Katy, Texas — Academy Sports + Outdoors will open 15-17 new stores in its fiscal 2024 year, starting with two new stores in the first quarter in Knightdale, N.C., and Greenwood, Ind. The new stores are part of Academy’s plans to open 160 to 180 new stores over the next 5 years. Half of the new stores are expected to open in markets where the retailer has an existing footprint. The remaining 80 to 90 stores are planned for new and adjacent markets, with a focus on expanding to smaller and mid-sized markets.
The grand opening festivities for the North Carolina store took place on March 22-24 while the Indiana store will host its grand opening on April 12-14.
“Academy Sports + Outdoors is excited to provide our customers with new convenient stores that carry a localized assortment that meets the needs of active families in these communities,” says Eric Friederich, senior vice president of retail operations at Academy Sports + Outdoors. “We’re looking forward to helping our loyal customers in Knightdale and Greenwood get to the fun faster and continue to be their destination for the top brands and the lowest prices at these new locations.”
The company, which sees 95% of its sales fulfilled in brick-and-mortar locations, also plans to enhance its omnichannel shopping experience by improving its mobile application and search capabilities, increasing the speed of online check-out, and offering more payment options.
Originally founded in 1938 as a family business in Texas, Academy has grown to 283 stores across 18 states. For more information, visit www.academy.com. For more information on the newest stores, visit academy.com/Knightdale and academy.com/Greenwood.
SOURCE: Academy Sports + Outdoors