Sports is becoming big business in the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry, as illustrated by the two national sporting goods retailers preparing to open new stores in the market this year.
On Thursday, Hibbett Sporting Goods Inc. announced its newest store will open next month at 258 Pooler Parkway, employing approximately eight full and part-time team members. That store will join the Hibbet Sports store already open in Savannah Mall.
Alabama-based Hibbett Sporting Goods is a fast-growing operator of more than 900 full-line sporting goods stores in small to mid-sized markets, most of them located in the Southeast, mid-Atlantic and Midwest. The company’s primary store format is Hibbett Sports, a 5,000-square-foot store located in dominant strip centers and enclosed malls.
“We’re thrilled to be opening a new store in Pooler,” said Jeff Rosenthal, Hibbett president and CEO.
“People in Pooler take their sports seriously, and we plan to give them the sporting goods products and know-how they’ve been looking for.”
Hibbett Sports has a long history of focusing on the needs of local teams and leagues, providing a variety of services to meet the needs of coaches and players alike, he said, adding that its stores offer a large selection of quality athletic equipment, footwear and apparel, with a focus on knowledgeable customer service.
The company features an expansive selection of brand name merchandise, with an eye toward meeting the needs of the team and individual sports participants.
Another priority is offering localized apparel and accessories so that a wide range of customers within each market will be able to find just what they’re looking for.
According to Rosenthal, since Hibbett Sporting Goods Inc. began in 1945, the focus has been on serving the local community.
“No matter how many stores we open, we don’t lose sight of the fact that every town we serve is a hometown,” he said.
Hibbett Sports will join Dick’s Sporting Goods in opening a new store in 2014. Dick’s, the country’s largest full-line sporting goods retailer recently opened a store in Bluffton, S.C., and is readying a store to move into a 55,000-square-foot location across from Oglethorpe Mall.
Calls and emails to Dick’s corporate office to determine a projected opening date for the new store went unanswered Friday.
