SPORTS and outdoor clothing group Blacks Leisure has expanded its nationwide presence by snapping up 47 Famous Army Stores.
Blacks, which has its headquarters on Peterlee's North West Industrial Estate, has picked the best outlets from the 200-store chain, which collapsed into administration early last month, for £1.7m.
Attempts by administrators PriceWaterhouseCoopers to sell the chain as a going concern were unsuccessful.
Most of the stores are in the North-West, with four in Scotland and six in Wales.
Blacks' chief executive Simon Bentley said: "This will further strengthen our position as UK market leader in outdoor retail".
As with the Famous Army Stores, Blacks' outdoor arm was hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis last year, with half-year profits to August 31 down to £3.6m from £6.1m.
Last month, Blacks, which also owns 187 First Sport shops, reported same-store sales growth of 9.4 per cent, for the six weeks to January 5.
It is expected to report profits for the full year to February 28, of £14m, compared with £19.7m a year ago.
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