I recently leapt to my feet and roared (maybe cried) with JOY watching this DICK'S Sporting Goods commercial, which opens with the story behind the first. Dick's Sporting Goods announcing Wednesday they are temporarily closing down. It's an effort to curb the spread of the virus. The company's Golf Galaxy and Field and Stream stores will also be.

Rich has been a Fool since 1998 and writing for the site since 2004. After 20 years of patrolling the mean streets of suburbia, he hung up his badge and gun to take up a pen full time. Having made the streets safe for Truth, Justice, and Krispy Kreme donuts, he now patrols the markets looking for companies he can lock up as long-term holdings in a portfolio.His coverage reflects his passion for motorcycles, booze, and guns (though typically not all exercised at the same time), but his writing also covers the broader sectors of consumer goods, technology, and industrials. So follow along as he tries to break down complex topics to make them more understandable and useful to the average investor.Have a story idea? Contact Rich. I may not be able to respond to every suggestion, but I do read them all!

Think an article needs a correction? Reach Rich.Dick's Sporting Goods keeps from the firearms market, which suits Sportsman's Warehouse just fine. The smaller sporting goods retailer is buying eight of Dick's Field & Stream stores, outlets that focus in good part on the hunting market, as it seeks to return to a program of expansion.The timing just might be right, too.

Although the firearms industry has been in a slump since late 2016, there are the bottom has been reached, and it is starting to rise again. Sportsman's Warehouse could be perfectly positioning itself to capitalize on the recovery. Image source: Getty Images. A turnaround in the makingSportsman's Warehouse is a much smaller rival to Dick's Sporting Goods and Bass Pro Shops. Where Dick's operates over 700 locations and Bass runs 171 stores between its namesake stores and Cabela's, Sportsman's Warehouse has just 95 stores - 103 now with the addition of the Field & Stream locations.It has struggled over the years and is only now able to begin turning it around. Sales grew 4% in the second quarter as comparable-store sales rose 1.7%, though year-to-date they're essentially flat and down 1.8%, respectively.Sportsman's Warehouse has put behind a long period when its liabilities exceeded its assets. It spent the last two years engaged in debt reduction, and investing in omnichannel capabilities and technology.

Now it sees the opportunity to begin growing again. Everything the gun owner needsThe retailer focuses heavily on the hunting market and caters to gun owners and enthusiasts, which is also partly the reason it has had difficulty during the industry downturn. Yet it obviously saw there was an upturn coming, and it's making strategic bets that will carry it forward.Earlier this year, for example, it added gunsmithing services at all of its stores, allowing customers to drop off a firearm for repair, service, or restoration.

It's part of the value-added services the hunt shop is adding, which CEO Jon Barker told analysts 'are driving customer acquisition and engagement.' Similarly, it launched a trade-in program to buy and sell used guns, available in five stores and online.

Galimulator religion. The response so far has been exceptional as 70% of the used guns turn into a trade-up. Importantly, Sportsman's Warehouse says the margins on used guns are such that the program has been accretive to profits.Now it is expanding its footprint with the acquisition of eight Field & Stream stores for $28 million, including inventory and assets.

The timing is right. A rebound is on targetThe FBI reported criminal background checks of gun buyers rose for the sixth consecutive month in September, up nearly 13% from the year-ago period. Although handgun purchases accounted for most of the checks, long guns - rifles and shotguns - saw a 7.5% increase as we head into prime hunting season.

Contents.Company overviewDick's is the largest retail company in the United States, with approximately 850 stores, as of 2018. The public company is based in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, outside Pittsburgh, and has approximately 30,300 employees, as of January 2018. The company's subsidiaries include and Golf Galaxy, and previously, Chelsea Collective and True Runner. In 2017, there were 690 Dick's stores, close to 100 Golf Galaxy locations, and approximately 30 Field & Stream stores.

The company launched Team Sports HQ, a collection of digital products, following the acquisitions of Affinity Sports, Blue Sombrero, and GameChanger.serves as chairman and chief executive officer. Lauren Hobart is president of the company and the Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation and Lee Belitsky is chief financial officer, as of 2018.

HistoryRichard 'Dick' Stack started the company as a fishing tackle store in, in 1948. He began with a $300 loan from his grandmother, who pulled from her savings, which she kept in a cookie jar.and his siblings purchased Dick's from their father in the early 1980s, when the company had two locations in. Stack established a board of directors, opened additional stores, and relocated the company's headquarters to Pittsburgh in 1994.

He became chairman and chief executive officer following his father's retirement in 1984, and led the company during its initial public offering in 2002.Dick's operated primarily throughout the Eastern United States, up to 2009, and has since expanded to the Pacific Northwest and West Coast. There were more than 357 Dick's stores in 38 states, as of mid 2008.In 2012, the company opened three True Runner stores targeting runners in Boston, the St. Louis suburb, and Pittsburgh's neighborhood. The stores closed in early 2017.Dick's launched the women's athleisure, fitness, and lifestyle store Chelsea Collective in 2015, opening two stores in Pittsburgh and, in the metro area. The shops closed in 2017.The company launched Dick's Team Sports HQ in early 2016, offering youth sports teams websites, uniforms, and sponsorship options.Dick's opened its first Field & Stream store in Cranberry Township, a suburb of Pittsburgh, in 2013. Thirty-five Field & Stream stores are open across the country, as of 2018.

Became the Field & Stream brand's first spokesperson in August 2016.Following the in February 2018, Dick's stopped selling assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and increased the minimum age for purchasing guns to 21. Dick's-branded stores had suspended assault weapon sales following the in 2012, but the guns were still available for purchase at Field & Stream locations. Dick's has never carried.The company currently operates five distribution centers. The most recent, in Conklin in, New York opened in January 2018, and was further expanded to fulfill online sales a few months later. AcquisitionsDick's acquired in July 2004. The company agreed to purchase Golf Galaxy for $225 million in November 2006.

Dick's confirmed plans to close Golf Galaxy's headquarters in in mid 2008.Dick's purchased the San Diego-based sports management technology company Affinity Sports for an undisclosed amount in mid 2016. In September, Dick's acquired 's brand name and intellectual property. There were 450 Sports Authority locations at the time.Dick's acquired, the largest golf retailer in the United States, at a bankruptcy auction in October 2016. Dick's bid approximately $70 million for all of Golfsmith's intellectual property and inventory. The company planned to retain around 30 of Golfsmith's more than 100 locations, as well as 500 employees. Dick's rebranded 36–38 Golfsmith stores in 16 U.S. States as Golf Galaxy in 2017.

This increased the number of Golf Galaxy stores to 98, located in 33 states. Retrieved September 27, 2019. Dick's Sporting Goods.

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