Brothers Brent and Blake Sonnek-Schmelz have "embarked on an ambitious plan to revive the City Sports business, after buying the brand name and related intellectual property," according to Jon Chesto of the BOSTON GLOBE. The sporting goods retailer "filed for bankruptcy" in '15 and eventually "closed after doing business in Boston for 32 years." The brothers "say an e-commerce site is in the works, probably launching within the next few weeks." They also "hope to pick their first brick-and-mortar location for their new firm, City Sports USA, by the end of the year." Brent said that the focus at the start "will be on locations" in Boston and N.Y. They will "run City Sports out of the headquarters of their chain, Soccer Post, in Eatontown, N.J.." But Brent Sonnek-Schmelz said that the two businesses will "be run as separate companies, with Soccer Post aimed at suburban consumers and City Sports targeting urban ones." The brothers "bought the City Sports intellectual property -- such as the brand name, the logo, and the customer lists -- for $400,000, with a goal of building the chain back up again." Brent Sonnek-Schmelz said that the new locations "won't be the same as the old locations," but the "revamped stores probably will be near the old ones." Brent is also "working with a team of six students" at the Univ. of Pennsylvania's Wharton School "to craft a launch plan for City Sports" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/24).
