Hervis withdraws from Croatia, Slovenia and Germany and redirects its business toward Austria
The Austrian sporting goods retail chain Hervis is withdrawing from several foreign markets, including Croatia, Slovenia and Germany, and in the next phase of its business it will focus on Austria. The decision was made after a change of ownership, a business review and an assessment of market conditions, and it affects the companies through which Hervis operated outside its Austrian home market. According to an announcement reported by Croatian and regional business media, after analysing changed shopping habits and future market circumstances, the new owner decided to gradually close or separate the business on the mentioned markets. This brings to an end one of the more visible periods of Hervis's presence in Croatian sporting goods retail, which began in the mid-2000s and included stores in several larger cities.
For customers, employees and suppliers, the most important part of the decision concerns the announced gradual course of the market exit. According to business media reports, the company stated that the planned closure should enable obligations toward customers, suppliers and employees to be fulfilled. This means that the process should not take place as an immediate shutdown, but as a controlled withdrawal in which existing contractual, labour-law and consumer relationships are resolved. Precise deadlines for the closure of individual Croatian stores have not been publicly confirmed for every location, so customers with questions about complaints, warranties, orders and possible gift cards are advised to check directly in stores or through the retailer's official channels.
The decision follows the sale of Hervis to new owners
The key turning point occurred at the beginning of 2026, when Austria's SPAR Österreichische Warenhandels-AG sold the Hervis chain. According to SPAR's official announcement of 26 January 2026, the new owners became Sven Voth, founder of the Snipes chain, and Udo Schloemer, founder of Factory Berlin. The same announcement stated that all Hervis locations in Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Bavaria, as well as employees, were taken over, and that the aim of the new owners was to retain the Hervis brand and reposition it as a sports retailer. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Only a few months after that announcement came the decision to withdraw from the foreign markets that remained outside Austria. According to information published by Poslovni dnevnik, Tportal, SeeNews and other media, the new owners decided to shift the focus to the core business in Austria. The statement carried by the media says that the decision was made after a detailed review of the business, an assessment of future market conditions and an analysis of changed shopping habits. Such wording points to strategic restructuring, and not merely to the closure of individual unprofitable stores.
The change of ownership also marked the end of a long period during which Hervis was part of the Austrian SPAR group. According to SPAR's official data, at the end of 2025 Hervis operated 91 stores in Austria and another 43 locations in Slovenia, Croatia and Bavaria, and in 2025 it generated sales revenue of 314 million euros. These figures show that this was a chain which, even after previous restructurings, remained an important player in Central European sporting goods retail, but also that business outside Austria represented a smaller, yet organisationally demanding part of the system.
Croatian business burdened by losses
In Croatia, Hervis has operated in recent years in a demanding environment marked by strong competition, the growth of online retail and pressure on margins in the segment of sports clothing, footwear and equipment. According to data from the Fina Info.BIZ service for the company HERVIS d.o.o., total revenue in 2025 amounted to 27.07 million euros, a decrease of 10.98 percent compared with the previous year. The same source states that in 2025 the company reported a net loss of 5.60 million euros and that the number of employees according to hours worked was 137, a decline of 16.97 percent compared with the previous year.
Available business data indicate that the problems did not arise suddenly. Business media reported that Hervis in Croatia had also recorded losses in previous years, including 2023 and 2024, despite revenues that ranged around several tens of millions of euros. Such a combination of relatively high turnover and a negative result is typical for retail chains that have significant costs for rent, logistics, employees, inventory and marketing activities, especially if at the same time they must compete with large international chains, specialised stores and online platforms.
An additional challenge for business in Croatia was the change in shopping habits. Customers increasingly compare prices online, order goods from several countries and combine physical stores with digital sales channels. In such an environment, classic retail outlets must justify their costs through the breadth of their offer, service, product availability and favourable prices. If a chain fails to achieve sufficiently high turnover per store or maintain a sufficiently high margin, the business may remain unsustainable even when the brand is recognisable.
The broader regional shift began before the decision on Croatia
The withdrawal from Croatia, Slovenia and Germany is not an isolated move, but a continuation of changes that began earlier at Hervis. In November 2025, Hervis announced an agreement to sell its business in Hungary and Romania to the British Frasers Group. According to Hervis's announcement at the time, the agreement covered 29 stores in Hungary and 49 in Romania, with a note that locations and employees in Austria, Slovenia and Croatia were not included in that transaction at that time. This made it clear already by the end of 2025 that the chain's international structure was changing and that part of the business outside Austria was being separated from the system.
After the change of ownership at the beginning of 2026, the focus narrowed further. According to reports by Austrian and regional media, the new owners now want to direct the business toward the Austrian market, while different solutions are being sought for the remaining foreign units, including closure or sale. In the case of Croatia, a gradual suspension of business has been announced, while information has also been published about the exit of Slovenia and Bavaria from the current business model. Croatian media state that Hervis has 18 stores in Croatia, while Slovenian media mention 21 stores in Slovenia, which together makes up a significant part of the remaining foreign locations after the sale of the Hungarian and Romanian business.
Such a sequence of events shows that Hervis is undergoing a deep restructuring of its entire business model. Instead of expanding across multiple markets, the new owners evidently assess that under current conditions it is more rational to retain and develop the market where the brand has the strongest position and operational base. Austria remains the central market, with a store network, brand recognition and logistics infrastructure that can serve as the foundation for a new positioning.
