The Athletics chain of sports supermarkets has announced the closure of its activities in Ukraine
The Athletics chain of sports supermarkets has announced the gradual winding down of operations in Ukraine. This was reported by the head of the company Lyudmila Knysh.
“The formal decision was made in June 2025 after a series of board meetings and budget stress tests. The turning point was the combination of a steady decline in the real incomes of buyers, the increase in the cost of logistics with military risks, and the impossibility of reconciling the economics of the offline format with current rental rates and energy costs, Knysh noted.
According to her, the chain tried to reduce unprofitable points, focused on a cheaper assortment, developed an online direction, optimized warehouse processes and energy consumption. However, these measures turned out to be insufficient, because costs were constantly increasing.
The Athletics owners also considered selling the business, but the deal fell through due to military risks, high insurance costs, and planning uncertainty. As of today, the Athletics network has 29 stores in 15 cities of Ukraine.
LLC “Athletics” belongs to the Singapore company Felix Trade, the beneficiary is Ihor Chernov. Before the rebranding, the chain worked under the name “Sportmaster” and was owned by Russian entrepreneurs. In early 2022, the Sportmaster badges were replaced by Athletics.
