In a move to expand its reach into the outdoor apparel space, Dick's Sporting Goods is acquiring retailer Moosejaw from Walmart.
Dick's said the purchase would grow its outdoor offering, which its Public Lands banner currently spearheads. It also renews the sporting goods giant's commitment to growth in the multibillion-dollar outdoor space.
When the acquisition closes in March, Moosejaw CEO Eoin Comerford will report to Todd Spaletto, president of the Public Lands banner and senior vice president of Dick's Sporting Goods.
Founded in 1992, Moosejaw's headquarters are in Madison Heights, Michigan. Walmart purchased the company for $51 million in 2017 as a part of its U.S. e-commerce organization, which was new at the time. Moosejaw operated as a separate organization from Walmart, with an online presence and 13 brick-and-mortar stores located in Arkansas, Colorado, Michigan, Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Bentonville, Arkansas.
In 2021, Dick's opened its first Public Lands store in Pittsburgh, with Lauren Hobart in place as CEO. Eventually, the brand grew to seven brick-and-mortar stores and a full e-commerce site.
The store design encourages people to participate in outdoor activities and promotes public land protection. Public Lands has a variety of lifestyle and outdoor apparel, equipment, and footwear brands available to consumers. The company also gives back to conservation efforts, donating 1% of all sales.
While Hobart was at the helm, Dick's created a SidelineSwap. The online marketplace gave customers an outlet to exchange their used sports gear for Dick's gift cards. Customers were given the option to donate the final trade-in value to selected local sports organizations. Gear and apparel that didn't qualify for trade-in was donated or recycled. In 2022, program participants received an average of $88 for used gear, and almost all of the polled customers said they would participate in the program once a year.
Currently, Dick's Sporting Goods has over 850 entities among its Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Field & Stream, Public Lands, Going Going Gone! and Warehouse stores. It also has Dick's House of Sport and Golf Galaxy Performance Center. The youth sports mobile app GameChanger is also owned and operated by Dick's. Youth sports organizations use the app for live scorekeeping, video streaming, communications, and scheduling.