What the closure means for customers
For customers in Croatia, Hervis's departure means a reduction of choice in the segment of physical sporting goods stores, especially in shopping centres where the chain had been present for years. Still, the market will not be left without competition, because other international and domestic retailers of sporting goods, fashion and footwear operate in Croatia, as do numerous online retailers. The change will be felt most where Hervis was one of the few larger specialised sporting goods stores in a particular shopping centre or city.
In the transition period, questions of warranties, complaints, returns of goods, unused vouchers, loyalty cards and online orders are especially important. According to available information, Hervis has announced that obligations toward customers will be fulfilled, but the details of implementation depend on the specific product, method of purchase, transaction date and the rules that will apply during the closure. Consumers should keep receipts and all documentation related to purchases, especially for more expensive sporting equipment, bicycles, electric bicycles, skis, fitness equipment and products with longer warranty periods.
In cases of uncertainty, the relevant framework consists of Croatian and European consumer protection rules, according to which buyers' rights are not lost simply because a retailer changes its business model or closes outlets. However, practical implementation may be more complex if stores are closed gradually, if goods are sold off or if part of the communication is redirected to other channels. That is why it will be important for customers to follow the retailer's official notices, deadlines and any changes to conditions during the final phase of business in Croatia.
Consequences for employees and suppliers
The chain's departure from the market most directly affects employees. According to earlier media reports, Hervis had 18 stores and about 165 employees in Croatia, while Fina Info.BIZ lists 137 employees according to hours worked for 2025. The difference in figures may arise from different methodologies and time snapshots, but both indicate that the decision concerns a significant number of jobs in retail, logistics, administration and store management.
According to the published statement, the company announced that it would fulfil its obligations toward employees. In practice, this may include respecting notice periods, payment of wages, compensation and other rights arising from employment contracts and applicable regulations. Since details have not been publicly announced for every group of workers, it is not possible to reliably state whether transfers, mutual termination agreements or other support models will be offered. What is clear is that the closure of a larger retail chain creates pressure on the local labour market, but also opens the possibility that some employees may move to competitors that continue to expand their sales network or online business.
Suppliers are another group for which the gradual nature of the process is especially important. Sporting goods retail depends on seasonal collections, advance orders, warehouse stocks and contracts with brands. If a chain withdraws from a market, deliveries, returns, payments, marketing obligations and inventory status need to be arranged. The announcement that obligations toward suppliers will be fulfilled is important precisely because a sudden interruption of business can cause disruptions in the supply chain, especially for products that are procured seasonally and in larger quantities.
Changes in sporting goods retail
Hervis's departure fits into a broader change in European sporting goods retail. After years of growth, driven by the popularity of recreational sport, outdoor activities and athleisure fashion, the sector is facing different conditions. Inflation has changed consumer priorities, operating costs have remained high, and online competition has further lowered the threshold for price comparison. Large retailers must invest in digital channels, logistics, customer programmes and rapid availability of goods, while at the same time maintaining expensive networks of physical stores.
In such an environment, clear positioning becomes crucial. Retailers that rely only on a broad offer and occasional discounts find it increasingly difficult to maintain a difference compared with the competition. More successful models often combine specialised expertise, a strong online channel, a clear pricing strategy and a shopping experience that cannot easily be replaced by an online order. Hervis's new owners initially announced the repositioning of the brand, and the decision to concentrate on Austria shows that they want to carry out that process in a smaller and more operationally controlled market.
For the Croatian market, this means continued consolidation. Some customers will shift to competing physical stores, some will increase online purchases, and some will seek specialised retailers for individual categories such as cycling, running, hiking or winter sports. In the long term, the departure of one recognisable chain does not necessarily have to reduce the overall offer, but it changes the distribution of market shares and increases pressure on the remaining retailers to fill the space left by Hervis.
The end of one period, but not the end of market competition
For years, Hervis was recognisable in Croatia as a chain that combined sports clothing, footwear, recreational equipment, cycling, skiing, fitness and outdoor activities. Its withdrawal therefore also has a symbolic dimension: it is the departure of a brand that was part of the wave of expansion of Central European retail chains into Croatian shopping centres after the entry of large retail formats into the market. But the economic background of the decision shows that brand recognition alone is not enough if the business result does not keep pace with the costs and investments needed to maintain a store network.
According to available information, Hervis will end its business in Croatia as part of a broader restructuring of the group after the change of ownership. The decision is based on an assessment of market conditions, changing shopping habits and financial results that have been negative in recent years. The Austrian market remains the foundation of future business, while Croatian stores are being closed gradually. For customers, employees and suppliers, it is now crucial that the transition period be clearly communicated and carried out in accordance with the announced fulfilment of all obligations.
Sources:
- Original text of the user – basic information about Hervis's withdrawal from the markets of Croatia, Slovenia and Germany and the announcement of the fulfilment of obligations toward customers, employees and suppliers
- SPAR Österreichische Warenhandels-AG – official announcement on the sale of Hervis to new owners and data on the store network at the end of 2025 (link)
- Hervis Österreich – official announcement on the sale of the business in Hungary and Romania to Frasers Group (link)
- Poslovni dnevnik – report on the decision of the new owners and the gradual closure of Hervis's business in Croatia and Slovenia (link)
- Tportal – report on the closure of Hervis stores in Croatia, Slovenia and Germany and quotes from the company's statement (link)
- SeeNews – regional business news about Hervis's exit from Croatia and Slovenia and focus on Austria (link)
- Fina Info.BIZ – business indicators for HERVIS d.o.o., including revenue, net loss and number of employees for 2025 (link)