Academy Sports + Outdoors to open 200th store

Store will open this Friday in Tupelo, Miss. at N. Gloster St. and Barnes Crossing Rd.

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Jul 01, 2015, 06:30 ET

KATY, Texas, July 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Academy, Ltd. (d/b/a Academy Sports + Outdoors), a premier sports, outdoor and lifestyle retailer committed to offering everyday low prices, will open its Tupelo, Mississippi location this Friday, marking the 200th store in its chain.

"I want to thank all of our corporate, store, and distribution center associates for their tremendous efforts in supporting us as we achieve this milestone in our strategic five-year growth plan," said Rodney Faldyn, president and CEO of Academy Sports + Outdoors. "We have no intention of stopping our growth at 200 as we're committed to bringing our stores to active communities throughout the Midwest, South, and Southeast U.S."

Since 2007, Academy Sports + Outdoors has doubled its store count and annual sales, surpassing $4.1 billion in 2014. During that stretch, the company also launched its ecommerce website academy.com, opened a second distribution center in Jeffersonville, Georgia, and broke ground on a third distribution center located in Cookeville, Tennessee.

To support its existing stores and ongoing growth, Academy Sports + Outdoors invested in the implementation of a new retail management system and expanded its omnichannel efforts, including a ship-from-store program that ensures customer expectations are met no matter how they choose to shop with Academy.

Academy Sports + Outdoors recently completed a significant expansion of its corporate office in Katy, Texas, adding over 200,000 square feet of office space. Construction is also underway on its third distribution center in Cookeville, Tenn., which is set to open in 2016 and expected to add approximately 700 associates over a five-year period.

Academy Sports + Outdoors is known for its commitment to being the low price leader on its wide selection of casual and athletic footwear and apparel, team sports and golf products, patio sets, barbecue grills, along with hunting, fishing and camping equipment and gear. The Texas-based company has been in business for over 75 years.

The Tupelo store will be approximately 63,000 square feet and will bring 100 new jobs to the area. This will be the first location in Tupelo and the fifth store in Mississippi, located at 848 Barnes Crossing Road.

About Academy Sports + Outdoors
Academy Sports + Outdoors is a premier sports, outdoor and lifestyle retailer with a broad 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 billion company operates 200 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.