Academy Sports CEO Ken Hicks on Why the Retailer Is Back in Expansion Mode

After a more than two-year pause, Academy Sports + Outdoors is hitting the gas once again on store expansion. This past weekend, the Katy, Texas-based sporting goods chain celebrated the grand opening of a new location in Conyers, Ga. — marking its first store launch since November 2019. The 58,000-square-foot door employs 60 people and features the company’s updated store design, incorporating more natural light and lower fixtures to help customers navigate the numerous sports and outdoor departments. Speaking with FN at the opening, Academy Sports CEO Ken Hicks said, “This format looks very different and has more visuals, more call outs of our businesses and brands, more displays. And we will add more of those to make it an exciting place to shop.” In terms of merchandise, the store offers footwear, apparel and hard goods from top brands such as Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Columbia and The North Face, as well as Academy private labels including Magellan Outdoors and Freely (a women’s and girls’ activewear line that launched this spring). Hicks also pointed out that each store is stocked with customized inventory to cater to individual communities, from a Fan Shop for local teams to area-specific bait in the fishing department. The Nike

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