Sportmax

Leisure Centre Retail Solutionssportmax.co.uk

Company typePrivate
Founded1979
HeadquartersHamilton, United Kingdom
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

Sportmax firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Sportmax
Legal name: Alison Black Ltd
Website: https://sportmax.co.uk
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1979
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Sportmax industry classification

Industry

Product category: Leisure Centre Retail Solutions
NAICS: Sporting and Recreational Goods and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42391)
SIC: Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)
akta.pro primary industry: Athletic Footwear & Sport Apparel Retail (CRAMABAC)
akta.pro secondary industries: Team Sports Equipment & Uniforms Retail (CRAMABAE), Racquet Sports (Tennis/Pickleball/Badminton/Squash) Retail (CRAMABAF)

Keywords

Leisure retail solutions
Sports goods distribution
Swimwear accessories
Fitness equipment supply
Consignment inventory

Where Sportmax is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Hamilton
HQ country: United Kingdom
HQ region: Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

Sportmax business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

Product Sales to Leisure Centres: Sportmax supplies branded sports goods (swimwear, goggles, fitness accessories, footballs, racket sport accessories) to leisure centres. Clients only pay for sold goods under a consignment model, earning full retail profit on all products. The primary revenue stream.
Managed Retail Services: Sportmax provides end-to-end retail management including bespoke display design, installation, staff training, sales data reporting, stock management, and promotional/advertising support as part of their value proposition.
Direct E-commerce Sales: Sportmax operates an online shop selling sports products directly to consumers, including padel rackets, footballs, swim toys, and accessories at retail prices.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Transaction based/ take rate	Pay-as-you-go	Consignment Model (B2B) — No upfront cost; pay only for sold goods
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Unit Pricing — Individual retail products sold to consumers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Sportmax product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Sportmax supplies 400+ branded sports products (Speedo, Puma, Dunlop) to UK leisure centres on a consignment basis, complemented by custom-built branded retail display units installed at no client cost, and a managed retail service covering staff training, sales reporting, and stock management. A secondary direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop sells individual products to end users.

Product overview

Sportmax is a B2B leisure centre retail solutions provider offering over 400 sports products from brands including Speedo, Puma, and Dunlop. Their product portfolio spans swim accessories (goggles, swimwear, swim toys, pool noodles), fitness equipment, and racket sports equipment (padel bats, pickleball paddles and balls, badminton rackets, table tennis bats, squash balls, footballs). They complement their product sales with services including bespoke branded retail display design and installation (at no cost), consignment-based stock supply, stock management and auditing, and staff training. The company serves UK leisure trusts, local authorities, and hotel leisure groups with a model where clients pay only for sold products and retain full retail profits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Managed Leisure Centre Retail Solution Turnkey B2B retail operation for UK leisure trusts, local authorities, commercial leisure operators, and hotel-based leisure clubs. Sportmax designs, builds, and installs bespoke branded retail display units at no cost, supplies 400+ sports products (swimwear, goggles, accessories, fitness, football, racket sports, ice skating) from Speedo, Puma, and Dunlop on consignment, and provides staff training, sales data, stock auditing, and point-of-sale promotional support. Clients pay only for products actually sold and retain full retail profits.
Sports Goods E-commerce Shop Direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at sportmax.co.uk/shop selling branded sports products to individual buyers, including padel rackets and balls, pickleball equipment, badminton rackets, table tennis bats and balls, footballs, swim toys, pool noodles, towels, swim nappies, locker tokens, padlocks, hand warmers, and other accessories, with prices ranging from £5.50 to £896.00 depending on product and quantity.

