Academy Sports + Outdoors Reaches 300 Locations, Opens in Pennsylvania and Maryland
The Texas-based sports store chain Academy Sports + Outdoors has hit a big goal, now having more than 300 stores across the country after adding new shops in Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Academy just opened stores in York and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Hagerstown, Maryland, its first stores in these states. The company also opened a new location in Kansas City, Missouri in March, and will open another in Charlotte, North Carolina this April.
"Academy's continued new store expansion reinforces our commitment to helping more customers and communities have fun out there," said Eric Friederich, senior VP of retail operations at Academy. "Opening our 300th store and growing into two more states are exciting milestones, and we look forward to continuing our growth into new markets."
RELATED: 160-180 New Academy Sports Stores Coming By 2028
The company is now present in 21 states and wants to open 20-25 new stores in its 2025 fiscal year. Last year, Academy opened 16 new locations in 10 states, including its first store in Ohio.
Academy Sports + Outdoors sells clothes, shoes, sports gear, hunting and fishing items, and outdoor cooking products from big brands and the company's own brands. The stores also offer free services like grill and bike setup, scope mounting, and propane swaps.
To help local communities, Academy is giving more than $40,000 to support over 350 children through local Boys & Girls Clubs near its five newest stores. NFL player and Harrisburg native Micah Parsons joined the Harrisburg store opening and took 100 local kids shopping. At the York store, Pittsburgh Panthers player Juelz Goff took another 100 children shopping.
The new stores should add about 300 jobs to these areas.
For customers, Academy has a rewards program called myAcademy, with a 10% welcome discount, lower free shipping limits, and special deals.