Athletics is leaving Ukraine: when the last stores are closing
23 December 12:57
ATHLETICS, a chain of sporting goods stores, has announced the complete winding down of its operations in Ukraine. The ATHLETICS and ATHLETICS Outlet online stores will cease operations on December 12, 2025, and the last offline store of the chain will close on December 31, 2025. This was reported by the company’s press service, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
The company assured that all orders placed before December 12 were successfully processed, and the support service remains in touch for customers and partners.
The ATHLETICS team thanked customers for years of cooperation and trust, emphasizing that the brand was not only about clothes and shoes, but also about an active lifestyle, energy and inner strength. For inquiries and consultations, the company has left a contact: [email protected].
Where sales and store closures are taking place
According to the Ukrainian Council of Shopping Centers, the sale and gradual closure of the last stores of the chain will continue until the end of December, in particular:
- Karavan shopping center (Dnipro);
- Yarmark shopping center (Zhytomyr);
- Lakhti shopping center (Zaporizhzhia);
- Manufaktura shopping center (Sumy);
- Rayon shopping center and Respublika Park shopping center (Kyiv).
Why ATHLETICS decided to leave the market
Lyudmyla Knysh, CEO of the chain, explained that the turning point was a combination of several factors:
- a prolonged decline in real consumer income;
- rise in the cost of logistics against the backdrop of military risks;
- high rents and energy costs;
- the inability to reconcile the offline format economy under current conditions.
The company considered three scenarios: reduction, freezing or controlled exit. Taking into account fixed costs and obligations to employees, they chose a controlled exit.
At the same time, Knysh noted that the trademark rights were retained, which leaves the possibility of a relaunch or a licensing model if market conditions improve.
Ownership and financial performance
According to the Opendatabot service, 100% of Atletix LLC is owned by the Singaporean company Felix Trade PTE Ltd. The ultimate beneficiary is Igor Chernov.
The company was established in August 2021 after the reorganization of the Sportmaster chain owned by Russian owners. The Ukrainian top management bought a controlling stake, rebranded and launched the business under the ATHLETICS brand.
Despite the reported difficulties, the financial performance grew:
- 2022: revenue – UAH 1.1 billion, net profit – UAH 173 million;
- 2023: revenue – UAH 1.66 billion, profit – UAH 380 million;
- 2024: revenue of UAH 1.84 billion, profit of UAH 353 million;
- Q1-Q2 2025: revenue ≈ UAH 817 million, profit UAH 70 million.
At the same time, the staff was reduced from 675 to 559 employees.
Protests and reputational risks
Earlier, protests were held near ATHLETICS stores in Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv. The activists accused the chain of selling goods of Russian origin during the war, which put additional reputational pressure on the business.
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