Dick’s Sporting Goods is doubling down on its focus on its women’s business.
At its “Here for Her” summit in New York, the retailer announced that it has committed to a $5 million grant to the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s United for Girls initiative as well as became the official sporting goods retailer of USA Softball. It also unveiled that it has been working with vendor partners to expand its women’s and girls’ offerings at its stores.
“There is still so much work to do for girls who play sports,” president Lauren Hobart said at the summit, which took place Tuesday in New York. “At Dick’s Sporting Goods, we believe at our core that sports make people better, that sports matter, and that the lessons kids learn when they play sports last them a lifetime.”
At the event, A-listers including actress Katie Holmes, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, journalist Elaine Welteroth and Olympic gold medalist Sydney Leroux Dwyer took the stage in two separate panels to discuss the impact of sports and fitness on young girls and women.
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“We have the chance now to capitalize on that, and this ‘Here for Her’ summit is the perfect place to have this discussion and really join our efforts in creating opportunities for girls,” said Sarah Pickens, associate VP of programs at the U.S. Soccer Foundation.
Beyond its push in the women’s business, Dick’s has made other high-profile moves in the past couple years, including its controversial decision to pivot away from the firearms market. A couple weeks after the deadly February 2018 shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., the company voluntarily raised the age requirement on gun purchases from 18 to 21 as well as stopped selling assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
In its third-quarter financial report posted Nov. 26, Dick’s appeared to be reaping the rewards of taking a firm stand, logging better-than-expected earnings per share of 52 cents, while revenues grew 5.6% to $1.96 billion. Same-store sales also increased 6% — its strongest quarterly comps gain since 2013. The positive numbers led Dick’s to further lift its full-year outlook.
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