Hibbett Sporting Goods Competitive Overview

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 2
Key Findings & Strategic Implications ............................................................................................. 4
Key Intelligence Topics .................................................................................................................... 6
Company Overview ......................................................................................................................... 8
Environmental Analysis - STEEP .................................................................................................... 12
Competitive Review ...................................................................................................................... 22
Financial Analysis .......................................................................................................................... 50
Patent Analysis .............................................................................................................................. 68
Strategies ...................................................................................................................................... 79

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Executive Summary

Utilizing a variety of analytical tools and strategies, this competitive profile project
intends to determine the current trends, competitive position and likely future strategies of
Hibbett Sporting Goods. The company is a small market sports retail store that operates in the
southeast and Midwest region of the United States. A Key Intelligence Topics (KIT) section
outlines the tasking presented to the Mercyhurst University Competitive Intelligence Team for
Hibbett Sporting Goods, and background information regarding the current assignment.
Throughout the profile, we conducted analysis of internal, competitive, and overall
environmental factors that have an effect on Hibbett Sporting Goods ability to compete in the
market in the future. A Company Overview expressed findings related to Hibbett Sporting
Goods strengths, weaknesses and strategies that the company already possesses. STEEP
analysis (Social, Technological, Economic, Ecological, Political / Legal) revealed information
about macro-level influences in the economic environment on Hibbett Sporting Goods.
We then put together a Competitive Analysis Profile of competitors Dicks Sporting
Goods and Big 5 Sporting Goods using Patent Analysis and Financial Analysis to compare to
Hibbett’s own financial performance and ownership of patents in the retail industry. We then
conducted SWOT analysis, Porter’s 9 Forces analysis and a Growth Vector Matrix to further
provide strategies for Hibbett Sporting Goods based on the strengths and weaknesses and
room for growth in the industry to better compete in the changing retail market.
Key findings found as a result of the project showed that Hibbett Sporting Goods has
been successful in their current market in the past. But in order to remain competitive in the
changing economic environment, Hibbett Sporting Goods needs to make changes to their
current strategies and take advantage of the new strategies available in the Key Findings and
Implications section provided. New strategies such as becoming more present in the online
community because of the rising trends of social media usage of all generations, is a major

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change that Hibbett needs to become aware of in order to maintain and attract its target
consumer base. Also Hibbett, who currently does not own any patents in the retail industry, is
at a loss to competitor Dicks Sporting Goods because of the ownership and diversity of
products and services the patents allow for. With the analysis of Hibbett Sporting Goods and
the companies competitors, the Mercyhurst University Competitive Intelligence team have
provided multiple strategies that are likely to increase the success and profitability of the
company in the future.

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Key Findings & Strategic Implications

Key Finding
Sources

Implications for Hibbett Sporting Goods
PRIORITY: A HIGHEST IMPACT
1. Presence in the smaller consumer
market, better for sales
performance.
Business
Intelligence Profile
Continue to exist in this market to become the
strongest retailer in the market before upgrading
to the larger market.

2. Social Media trends are
becoming very important to the
retail industry.
STEEP Analysis
SWOT Analysis
Hibbett needs to be present in the online
community to adapt with growing trends of
consumers.

3. Ongoing recession in the United
States can affect consumers
willing to purchase new
products.
STEEP Analysis Understand the financial difficulties consumers
have today and create sales or promotions to
still be able to attract the consumer.

4. Technology such as new patents
in the market give companies
competitive advantages or the
other retailers in the industry.
Patent Analysis
STEEP Analysis
Although there are a very limited number of
patents for a “re-seller” store like Hibbett, it is
important to own the most patents possible to be
able to diversify the company from other
competitors.

PRIORITY B: MEDIUM IMPACT
5. Hibbett’s financial ratios
compete right on with the retail
industry averages.
Financial Analysis Continue to manage assets as they have been
with more attention on inventory management
to increase the inventory turnover speed.

