A Sporting Chance?

There may be some evidence that the merchandise selection, shopping experience, overall value and customer service provided by specialty retailers is gaining appeal among consumers, says analyst-types at Gluskin Townley Group and BIGresearch. Compared to a year ago (August 2007 versus August 2006), major discounters like Wal-Mart and Kmart lost ground while major sporting goods chain increased their share of store shopped at most often for sports gear.

Wal-Mart remains the mass merchant most often shopped by sporting goods consumers, but fewer consumers made this choice this year compared to last year, 13.1% versus 14.9%.Dick’s

Sporting Goods, while still lacking stores in all 50 states, has gained substantially on Wal-Mart, increasing its store shopped at most often share to 9.3% versus 6.8% in August 2006. Dick’s is now within 3 points of overtaking the world’s largest retailer as the sporting goods retailer of choice among U.S. sporting goods consumers.