The fate of Perry Sport remained uncertain as of yesterday, after the generalist Dutch sports retailer was declared bankrupt on Feb. 23. Perry Sport is a major account for some outdoor brands, with 70 stores around the Netherlands. Toni van Hees, who was appointed to handle the receivership, started holding talks last week with nine interested parties for the takeover of Perry Sport and Aktiesport, a retailer of cheaper sports apparel and footwear, with 120 standalone stores and shop-in-shops. Both are part of the Unlimited Sports Group (USG), a leading sports wholesaler and retailer in the Netherlands and Belgium. All three entities were declared bankrupt at the same time, while several more went into receivership last week. On the retail side they include Primo, a Belgian sports retail chain with 26 stores, and entities related to Time Out, a sports fashion retail franchise. USG also has licensing or distribution rights for a smattering of sports brands, such as Le Coq Sportif, Fila, Pantofola d'Oro and more. Although nearly all related entities went into receivership last week, a spokeswoman said that Tenson, the Swedish outdoor brand, was not among them. At the time of its acquisition in 2010, USG insisted that Tenson had not been bought by USG itself but by investors including its shareholders, Jos Gillebaard and Len Langenberg, and Bencis Capital Partners. It remains unclear if that is still the case, and to what extent Tenson is affected by USG's bankruptcy. The receiver said that USG was profitable and that it claimed a share of more than 35 percent in the Dutch sports and outdoor market. Further details on the proceedings, potential buyers and the situation with inventories in SGI Europe.

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