A new experiential concept store from Dick’s Sporting Goods is set to debut this week.
Today, the Coraopolis, Penn.-based chain announced the opening of its first House of Sport outpost in Victor, N.Y., on Friday. The location, according to the company, will “explore the future of retail through multi-sport experiences” both inside and outside the store, which has a 17,000-square-foot turf field and running track, a rock-climbing wall, a batting cage, golf hitting bays and a putting green.
Shoppers will also be able to visit a health and wellness destination focused on recovery and wellbeing, as well as a consolidated service area for breaking in gloves, stringing lacrosse sticks and building or repairing bikes.
What’s more, the unit will feature Dick’s first “House of Cleats” that will seasonally rotate soccer-related merchandise as players return to the field following a year in which many seasons of the sport were canceled.
“We plan to reconceptualize our soccer business — an initiative we delayed last year because of COVID,” president and CEO Lauren Hobart said in the company’s fourth-quarter earnings conference call. “We will follow the same playbook we used to attack the baseball category in 2019, centered around more premium product, enhanced store experiences and exceptional service.”
The sporting goods retailer first introduced the House of Sport opening in that call last month, with Hobart explaining that the outpost will “serve as a test and learn center and will roll the most successful elements into our core Dick’s stores.” It intends to open the second House of Sport location in Knoxville, Tenn., later this year.
Despite the pandemic’s pressures on brick-and-mortar chains, Dick’s continues to expand its physical footprint: In mid-February, it announced plans to launch five outposts — one namesake location in Concord, N.C., and four Warehouse Sale units in Friendswood, Texas; Oklahoma City; Deer Park, N.Y.; and Kissimmee, Fla.
This month, it also expects to open two more Warehouse Sale stores; add experiential Soccer Shops in select locations; debut nine newly redesigned Golf Galaxy outposts; and launch expanded technology offerings in 62 additional Golf Galaxy units.
For the three months ended Jan. 30, Dick’s recorded better-than-anticipated profits and sales, with a 19.3% spike in comps. “Our brick-and-mortar stores and our technology platforms are working seamlessly together to deliver an industry-leading omnichannel experience,” Hobart added in the call. “It’s clear that our strategies over the past several years are working and have helped us not only withstand the pandemic but thrive — setting us up for long-term success.”