6. Online sales have become a
leading trend in the overall
economic market
STEEP Analysis
SWOT Analysis
Hibbett needs to become more functional in the
online community by creating a sales website
that actually process and take consumers orders.

7. There is a strong number of
substitutes for Hibbett in the
location such as Dicks Sporting
Goods and Wal-Mart.
Competitor
Analysis
Hibbett Sporting Goods needs to diversify itself
from competitors by offering special services
and deals such as bundling products or a rental
program for products.

The following list is broken into three categories based on priority:
A= High Impact to Company and Strategy Development
B= Medium Impact to Company, Potential Effect on Strategy
C= Low Impact, Informative

The numbered findings are for reference only and findings are not in any particular order

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8. Regionalization is a key strategy
for Hibbett Sporting Goods
consumer market.
Business
Intelligence Profile
Competitive
Intelligence Profile
Hibbett already does a good job of being present
in the community through giveaways and high
school sponsorships and should continue to do
so in more depth. Rallies and Charitable
donations and drive in the community would be
good for public presence.

PRIORITY C: LOW IMPACT
9. Emergence of healthier diets and
“get-fit” trends.
STEEP Analysis Create promotions to relate with changing
trends such as marketing actual workouts with
the products that are being sold.

10. Recent Presidential election may
affect laws and even consumer
spending.
STEEP Analysis Understand the political standings of current
leaders and how the overall economy plans to
change with the new election.

11. Only a very few number of
patents in the “re-seller” retail
industry.
Patent Analysis Obtain the patents that will make Hibbett stand
out from the competitors and diversify its
service.

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Key Intelligence Topics

Tasking
The decision maker at Hibbett Sporting goods has assigned the Competitive Intelligence team (CI
Team) from Mercyhurst University to collect information, analyze information, and strategically provide
a conclusion for the decision maker to go with. The decision maker has recently experienced a
successful growth pattern and has charged the competitive intelligence team with the task of
maintaining this pattern. Also the decision maker has made the point very clear that they would like to
avoid all surprises that may occur and find any business aspect that they are possibly not paying enough
attention to. The CI Team will be reviewing the competitions trends, the affect the external
environment has on the company, and market activity for the future using open source information.
Requirements
In order to provide the necessary information to the decision maker the CI Team will be
collecting the following data:
 Competitor trends and strategies
 Successful product ideas/lines that the company may be over looking
 Market activity to develop an understanding for the future
Using this information, the CI Team will be answering the following questions:
1. Who is the most dangerous competition?
2. How are the competitors marketing their products?
3. What product lines are competitors offering that our company is not?
4. How will changes in external environment affect our company today?
5. Who is the most prosperous target market?
6. What strategy could we use to give us advantages?
7. How do we compare financially to other companies in our market?
Methodology
In order to answer these questions, the CI Team will be using the following tools and models to
analyze and collect the information:
 Collection of data using open source information
 Competitor profiling to identify the competition and its trends

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 Understand the competitors trends and strategies to utilize in our advantage
 External Environment analysis to understand how changes will affect our company
 SWOT Analysis to understand the different aspects of t\our company
 Financial Analysis to better understand where money is being allocated and how we compare to
other companies
 Nine Forces
Challenges
Possible challenges that the CI Team could run into may include the following:
 Time limit could be too short for thorough analysis
 Inexperience may lead to redoing sections, wasting time and energy
 Information may be difficult to find and/or understand
Resources
Throughout this assignment many different resources will be used and taken advantage of such
as the following:
A. Use of Internet as a source of open source information
B. Use of analytical software and models
C. Looking over analytical reports on competitors and our own company
Open Source
While completing this assignment the CI Team will have access to the following sources of public
information:
1. Internet
2. Lexis Nexis
3. Library
4. SEC, Annual Reports
Administration
The Final product will be prepared by the end of the term and will include a written document
along with analytical models and findings, as well as a power point presentation.

