The sports retail market is heating up! SuperSports is injecting funds to revamp its brand and target Gen Z nationwide.
CRC Sports Public Company Limited unveils its SuperSports plan to 'Move to a New Height' after securing a 25% market share, the highest in the sports retail business. The company is investing 200 million baht to renovate 10 branches to capitalize on the growing health and wellness trend, expanding its portfolio of world-renowned brands, and focusing on generating revenue from private label products according to its '3-3-3' plan. It also aims to drive a 30% growth in online sales.
April 3, 2026 – Supersports, a subsidiary of Central Retail (CRC), announced its business direction for 2026, aiming to become the "leading sports retailer in ASEAN" with an investment budget of over 200 million baht. This follows its impressive performance over the past two years, showing average annual growth of 5%, exceeding the industry average. Currently, Supersports holds the number one market share in Thailand at 25%, selling 3 million pairs of shoes annually.
The main strategy for 2026 will focus on upgrading the business structure through three key pillars: expanding the retail network to cover the entire country (Integrated Sports Ecosystem), refreshing the brand image to target younger generations (Brand Positioning), and building a large-scale sports community (Community & Society) to embrace the "Sports Era" and the continuous hosting of global sporting events.
Mr. Alexandre Umbel, Managing Director of CRC Sports Co., Ltd., analyzed the market situation, stating, “The past two years have been challenging for the sports retail industry, amidst purchasing power that has not yet fully recovered and intense marketing competition… However, overall, the industry still has a bright outlook, driven by a health-conscious lifestyle that is not limited to exercise but has become an integral part of modern urban living.”
For store transformation, the company plans to renovate 10 branches nationwide into “Store 3.0” by the end of this year. This store model focuses on interactive experiences, modeled after the “CentralWorld Flagship Store,” which aims to be the best multi-brand sports store in Southeast Asia. In addition, the company is upgrading its e-commerce platform to boost online sales by 30%.
Regarding product portfolio management, Mr. Len Lertsumitrakul, Senior Assistant Managing Director for Strategy, revealed that the company will use three strategies to drive revenue, consisting of:
- Store Transformation: Renovating existing sales spaces and preparing to launch a new retail store format.
- Brand Expansion: Fully expanding licensing rights to global brands such as HEAD and FILA, as well as acquiring licensing rights for new football clubs.
- Private Label Strategy: Increase the proportion of privately branded products (such as Energetics and PRO TOUCH), offering premium quality at accessible prices, to expand the customer base.
In terms of data insights , the product category with the most outstanding growth was Racket Sports (tennis and badminton), which grew by 26%, followed by football and outdoor activities with a 10% expansion. This reflects a clearer segmentation of consumer behavior.
“We are committed to driving the growth of the sports industry both nationally and regionally to reinforce our role as Thailand's No. 1 sports retailer. Supersports will be a central platform connecting all sectors of the sports ecosystem, including customers of all generations and lifestyles, business partners, as well as the community and society.”
Beyond the business dimension, Supersports is also aggressively pursuing marketing through Community-Driven Marketing. Last year, they organized over 331 events, reaching more than 300,000 attendees. They are also adapting their communication to target Gen Z with the concept of "Motivation-Based Segmentation," which involves dividing customers based on their motivation for participating in sports rather than gender or age, in order to offer more targeted products and services (personalization).
The “Move to a New Height” strategy goes beyond mere expansion; it also encompasses creating equality in the sports industry and promoting sustainable business practices. It aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and plastic waste from marketing activities, setting a new standard for the sports retail industry to create a positive social impact at the national level.
Read all interesting business news here.
