without blurring its identity.
That combination explains why firms that replicate this model tend to endure: they marry a recognisable customer promise with the operational systems needed to keep shelves stocked and returns low. Sportmaster’s trajectory—from single‑category importer to a vertically integrated, omnichannel retailer with private labels, a large DC and digital fulfilment capabilities—illustrates how modest beginnings can be converted into scale when growth is guided by repeatable processes rather than by episodic hype.
The company presents these developments as part of a coherent, customer‑centred strategy; independent accounts and industry reporting corroborate many of the operational claims. The durability of the approach, however, will depend on continuing to match assortment to actual activity trends, on sustaining supplier relationships in a globalised sourcing environment, and on keeping the technical and logistical investments current as online expectations rise. For now, the Sportmaster story remains a useful case study in how retail growth grounded in operations and clarity of offer can outlast short‑lived enthusiasm.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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