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Company Overview

Executive Summary
Hibbett Sporting goods is a small retail distributor located in the South West and
Midwest that specializes in athletic goods and athletic apparel. Hibbett has found itself to be
successful by targeting the smaller retail markets because of its own size expansion
opportunities it provides. Also, Hibbett has learned to become successful because they
understand and offer the specific products that relate to their target demographic. Finally,
Hibbett’s overall management team is a highly experienced and seasoned team that has been
working for the company for a number of years. Although the company has many strengths,
there are also weaknesses that should be addressed. First off, one weakness the company
possesses is that it is only located in the South and Southwest. Also, the company is very reliant
on the success of collegiate and professional teams for the sales of apparel and merchandise.
Should there be a lockout or a down year for a team, sales could suffer dramatically. Along
with this idea, the company is also very dependent on the vendors keeping up with trends and
creating products that are desirable to consumers. Finally, large competitors such as Dick’s
Sporting Goods are beginning to move into the smaller market competition, creating problems
for Hibbett who mostly targets to these demographics. Hibbett’s target market is small
neighborhood communities.

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Strengths of Hibbett Sporting Goods
 Company targets smaller retail markets because of the significant strategic
advantages, cost savings, less competitive environment, and overall expansion
opportunities. The strategy of Hibbett Sporting Goods is quite unique, as the company
operates in small to mid-sized markets, specifically the Southeast, Southwest, Mid-
Atlantic, and lower Midwest regions of the United States. More specifically, the
company “targets markets with populations of 30,000 to 100,000 people” to assure that
Hibbett is not competing with other sporting goods retailers in larger markets.
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Targeting these low to mid-sized markets also allows “the company to expand with
relatively low operating costs and minimal competition.”
2
Through this form of strategic
market targeting, Hibbett shows both financial and operational expansion in 2012.

 The Company offers a selection of specialized products that cater to the demographics
and interests of each individual community. Though larger stores such as Dick’s
Sporting Goods and Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation operate slightly larger sized
stores, Hibbett focuses much of its efforts on the preferred sporting good retail items
and/or products. By utilizing these competitive advantages, Hibbett is able to compete
with the larger retail chains by providing better customer service even though they lack
the greater number of available products.
3
They are able to “provide information and
certain products to customers that they may not get at other stores selling sporting
goods."
4

 Hibbett’s Management team has significant experience in the industry and has been
together for quite a long time. The current corporate structure of Hibbett Sporting
Goods shows noticeable retail industry experience. Under the collective efforts of these
individuals, Hibbett has shown an expressed increase in its gross profit margin and
overall store operations efficiency output. For example, during the 2011 fiscal year, “the
company opened 45 stores, closed 14, and expanded 14.”
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These figures demonstrate
that Hibbett’s corporate executives are effectively understanding each stores
productively, and correctly addressing any possible concerns or issues.
Weaknesses of Hibbett Sporting Goods
 Stores are located in the southeast and southwest region. Being a regional retailer
means that the company as a whole will be affected by any regional downturn such as
the economy, gas or fuel price increases, climate patterns. These factors will have an

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immediate impact on the company’s overall wellbeing because it will result in the loss of
consumer activity in the area.
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 Performance by college or professional athletic teams and lockouts. Teams that do not
perform well will cause a lack of sales for the company and would lead to a surplus of
inventory. Should there be a lockout such as the NHL is in the company can expect to
lose sales on items for this market.
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 Complete reliance on the vendors. Hibbett is a reseller of products and relies heavily
on the relationship that they have with the vendors such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok, etc.
Also Hibbett is reliant on the vendors to continue to create and distribute products that
the consumers will still find appealing and desirable.

