Sport-specific factors affecting location decisions in business to business sport manufacturing companies: a qualitative study in the Alps

International business research has focused on location decision criteria a lot. In contrast to existing studies, this qualitative study examined business to business sport manufacturing companies. The focus was on sport-specific factors influencing the decision-making processes of sport manufacturing companies located in the German-speaking Alps. The results showed that sport-specific factors, such as corporate sport culture, the work ethic in terms of sport, and the location's destination image regarding sport, play key roles in the location decision-making process. Additionally, the spirit of sport is a fixed component of sport businesses' corporate culture. The findings contribute to the sport management literature by adding sport-specific factors influencing location decision-making in the sport industry and suggest a new framework for these factors. Managers and governments could utilise the findings to support their settlement decisions and as advice for benchmarking initiatives.