THE owner of JD Sports yesterday bought troubled rival Allsports for £18m.

Allsports went into administration last month with the loss of more than 1,300 jobs after a decline in sales and a price war among sportswear retailers.

Since then, administrators have closed 92 under-performing stores and John David Group yesterday acquired the rest of the company.

Allsports was the fourth-largest sports retailer in the UK with 270 stores before it went into administration.

Administrator BDO Stoy Hayward made 1,173 shop staff redundant, together with 147 employees at the head office and central warehouses in Bredbury, near Stockport in Greater Manchester.

JD has bought the remaining 177 stores, which will continue to trade under the Allsports brand alongside its own JD Sports outlets.

It also took on Allsports' debt, which is believed to be about £18m.

Despite the tough trading conditions that saw Allsports go into administration, JD revealed an upturn in profits for the first half of the year, rising from £1.8m to £2.8m.

But earlier this month, the company warned trading had been disappointing since July 30 due to increased competition and the London bombings, and said that the Christmas period would be crucial.

Executive chairman Peter Cowgill said: "We believe that, since the disposal of the under-performing stores, the remaining Allsports stores offer an exciting opportunity to expand the offering of JD to our customers."