 Big name competition expanding into market. Sporting retailer giant, Dicks Sporting
Goods is expanding into the smaller market that Hibbett has made itself comfortable in.
This is major threat to the company because Dicks is a nationwide retailer that is seen as
the “more desirable” store.
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Value Chain Analysis

Figure 1- Value Chain Analysis Hibbett Sporting Goods

 Primary Activities
o Service: Is the place in which the best performance footwear, clothing, and
equipment can be purchased. Hibbett is continually improving and providing the
best for any athlete or sport to improve their game
9
.
o Sales and Marketing: Hibbett provides an online site to make purchases as well
as advertise in magazines. The major sales are in the southeast of the United
States.
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 Secondary Activities
o Infrastructure: Hibbett is located in the Southeast to Midwest United States with
over 800 stores in 26 states
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. Hibbett has smaller stores providing a more direct
access to the sporting equipment. The smaller stores provide a much more
personal touch and allow the customers to ask questions that the employees
know the answers to.
o Procurement: Hibbett sells top name brands such as Nike, Sperry, Adidas, Life is
Good, Puma, Mission, Mizuno, Saucony, Fossil, Chaco, Under Armour, K-Swiss,
and Sketchers etc.
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. Hibbett provides all the top fan gear, and equipment that
all these name brands have to offer.

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E-Commerce Cycle of Online Service
Source: http://tinyurl.com/co7g9f2

Environmental Analysis - STEEP

Executive Summary

A macro environmental analysis of the ongoing issues, actions, and factors affecting
Hibbett Sports, Inc. through the STEEP methodology identifies potential benefits and
impediments affecting the company’s current performance. Ongoing social trends indicate the
importance of mobile devices, increase in social media, and acceptance of social commerce as
social impacts. Technological trends include further advancement in mobile integration,
development of Near Field Communication as a purchasing option, and customization of
products. Economic trends forecast business innovation during these hard times, new market
horizons, and reduction of store sizes to address economic strains. Ecological trends indicate an
expansion of “green developments,” increase in organic food consumption, and growth in
recycling programs. Political and Legal trends forecast the importance of the 2012 Presidential
Election cannot be understated, the governments inefficiency to promote accurate economic
reform policies is damaging, and the limited resources of the government is troublesome.
Trends distinguished through STEEP analysis illustrate a macro environment that is quite limited
and unsuitable for a small market sized company such as Hibbett Sporting Goods. With a small
consumer basis, regionalized development, and marginal financial success, Hibbett is highly
unlikely to be influenced and gain any significant competitive advantages.

Social

 Mobile devices are becoming an important social icon
and are likely to illustrate rapid growth and
development over the next few years.
o There are over 3 billion people with a mobile
device today and that number continues to climb
drastically.
13
For most, the implications or uses of
mobile devices are virtually limitless, these
devices are capable of performing mobile
banking, recording video, accessing email, and

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accessing the internet. According to a recent study, about one third of all people
accessing the internet in 2012 were doing it through a mobile device.
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o One of the prime target demographics of mobile devices is adolescents, more
specifically, individuals in the age range of 12-18 years of age. According to a
recent survey conducted by Nielsen, “teens feel that cell phones have become a
vital part of their identities, and ultimately gauge one another’s popularity status
based solely on the phone that he or she uses.”
15
In this specific age
demographic, teens value the type of phone they have almost as much as the
clothes they wear, according to the survey.
 This will likely result in consumers purchasing mobile devices based
mostly on the presumed social status symbol it will provide for them
 If consumers seek out mobile devices in this format, the industry will
likely increase immensely in the next few years.

 Overall social media usage among all generations has increased dramatically, and is
likely to continue its overall growth.
o In essence, social media can be used as a very cost-effective marketing strategy
to reach a wide number of customers worldwide. More and more companies are
beginning to market through social media to target a greater number of
potential customers, and prevent possible suppression or lapsed recollection by
the entire marketplace. According to 2010 social media figures, “generation Y,
outnumbered baby boomers, and 96% of these individuals were already on
social networks.”
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Social media is definitively a growing trend, and shows
consistent prosperous results in years to come.
o Throughout the early years of the twenty-first century, the concept of a shared
sense of community has been largely based on social media outlets for sources
of connection and togetherness. Social media sites such as Facebook, MySpace,
LinkedIn, Twitter, and others are reconfiguring the manner in which people
relate with one another.
17
This form of networking is considerably important to
retailers such as Hibbett Sporting Goods, as it provides consumer evaluations,
product reviews, and overall insight into what the company should continue or
discontinue doing.
 This will likely result in consumers using these social networking sites to
evaluate business retailers such as Hibbett Sporting Goods
 Companies are likely to begin using various marketing techniques and
strategies to target their consumers on these social networking forums as
well.

