Academy Sports & Outdoors

In operation since the late 1970s, academy sports operates a chain of sporting goods “megastore” outlets. Each store offers a wide range of name-brand equipment and clothing and shoes for competitive sports, physical fitness training and outdoor recreational activities such as hunting, fishing and camping. Its selection is extensive, and its prices are generally very low.Source : Creditrewardperks.com

Who owned Academy Sports?

In the early 1980s, Arthur Gochman assumed active control of the company and completely overhauled its basic merchandising policies. As a result, the company began to enjoy significant success in its home state of Texas. Its stores sold more state fishing licenses than any other group of shops in the state, and sales consistently rose at a fast pace.

Smart responses to market realities also helped the company’s growth. In the early 1980s, for example, Gochman refurbished two of his father’s four Austin stores and introduced lines of women’s casual wear and aerobic exercise gear in an effort to attract female customers. This policy proved wise, for within a few years women had become the majority of Academy’s customers.

The company continued to expand throughout the 1990s, mainly into Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. In 1998 the firm’s owners decided to change its company name from Academy Sports to its current title, Academy Sports & Outdoors, in an effort to better reflect the type of merchandise it sells. The company also plans to continue expanding into other states, though it will be cautious in its choice of locations.