Academy Sports + Outdoors Names Michelle Gloeckler EVP, Chief Merchandising Officer and President of Academy International Limited

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Aug 03, 2016, 12:58 ET

KATY, Texas, Aug. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Academy, Ltd. d/b/a Academy Sports + Outdoors ("Academy"), a premier sports, outdoor and lifestyle retailer, named Michelle J. Gloeckler Executive Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer and President of Academy International Limited, its global sourcing entity, effective August 29, 2016.

Michelle, 50, joins Academy after seven years with Walmart U.S. where she most recently served as EVP, Consumables, Health & Wellness. At Walmart, she led the merchandising strategies in areas including beauty and personal care, pets, household paper and chemicals, baby, over-the-counter, pharmacy and optical. She also led U.S. manufacturing and supplier training functions for the $250 billion initiative. During her time there, she also held roles including SVP, Home & U.S. Manufacturing Lead, SVP, Merchandise Execution, and VP Candy & Impulse. Prior to Walmart, she spent more than 20 years in various executive leadership, sales, marketing and category development roles at The Hershey Company. Michelle earned her bachelor's degree in Communications & Psychology from the University of Michigan.

"I'm ecstatic to join the Academy Sports + Outdoors team, and I look forward to getting to know our merchant, planning, sourcing and product development team members, along with our vendors and manufacturing partners," says Michelle Gloeckler. "I believe Academy's everyday low price approach, community focused stores and the merchandise mix of national and private brands position it uniquely in the industry for future growth and success."

Michelle has nearly 30 years of experience in consumer packaged goods (CPG), big box retail, merchandising, sourcing, manufacturing, and strategy. In 2015, FORTUNE magazine named Michelle to its list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business. In the same year, she was selected to lead the President's Global Council of Women Leaders at Walmart.

"On behalf of our more than 25,000 team members, I am thrilled to welcome Michelle to the team," says J.K. Symancyk, Academy Sports + Outdoors President and CEO. "Michelle is an industry-renowned business driver and broad general manager with experience leading transformation and growth within high-volume, fast-turn, big box retail and CPG companies. Our team will benefit tremendously from her caliber of leadership as we focus on Academy Sports + Outdoors' future growth."

About Academy Sports + Outdoors
Academy Sports + Outdoors is a premier sports, outdoor and lifestyle retailer with a unique assortment of quality hunting, fishing and camping equipment and gear along with sports and leisure products, footwear, apparel, patio sets, barbecue grills and much more. The $4.6 billion company operates over 210 stores throughout Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, where the company is based. The Academy Sports + Outdoors philosophy is to deliver an unparalleled shopping experience by providing convenience, offering a broad selection of quality products, delivering exceptional customer service and selling the right stuff at everyday low prices. For more information about Academy Sports + Outdoors visit academy.com, facebook.com/academy, twitter.com/academy, pinterest.com/academy, youtube.com/academy and instagram.com/academy.

Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements," which are not historical in nature and are identified by the words "intend," "will" or other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are dated as of today and are based upon currently available information and our current expectations and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are subject to significant uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from our present expectations. We assume no obligation to update these statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.

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SOURCE Academy Sports + Outdoors