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Mobile Coupon Usage
http://www.tatango.com

 Social Commerce and “E-Commerce” is becoming a major attraction for online
shoppers and is likely to have a dramatic influence in the retailing industry.
o Basic E-Commerce sites are beginning to incorporate functional methodologies
to make purchases and communicate with others. Many companies, especially in
the retail industry, are using the recommendations from these individuals that
purchase their products to address any potential issues or problems with their
products.
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For example, Hibbett Sporting Goods has recently developed an
online presence and exhibits strong consumer relationships in this sense to
address concerns that consumers have expressed.
o The ability to effectively attract online shoppers in the retail industry is almost
becoming a necessity for businesses to remain viable within the industry.
Traditional retail operations is no longer based solely on attracting consumers
directly to the store location, but rather with “the advent of the Internet, and
other innovative ways of doing business on a retail level these techniques have
become commonplace in among major retail outfits.”
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 This will likely result in an influx of overall online retail spending and
shopping over the course of the next few years
 The need for stores in the retail industry to expand and grow with more
and more store locations will likely become an unnecessary action by
businesses in the next several years

Implications: With the growing trend of technology, more importantly mobile devices, the need
for Hibbett Sporting Goods to develop successful marketing techniques and strategies to target
this specific consumer demographic is a necessary function the company must exhibit in the
coming years. In addition, with the rapid growth of online shopping in the retail industry
Hibbett must be capable of offering successful product mixes, discounts and advertisements,
and competitive prices to remain a viable competitor within the retail market.

Technology

 Mobile integration of coupons likely to have profound impact in
the retail industry in the upcoming years.
o This form of technological innovation allows customers to
have access to coupons to their favorite stores on the

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NFC payment method is rapidly
developing. Source:
http://tinyurl.com/8e5we75
Nikeid Customization Site
http://blog.ponoko.com/2008/04/25/mass-
customization-the-the-big-end-of-town/
move. This will entail that the consumer will always have access to sales and
deals throughout the day as long as they have their phones with them.
20

o The benefits of this technology also help to market and promote retailing stores
as well as their sales and deals that are ongoing. This process can be performed
through various phone applications, as well as through social media sites.
o Using mobile marketing is also a cost effective strategy compared to the
traditional direct mailing process.

 It is likely that Near Field Communication (NFC) is
becoming a purchasing option that many
companies utilize.
o In recent years, companies such as Google
and other various application developers are
taking full advantage of Near Field
Communication (NFC). In essence, these
companies have been using this technology
to integrate an individual’s debit and credit
cards onto their phone.
21
A phone will be
used the same way that a debit or credit
card is used, which is much more convenient.
o This will ultimately allow consumers to easily purchase items. In addition, it also
provides retailers with the opportunity to successfully offer special sales for
those individuals that use their phones in this manner.
 This potentially has the likelihood of limiting the need for financial credit
and debit cards based on convenience and overall accessibility
 This would also potentially limit the overall capacity of banking
institutions in a large manner.

 Increase ability for customization of products is likely to
influence consumer purchasing trends and actions.
o In today’s competitive environment, companies are
allowing consumers the capability of completely
customizing their products. For many sold products,
consumers can select various shades of color,
expressed graphics, and other selective additive
capabilities.
o This new way to customize products gives

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Illustration of dramatic rise in online shopping,
particularly with mobile devices.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/9f7o8vn
consumers a great way to express themselves. A clear illustration of this concept
is demonstrated with Nike as they allow their customers to customize bags,
shirts, shoes, and various apparel in both their stores and online.

