Dive Brief:
- Dick’s Sporting Goods’ 2024 growth plans put experiences first. The company will open eight experiential House of Sports locations and 16 “next-generation” 50K Dick’s stores this year, CFO Navdeep Gupta said on a Q4 2023 earnings call last week. Most House of Sports will replace former Dick’s locations through either relocations or conversions.
- The House of Sports model aims to “provide a completely immersive experience” for customers, according to CEO Lauren Hobart. Staple features like rock climbing walls, indoor tracks and simulated driving ranges are designed to set the format apart from the usual sporting goods experience.
- The 50K Dick’s format represents a midpoint between House of Sports and traditional stores. These locations replicate the emphasis on service, visuals and experience pioneered by House of Sports while maintaining the smaller footprint of a 50,000 square foot Dick’s store.
Dive Insight:
Experience-led House of Sports stores will be a significant part of Dick’s future growth plans, according to Hobart.
The retailer only operated 12 locations as of Q4 2023, but that number is expected to grow to 20 by the end of the year and to reach between 75 to 100 by 2027.
“Compared to a typical Dick's store, athletes are traveling farther to visit House of Sport, increasing the time they spend in the store and visiting more frequently,” Hobart said during the earnings call.
The updated store formats will support digital experiences as well, according to Hobart. Dick’s stores fulfill 80% of e-commerce orders through in-store pickups and store-based deliveries, and both modern store formats are designed to connect online and in-store experiences.
Dick’s will also add 50 full-service footwear decks — dedicated areas staffed by associates focused solely on footwear — to standard Dick’s stores in the coming year, bringing the service to nearly 90% of locations, according to Gupta.
Dick’s Golf Galaxy chain is also getting an experiential makeover. The retailer will open five new stores and remodel or relocate five existing locations as immersive Golf Galaxy Performance Center shops, Hobart said.
