| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | San Antonio, USA (1938) |
| Headquarters | Harris County, Texas, USA |
| Key people | Max Gochman Founder David Gochman, Chairman, CEO Rodney Faldyn, President |
| Products | Discount stores |
| Revenue | US $1.8 billion, (2007) |
| Net income | US $65.0 million, (2005) |
| Owner(s) | Kohlberg Kravis Roberts |
| Employees | Over 11,000 |
| Website | www.academy.com |
Academy Sports + Outdoors is a sports goods discount store chain. For 74 years it was a privately held company owned by the Gochman family, until its May 2011 sale of majority ownership to the investment firm Kohlberg Kravis and Roberts LP.[1] Academy is one of the largest sporting goods stores in the US, operating 138 stores (as of Apr. 2011) across the southeastern United States. Academy Sports and Outdoors has its corporate offices and product distribution center in unincorporated western Harris County, Texas, United States, near Katy.[2]
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Academy Sports + Outdoors is one of the nation’s largest family-owned sporting goods and outdoor stores. It is currently owned by Chairman and CEO David Gochman, and led by President Rodney Faldyn. David’s grandfather, Max Gochman, started Academy Sports + Outdoors over 70 years ago when he opened Academy Tire Shop in 1938 in San Antonio, Texas.[3] After a few years, Max began selling military surplus, and the store continued to evolve into what it is now — a premier sports, outdoor and lifestyle retailer with a broad assortment of high-quality hunting, fishing and camping equipment and gear along with sports and leisure products, footwear, apparel and much more. The company has grown substantially from its small beginnings. Sales reached one billion dollars in 2004 and two billion dollars in 2007.
Academy stores have six departments:
The company ensures good customer service by training associates when they are first hired, as well as through department specific training modules throughout the employee's career at Academy. Academy is one of the major sports and outdoors stores in the nation even with a over 130 stores in the south and southeast US. Academy suscribes to the volume discount business model. Low prices drive the company's business strategy.
Academy stores are generally painted white on outside, with familiar red and blue signage. On the inside, they are similarly painted white, giving stores an open, clean appearance. With over 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2), the floor plan in all stores are similar. Walking into the store, team sports and footwear are on the left wall, camping on the back wall, hunting and fishing on the right wall, apparel in the middle and the registers on the front wall, leading to the exit. Many stores feature a small putting green to test out putters on in its Golf Shop.
Academy operates stores in 11 states:
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