Big 5 Sporting Goods, which has hundreds of stores across theWest, will open two shops in Colorado Springs this month, includingone today.
A 10,000-square-foot store at 5909 Constitution Ave. opens thismorning, the El Segundo, Calif.-based chain said Thursday.
A second store will open Nov. 24 in the old Wild Oats location at5075 North Academy Blvd.
'We felt that the market would definitely sustain two locations.We're new to the Colorado Springs market, and we are very impressedwith the number of sports enthusiasts in Colorado Springs,' spokesmanRick Gridley said.
Big 5 sells brand-name equipment and clothing for indoor andoutdoor activities. Brands include Adidas, Brooks, Head, Saucony,Speedo, Rollerblade, Fila, Jansport and Wilson.
'Our selection of goods is medium to high-end,' Gridley said. 'Weare more of a neighborhood store. We certainly don't think ofourselves as a big-box store.'
The company operates 300 stores in 10 Western states. In Colorado,Big 5 stores are in Aurora, Durango, Littleton, Pueblo, Thornton andColorado Springs. A store will open Dec. 10 in Lakewood. The companyhas opened 16 stores this year.
Each store employs 16 to 20 people. Six to eight are fulltime.
Big 5 was established in 1955. The chain is the seventhlargestsporting goods company in North America, according to trade magazineFootwear News. Sales totaled $710 million last year. Net income was$26.3 million.
Leonard Green and Partners, which controls competitor SportsAuthority, has a 28 percent stake in Big 5, according to Hoover'sOnline, which collects information about U.S. businesses.
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