Quantifiable outcome

Edinburgh Leisure (11 centres) saw a 23% increase in cost of sales from 2012 to 2016.
+6 more outcomes

Companies that use Sportmax

Customer profile

Named customers10 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Sportmax technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Sportmax partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

SpeedocoreOthersSportmax is a specialist supplier of Speedo goggles, accessories, and swimwear to health clubs and leisure centres across the UK. Speedo is their primary branded swimwear and accessories partner, representing a core component of their product catalogue.
PumacoreOthersSportmax stocks Puma sports products as part of their range of recognised branded goods for leisure centre retail. Puma is one of the key sports brands in their catalogue alongside Speedo and Dunlop.
DunlopcoreOthersSportmax supplies Dunlop sports products across multiple categories including table tennis, padel, and tennis. Dunlop products appear prominently in their product listings and online shop.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Sportmax competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Mitre Sports: UK heritage football and team-sports brand (owned by Pentland Brands) with B2B distribution to clubs, schools, and leisure operators. Comparable team-sports equipment focus and B2B supply relationships with UK institutional sporting customers.
Speedo International: Global swimwear and accessories brand with a dedicated B2B sales arm serving health clubs, leisure centres, and retailers. It is Sportmax's primary swimwear supplier-partner and the most direct competitor for B2B swim-product distribution to UK leisure operators.
Zoggs International: UK-headquartered swim products brand (goggles, swimwear, learn-to-swim accessories) selling both direct-to-consumer and B2B to leisure retailers and operators. Closely comparable to Sportmax in swim-product focus, UK customer base, and B2B distribution through leisure channels.
DirectSport: UK-based B2B supplier of customised sports kit, equipment, and apparel to clubs, schools, universities, and leisure operators. Comparable in being a specialist B2B sports distribution business targeting UK institutional buyers across multiple sport categories.

Broad incumbents

Decathlon UK: UK arm of Europe's largest sporting goods retailer, operating Decathlon Pro as a B2B service for organisations including leisure operators. Overlaps broadly across all Sportmax categories (swimming, fitness, racket, football) but at greater scale and with a B2C-led model.

Emerging players

Aqua Sphere: Swim eyewear, wetsuits, and accessories brand with B2B distribution for swim schools, leisure centres, and retailers. Closely comparable in the swim-accessories sub-category that anchors Sportmax's product catalogue.
Arena (Water Instinct): International swimwear and watersport brand with B2B distribution to clubs, pools, and leisure operators across Europe. Comparable swim-category product focus and B2B go-to-market, though without Sportmax's bespoke display and managed-retail services layer.
Tyr Sport: Swimwear and triathlon apparel brand with established B2B sales channels serving swim clubs, leisure centres, and teams. Comparable swim-apparel product mix targeting similar leisure-operator end customers.

Others

Everything Branded: UK-based supplier of branded promotional merchandise and corporate gifts, including sports and leisure-adjacent product ranges. Adjacent to Sportmax's bespoke-display and branded-retail services for institutional customers, though with a promotional rather than retail focus.
4imprint UK: UK branch of a large promotional and branded merchandise supplier serving organisations with custom apparel and accessories. Adjacent to Sportmax's branded-display and merchandise supply offering, though not a direct sporting-goods retailer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Sportmax financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Sportmax leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Sportmax funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Sportmax M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sportmax

What does Sportmax do?

Is Sportmax a public or private company?

Sportmax is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.

When was Sportmax founded?

Sportmax was founded in 1979. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Sportmax based?

Sportmax is headquartered in Hamilton, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.

How does Sportmax make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Product Sales to Leisure Centres are the primary driver. The others are managed Retail Services and direct E-commerce Sales.

Who are Sportmax's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Mitre Sports, Speedo International, Zoggs International and DirectSport. Decathlon UK is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Aqua Sphere, Arena (Water Instinct) and Tyr Sport. Others are Everything Branded and 4imprint UK.

Does Sportmax have an API?

No public API is recorded for Sportmax.

What industry is Sportmax in?

Sportmax's product category is Leisure Centre Retail Solutions. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAMABAC, Athletic Footwear & Sport Apparel Retail, with a secondary code of CRAMABAE, Team Sports Equipment & Uniforms Retail. Its NAICS code is 42391 and its SIC code is 3949.