Frasers Group has announced plans to launch Sports Direct across Australia and New Zealand.

As part of the move, the retail giant is has entered a long-term strategic retail agreement with Accent Group.

Accent Group has a significant presence in Australasia, where it is a retailer and distributor of premium lifestyle and sports footwear with over 900 stores and 12 distributed brands.

The international partnership will support Sports Direct's growth across the region, with plans to open 100 stores across the two countries.

The Group said that as Accent Group’s largest shareholder, it will work closely with the business to continue expanding its existing presence across the region's sports retail market, with "potential to explore opportunities in further retail and business segments in future."

Accent will initially roll out "at least" 50 Sports Direct stores plus an online platform during the first six years of the agreement.

As part of the partnership, Frasers has also pledged to raise its shareholding in Accent Group to 19.57 per cent.

The subscription proceeds of approximately £29 million (AU$60.4 million) will be used to fund the initial roll-out of the Sports Direct business in Australia and New Zealand.

Frasers Group said the deal aligns with its ambition to become the leading global sports retailer.

It comes after the company announced it would launch Sports Direct across five new markets in southeast Asia and India.

The plans, unveiled last month, include the opening of more than 350 Sports Direct stores in the region long-term.

The new markets include India, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, with the company also expanding further into Indonesia.

The move forms part of an expansion of its partnership with MAP Active, a sports, fashion, and distributor operator in south Asia.

“Since acquiring a strategic shareholding in Accent, we have developed a robust partnership between Frasers and Accent," said Michael Murray, chief executive, Frasers Group. "Accent has an impressive, well-established platform with various sneaker concepts and a strong distribution of brands."

He continued: "We’re looking forward to expanding our partnership to launch Sports Direct in Australia and New Zealand, working towards our bold plan of opening 100 stores. This reaffirms our commitment to drive growth of the Sports Direct brand internationally and marks a significant step forward in our ambition to becoming the leading global sporting goods retailer.”

Frasers Group says that partnership will give Accent access to many global brands owned by the company, including Everlast, Slazenger, Karrimor and USA Pro.

Additionally, Accent Group has acquired Frasers’ discount online fashion marketplace, MySale, consolidating Frasers’ Australian operations into Accent and extending Accent’s online presence.

“After extensive discussions, we are very pleased to announce a long-term strategic relationship with Frasers to open Sports Direct in Australia and New Zealand," said Daniel Agostinelli, chief executive, Accent Group. "Sports Direct is one of the leading sporting goods retailing businesses globally."

Agostinelli added: The rollout has key brand support and will leverage the proven operating model, combined capability and global brand relationships enabled by the Frasers and Accent alliance. Accent and Frasers see an opportunity for up to 100 stores in ANZ over time. We are looking forward to working with the Frasers team to bring Sports Direct to ANZ consumers.”

---