RETAILER JD Sports has bought a long-established menswear chain and gained a stronger foothold on the Continent as part of its continued expansion.

The moves contrast with its loss-making rival, JJB Sports, which narrowly avoided administration in March.

JD, which failed in a merger bid with JJB earlier this year, has acquired the Cecil Gee brand and eight of its outlets from Moss Bros for £1.7m. Moss Bros has owned the name since the two firms merged in the 1980s. The sale follows its disposal of the Hugo Boss franchised business this year, and is part of Moss Bros determination to focus on services such as bespoke tailoring.

JD intends to run the stores as a going concern under the Cecil Gee name, but with a revamped product range that will include some of JDs premium branded fashion lines.

Peter Cowgill, JDs Chief Executive, said the acquisition gave it a "low risk springboard for the development of a well-funded profitable premium brand fashion chain."

JD Sports also unveiled a move into Spain with the acquisition of a majority stake in leading sports retailer Sprinter Group, which has 47 stores in the South-East of the country. JD has invested £17.7m for a 50.1 per cent stake in a new joint venture company that will take over Sprinters shops, while the stake held by its existing family owners will be reduced to 49.9 per cent. The UK firm is expected to expand the number of Sprinter outlets across Spain.

Mr Cowgill said the two acquisitions were aimed at growing "our European retail presence and increasing our exposure to a broader portfolio of premium brands."

JD and market-leader Sports Direct, owned by Newcastle United boss Mike Ashley, have weathered tough conditions on the high street through promotional activity and expanding their product ranges. The prospects for JJB, however, are more uncertain. Mike McTighe, the companys chairman warned it could take up to five years to turn around the business which made a full-year loss of 181m.

JJB was only saved from collapse by its creditors approving a controversial insolvency procedure, for the second time in two years, and a £65m fundraising backed by its four biggest shareholders the following month.

Under the company voluntary arrangement (CVA), the 200-store chain plans to close 43 stores by next April, of which 18 have already shut, plus a further 46 by April 2013 if their performance does not improve.