The sportswear retail group Champion Sports has taken over the rival Marathon chain of shops in a deal which is thought to be worth several million pounds.

The two companies will have a turnover in the current year of almost £60 million . Champion, which is on target to reach nearly £40 million in turnover was founded only seven years ago and has 12 outlets in Dublin, two in Limerick and one in Galway.

Marathon will have about half that level of turnover this year from 11 stores, 9 of them in Dublin and two others in Limerick and Drogheda. Marathon opened its first store 18 years ago.

The combined group will continue to trade under Champion and Marathon and will pitch much of its expansion effort towards Northern Ireland, where neither yet has a presence.

There has been intense competition in recent years between the two companies for prime trading pitches in Dublin high streets and main the main shopping centres. Champion has been by far been the more aggressive of the two companies because of its strong financial base and its knowledge of the property industry. Both have stores on high-profile sites in the main urban centres and in most of the big shopping centres.

Both have also faced competition from the Lifestyle chain, owned by Tesco and from a range of other similar type stores opened in the main urban markets.

Sales of sportswear and particularly runners have been growing rapidly in recent years in line with the buoyant retail market and the increasing amount of disposable income being spent on leisure products.

Champion's sales pitch has been based mainly on Adidas goods while Marathon has relied mainly on Nike products. Both brands, which are leaders in the sportswear market and particularly in the key sports footwear area, will continue to be marketed by the enlarged group.

The management of Champion was advised by Pascal Taggart of Cooney Taggart while Marathon was advised Brian Phelan of Phelan and Co.