Dick’s Sporting Goods is becoming the category killer in sporting goods.
They’ve usurped all of the former mall leaders in footwear because malls, on a whole, are on a tremendous downward spiral that we all know about.
They are big box big. The stand alone location near me is attached to nothing, is multi-floor, complete with escalator (How many stores even need one of those anymore let alone a sporting goods store.) and every category covered in depth.
They can crush hockey stores, diving shops, any sneaker outlet, biking stores or any half dozen or more stand alone category stores. They are the end all, be all of sporting goods.
There really has been no true national player in the category outside sneaker stores in traditional anchor/tenant malls.
They are redefining the category and growing. For every regional sporting good death and obituary look and see how many Dick’s Sporting Goods have come into their key markets in the past 10 years.
They’re doing to the category what Wal Mart did to main streets in small town America. No one else matters but them.
Only Dick’s SG I have ever seen was on the north side of San Antonio. Their gun dept. was pretty lame. The whole place looked mostly like a clothes store. The Bass Pro next door was much better and had a lot more customers.