Sports Authority

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Sports Authority Inc. <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; padding:16px 0 16px 0;">Image:Sports Authority Logo.gif</td></tr>
Type	Sporting goods
Founded	1987
Headquarters	Englewood, Colorado <tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Industry</th><td>Retail</td></tr><tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Products</th><td>Apparel, sports equipment, shoes, exercise equipment</td></tr><tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Website</th><td>http://www.sportsauthority.com/</td></tr>

Image:11-16-06-EPMN-SportsAuthority.jpg

Sports Authority is America's largest full line sporting goods retailer. The company is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado. It operates approximately 400 stores in 45 U.S. states under the Sports Authority name. Total sales for the fiscal year ending January 29 2005 were $2.44 billion.

The company's e-tailing website (located at sportsauthority.com), is operated by GSI Commerce, Inc. under license and e-commerce agreements. In addition, a joint venture with AEON Co., Ltd. operates "Sports Authority" stores in Japan under a licensing agreement.

[edit] History

The Sports Authority, Inc. opened its first store in November 1987 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In 1990, with approximately nine stores in six states, the company was acquired by Kmart. Five years later, The Sports Authority had expanded 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, and had 205 stores in 33 states.

Gart Sports, which also operated Oshman's and Sportmart, completed a merger with Sports Authority on August 4, 2003. The combined company took The Sports Authority name. With the merger, each share of Sports Authority was exchanged with 0.37 shares of Gart Sports which gave investors in each about 50% of the new merchant. The new company is based in Englewood, Colorado, which was home of Gart Sports. In May 2006, all 400 stores operated under the Sports Authority banner.