The Tiso shop in Perth. Photo: Jim Barton CC-BY-SA-2.0
The owner of the Blacks and Millets stores has expanded its interests in the outdoor market by snapping up a controlling share of Edinburgh-based group Graham Tiso.
The Tiso family will retain a ‘significant shareholding’ but JD Sports Fashion’s Peter Cowgill will take over the role of chairman from Chris Tiso, who will become chief executive.
Heavily indebted Tiso, which also owns the Keswick outdoor retailer George Fisher and Alpine Bikes, said JD Sports’ investment will see bank debt significantly reduced and will provide capital for the company, which posted a loss of more than £1m in 2011.
It attributed in part the drop in revenue to the oversupply of products in the market following the collapse of the Blacks Leisure chain which, ironically, JD Sports snapped up after it entered administration.
Maude Tiso joined her son Chris, second from left, along with Scotland’s first female Everest summiteer Polly Murray and adventurer Mark Beaumont to celebrate 50 years in business. Photo: Colin Hattersley
The Tiso group was started by Graham Tiso with his wife Maude in 1962, operating from a back room in a boat shop.
The couple’s son Chris took over the running of the business after his father died in a boating accident in 1992. Graham Tiso was a seasoned climber and member of the Scottish Mountaineering Club.
The Tiso brand is expected to remain, with its headquarters remaining in Edinburgh, while coming under the outdoor branch of JD Sports Fashion.
Robert
12 November 2013Tiso is doomed now. What a great shame. It'll be wall-to-wall tat.
Dave from Glasgow
13 November 2013The staff are generally good, the management couldn't care less and they used to be specialist - now they try to compete on price not product specialism. Shame but saw it coming.
OutdoorsGuy
13 November 2013The problem with "specialism" is that the customer likes the advice and to see the product, but then tends to go and shop on line for a lower price; (the distributors don’t help here, by allowing internet only retailers which are in it for a quick buck).
It’s a modern retail problem called Showrooming. It’s on the increase and threatens good shops in many retail sectors.
Jessops where killed by it, thanks to Amazon.
If the outdoor buying public won't support their local specialist, then they will either go bust or turn to false price pointed tat, (again, massively on the increase).
Either way, in the end the consumer looses out.
Can’t help but think that part of the growing increase in Mountain Rescue call outs is partly down to this, (i.e. poor kit been sold at false price points to people not in the know by people who wouldn’t know what was realy needed by the customer in the first place!).