Sports Authority Bankruptcy

Alpha8472
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Sports Authority Bankruptcy

Post by Alpha8472 »

Just a week after announcing that they would close all of their Texas stores, Sports Authority will file for bankruptcy next month. They will close nearly half of their stores.

I had no idea that the chain was in such bad shape. The Sports Authority stores near me are always in such great condition. They have remodeled many of them recently.

I remember 10 years ago when Copeland's Sports closed down. Sports Authority took over the leases of seven of their stores.

Kmart used to own Sports Authority from 1990 to 1995. Could it be possible that Kmart outlives Sports Authority? Kmart used to own Waldenbooks and Borders Books. Borders is gone and Kmart is still alive.
Last edited by Alpha8472 on February 25th, 2016, 3:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Super S
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Re: Sports Authority Bankruptcy

Post by Super S »

Part of the problem with chains such as Sports Authority as well as Dick's Sporting Goods is that prices tend to be on the high side for just about everything they sell. I realize that a sporting goods store will sell specialty items, but a lot of things that these stores sell can be had for less elsewhere. Another issue that both of these chains have (at least from my observation in the Portland area) is that the stores never seem to be very busy. It's kinda hard to make a case for keeping a store open with no foot traffic, which may go hand in hand with higher prices.
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Re: Sports Authority Bankruptcy

Post by marshd1000 »

Kmart also used to own Payless Drugs. Builders Square and Pace Membership Warehouses.
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Re: Sports Authority Bankruptcy

Post by Knight »

I have seen Sports Authority struggle against and fall to Dick's Sporting Goods and Academy Sports and Outdoors in South Carolina. It was the only store I bought hockey sticks from.

Academy Sports and Outdoors, having locations mostly in the southern and southeastern United States, is a sporting goods chain I think will continue to expand into other regions in the United States.
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Re: Sports Authority Bankruptcy

Post by storewanderer »

I don't think Big 5 has helped either.

I tried to shop Sports Authority quite a few times (one former Gart, one former Copelands) but I always found better deals and a lot more employees at Big 5.
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Re: Sports Authority Bankruptcy

Post by arizonaguy »

Looks like they've given up on trying to reorganize and have decided to liquidate.

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_2 ... bankruptcy
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Re: Sports Authority Bankruptcy

Post by reymann »

we'll see how many stores dick's and modell's gobbles up at auction
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Re: Sports Authority Bankruptcy

Post by jamcool »

Yet Big 5 survives, despite the fact that they sell mostly off-brand junk.
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Re: Sports Authority Bankruptcy

Post by storewanderer »

Big 5, the last vestige of the old Thrifty Corporation. I think it is a great place to buy last year's models of athletic shoes. Great prices. I always thought it was kind of a joke that they marketed themself as a sporting goods store since they have no product depth in any category other than shoes. I remember going there more than once trying to get a bike tire or tube and one time they had no bike accessories at all, another time they had a pole (building support pole) with a few accessories surrounding it but not what I needed.

The little Big 5 in Reno isn't more than about 12,000 square feet and sits in an early 1980's building with minimal changes over the years. Sports Authority tried to take over the former Copelands at the mall two blocks away and failed (Dick's is now building at the mall; these retailers just never learn...) despite conducting a major remodel and the space being huge (it was once the mall ice skating rink). Sports Authority also took over a former Gart across the road from the Big 5 which was maybe 50,000 square feet. That store is still open but never seemed to have much traffic. The store is largely unchanged from its Gart days; it was built in 1996.
Alpha8472
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Re: Sports Authority Bankruptcy

Post by Alpha8472 »

The mall near me also had a Copeland's Sports that used to be an ice skating rink. Sport Authority took it over and converted it into a huge store. That store had escalators and a huge sales floor. That lasted only a short period of time before being closed. There is a standalone Sports Authority less than a mile away.

Dick's Sporting Goods entered California a couple of years ago. Their stores are quite different than Sports Authority. Dick's builds huge stores with the biggest selection possible. They spare no expense to have everything imaginable and make their stores look fancy with giant windows and tall escalators. Sports Authority does not have as much of a selection at their stores. Most of the Sports Authority stores will not be attractive to Dick's because Dick's prefers to have huge stores with the most selection. If it doesn't have a second floor, Dick's will most likely not be interested. Dick's prefers to build brand new from the ground up. The Dick's near me was a brand new store that tore down a gigantic and historic dome theater. The cost alone of demolishing that monumental building was astronomical. Dick's is a store of excess. One day that will be their undoing. It is sort of like visiting a Cabela's.

Big 5 is known for their tiny stores. It is sort of like the dollar store version of sporting goods stores. The stores are small and the selection is awful. They are cheap to run since they are so small and have so few products.
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