SportScheck

Sportscheck, properly written as SportScheck, is a German retail company specializing in sports goods. The company was established in 1946 by Otto Scheck, who crafted his first collection of winter clothing from old military stocks in Munich. This significant first step marked the beginning of the SportScheck journey​​.

In the 1970s, the company's headquarters in Munich's Sendlinger Street was home to one of the first artificial indoor climbing walls, possibly the first of its kind. This wall, built from natural stone (Wetterstein limestone), was planned by Reinhold Messner, a well-known mountaineer. However, when the company moved to Neuhauser Street in 2016, the old headquarters and the climbing wall were abandoned​​.

By the 21st century, Sportscheck was facing economic deficits as its revenue declined. To manage this situation, the Otto Group, which had initially partially acquired the company in 1988 before fully taking over in 1991, sold Sportscheck entirely to Signa Retail in 2019. Signa Retail is also the parent company of Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof. The sale underwent scrutiny by the Federal Cartel Office and was eventually deemed non-problematic in terms of competition in February 2020​.

In the present day, Sportscheck operates across various channels such as mail-order business, stationary retail, and e-commerce, with its presence stretching across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland​. The company's product portfolio is quite extensive, offering more than 30,000 items from 500 brands. As of March 2021, it has 31 stores across Germany​​. In addition to its regular stores, Sportscheck also runs outlet stores in Unterhaching, Dresden, and Ostbahnhof in Munich​​.

Beyond retail, Sportscheck is involved in organizing sporting events. It is known for hosting the largest series of city runs in Germany, an initiative that began in 1979 with the SportScheck RUN. In 2022 alone, SportScheck RUN events were held in 11 cities​​.

Through the years, Sportscheck has had to adapt and evolve to keep pace with changes in the market and consumer behavior, from its beginnings with winter clothing to its current broad range of sporting goods and event organization. Despite economic challenges, it has remained a steadfast presence in the sports retail landscape in Germany and beyond.