NGF TOP 100 BUSINESSES IN GOLF
DICK’S Sporting Goods/Golf Galaxy
Category
Corporate Headquarters
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Website
Key Employees
Edward W. Stack, CEO and Chairman of the Board
Lauren R. Hobart, President
Lee J. Belitsky, Executive VP and CFO
Donald J. Germano, Executive VP – Stores
Nina Barjesteh, Senior VP – Product Development
Navdeep Gupta, Senior VP – Finance and Chief Accounting Officer
John E. Hayes III, Senior VP – General Counsel and Secretary
Vidya R. Jwala, Chief eCommerce and Supply Chain Officer
Stephen P. Miller, Senior VP – Strategy and Analytics
Ed Plummer, Chief Marketing Officer
Will Swisher, Senior VP – Merchandise Planning, Allocation and Replenishment
Holly R. Tyson, Senior VP – Chief Human Resources Officer
Profile
Founded in 1948, DICK’S Sporting Goods, Inc., offers a broad assortment of high-quality, brand name sporting goods equipment, apparel, and footwear at more than 725 specialty stores across the United States. In 2006, the company acquired Golf Galaxy, Inc., a golf-specialty retailer, which currently has almost 100 stores.
The latter, which opened its first store in 1997, offers major brands of clubs, apparel, shoes, golf balls, bags, technology, and accessories. Custom club fitting services, lessons from PGA/LPGA professionals, a club trade-in program, a pre-owned club program, and a full-service club repair are also available.
The interior of a Golf Galaxy location. (Photo courtesy: Golf Galaxy)
DICK’S is positioned as a dominant player in the golf retail market, given its more than 800 locations – both specialty stores and golf-specific outlets.
Stack’s father, Dick, founded the company after working at an Army surplus store in upstate New York at the age of 18. Given $300 from his grandmother’s cookie jar, Dick Stack first opened a bait-and-tackle shop in Binghamton and then expanded his product line in 1958 to include many of the sports found at DICK’S Sporting Goods today.
DICK’S stores have dedicated golf sections, offering golf clubs, balls, bags, training equipment, and the latest in golf apparel and footwear. The company also offers its products through a content-rich eCommerce platform that’s integrated with its store network, providing customers with a 24-hour storefront.
Additionally, DICK’S created the DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation, a tax-exempt, non-profit corporation that supports the company’s charitable and philanthropic activities and has a mission to inspire and enable sports participation. It has also sponsored the PGA TOUR Champions DICK’S Sporting Goods Open for over 10 years.
“Our key strategies and investments are working [and] our relationships with our strategic partners, including Nike and Callaway, remain very strong,” said Edward Stack, Chairman and CEO, DICK’S Sporting Goods, during a 2019 earnings call. “I’m very enthusiastic about our future business.”
Customers visit a Golf Galaxy location. (Photo credit: Golf Galaxy)
NGF Takeaways
DICK’S Sporting Goods has benefited from the closures of other sporting goods outlets and golf specialty retailers that sold golf products – Golfsmith and Sports Authority most prominent among them.
As the retail sector continues to stabilize after its consolidation, DICK’S will continue to have the opportunity to grow its market share.
Golf and athletic wear have been among the company’s strongest segments. In May 2017, DICK’S celebrated the opening of 36 new Golf Galaxy locations that were formerly Golfsmith stores, helping to bring additional stability back to the brand it owns and operates.
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