This comes months after Accent Group – the Australian fashion and footwear conglomerate that manages 30 brands, including the likes of Hoka, Platypus and Hype DC – secured a deal with Frasers Group in the United Kingdom to manage its sporting retail business in Australia and New Zealand.
To mark Sports Direct’s first-ever Australian store opening, Accent Group has secured Collingwood’s Nick Daicos to star at launch on Saturday, November 15.
The second store opening will be at the newly renovated Chatswood Chase in Sydney, with that opening in March 2026. This forms part of an ambitious plan to open 30 Sports Direct stores over the next three years, across major cities.
“Australia’s passion for sport is unmatched, and that made it the perfect next step for Sports Direct,” Accent Group CEO Daniel Agostinelli said. “With Accent’s retail expertise and Sports Direct’s global capabilities, we’re creating a new kind of one-stop sports destination, combining global brands with unbeatable range.”
The new store opening will stock major sporting brands such as Nike and Adidas, alongside exclusive brands like USA Pro, Karrimor and Sondico. Sports Direct also sells into Australia via a dedicated website.
“We know sport is part of Australia’s DNA – from grassroots clubs to global stages – and we’re here to celebrate that,” Agostinelli said. “Whether you’re a weekend player or a professional athlete, Sports Direct goal is to help everyone to feel like a champion in their chosen sport – no matter the sport, no matter the ability, no matter the style.”
When the deal was initially struck in April this year, Accent Group and Frasers Group confirmed there will be 50 store openings over the next six years, which could reach 100 in the long-term.
Founded in the UK in 1982 and part of Frasers Group, Sports Direct operates more than 700 stores globally across Europe and Asia.
According to a report by CBRE, in collaboration with IBISWorld, Australia’s fitness and athletic clothing stores market was valued at $4.2 billion in 2024.
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