Divaris Assists The Sports Authority  in its search to expand market  coverage in the Mid-Atlantic.

DRE Assists Sports Authority with Virginia Sites

VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA:  Divaris Real Estate, Inc. is assisting The Sports Authority with its expansion plans throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.   This follows the recent merger of The Sports Authority with Gart Sports Company.

DRE was asked to prepare a presentation showing all retail markets in the major metropolitan statistical areas in Virginia.   The Divaris team created maps that illustrated the location of existing stores, the proximity to competition and proposed sites for expansion to ensure adequate market coverage. 

The site criteria for the typical 35,000- to 45,000-square-foot store, includes a preference for power centers or freestanding buildings with demographics of 400,000 population within a ten-mile radius, middle- to high-incomes with large concentrations of children, teens and adults.   One site that was selected is in Jefferson Crossroads at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Bland Boulevard in Newport News, Virginia.   Additional sites are planned for 2005/2006.

On August 4, 2003, The Sports Authority, Inc. joined with the team of Gart Sports Company.   The largest and second largest U.S. sporting goods retailers, respectively, completed a merger that created the nation's preeminent full-line sporting goods chain. The new company is known as The Sports Authority, Inc., and is based in Englewood, Colorado.   The Sports Authority operates approximately 385 stores in 45 U.S. states.

The Sports Authority, Inc. opened its first store in November 1987 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In 1990, the company was acquired by Kmart. Five years later, The Sports Authority advanced to 136 stores in 26 states, and was spun-off from parent Kmart. At the time of its merger with Gart Sports Company, The Sports Authority was the largest full-line sporting goods retailer in the United States, with 205 stores in 33 states and 43 stores in Japan under a joint venture licensing agreement with AEON, Ltd.

Gart Sports Company was established in 1928 in Denver, Colorado and soon became the largest full-line sporting goods retailer in the Western United States. In addition to its Gart Sports locations, the company ran stores under the Sportsmart and Oshman's brand names, winning a reputation for providing a comprehensive high-quality assortment of brand name sporting apparel and equipment at competitive prices. At the time of the merger with The Sports Authority, Gart Sports operated 182 stores in 25 states.

With the merger complete, The Sports Authority is now a national retailer operating 385 stores in 45 states with combined estimated sales of $2.5 billion.  Its premium brands and private label offerings have been given enhanced merchandising and distribution opportunities.   Gart’s winter sports and softlines expertise complements The Sports Authority’s dominance in hardline goods. Renovations to existing stores have made The Sports Authority a more shopper-friendly environment, with wider aisles and category endcap signs.  Bins contain impulse buy items including a large range of discounted merchandise.