Implications:
Through the rapid development of newer technological capabilities, resources, and functions
Hibbett Sporting Goods has the potential to incorporate many of these newly developed
aspects in their business. However, being that Hibbett Sporting Goods is a small-market sized
company in the industry it is highly unlikely that the company will incorporate any of the above-
mentioned technological advancements that currently exist in the business world.

Economic

 Despite the economic hard times,
retail businesses are likely to find new
ways to attract customers and help
them save overall.
o In recent years, the creation of
mobile and web platforms to
allow customers to download
coupons and discounts provide
notification of company news
and actions, and view
promotional events that the
company may be offering is an
essential quality needed during
these economic hardships.
22

More and more companies are
emphasizing these points to enable profitable gains and successful competitive
actions within the industry.
o With the number of internet users and a growing easier access to online hosts,
the number of online shoppers is a growing trend worldwide and many of the
major retailers will likely continue to target these individuals to profit from their
business.
o Differentiation is vital, and retailers look to differentiate themselves past the
basic of just focusing on prices. Retailers will focus more on services to the

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customer, such as merchandise quality, consumer support, and marketing
strategies and tactics. This shows retailers adaptability and that they realize
consumers are in tough times as well, and the business must be able to
specifically target them to draw their future business.
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 Capability of broadening horizons and searching for new markets to appeal to new
customers is highly likely to generate growth and development.
o With a growing number of consumers tightly spending the little bit of money
they have during this recession, many companies and organizations are
generating their focus to other markets. In recent years, the retail industry has
been challenged in America, the EU, and other developing nations based mostly
on the ongoing fallout from the recent financial crisis.
24

o Certain parts of the international market have benefited quite successfully over
the course of the recent recession in America and other areas of the world. The
most exciting stories of retail industry growth are emerging in countries such as
China, India, and Brazil.
25
For many of the world’s leading retail industries and
chains, the companies are rushing to open new stores and locate themselves
near new malls that have developed at an astounding rate.
26

 This will likely result in a continued increased presence of retail chains
and industries internationally
 This will likely diminish the overall capacity of retailers in the United
States, Canada, and the EU as these emerging markets promote greater
successful opportunities

 Reducing the overall size and capacity of stores likely to improve the capabilities and
functions of the business as a whole.
o A rapidly growing concept or idea expressed by many large businesses is the
notion of “going smaller.”
27
With the drastic changes in how consumers buy
items/products and the overwhelming cost of real estate, many stores have
opted to scale back their operations and only focus on their major store facilities,
or the ones that prompt for the most financial growth and development.
o The smaller store format also enables these businesses to fit into smaller
locations therefore allowing them to go into many urban settings, which
ultimately makes it accessible to a greater number of potential consumers.
o The smaller store format also allows for an increased ability for interaction
between the consumer and employee, which ultimately will likely boost
customer service and satisfaction within the company.

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 This will likely decrease the number of real estate purchases by many
retail organizations and groups
 This will likely diminish the need for more employees within these retail
businesses, resulting in an increase in unemployment
 Retailers are likely to enter into more urbanized settings allowing for
major growth and development

Implications:
As smaller sized retailers such as Hibbett Sporting Goods are battling tough economic times, the
company must exhibit clear and concise decisions that enable them to remain financially
successful. The company must forecast the likely outcomes of potential store locations, new
product lines, distribution methods, and other business functions to diminish unwarranted
spending or financial blunders. In essence, the company must focus heavily on areas in which it
can cut its overall financial margins (i.e. reducing overall size of stores and searching for newer
markets) to remain competitive with other retailers such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Big Five
Sporting Goods, and other notable sporting goods retailers.

Ecological

 Turning from sustainability as a cost and risk reduction measure to an opportunity
likely to promote future business growth.
o The retailers leading the industry’s sustainability charge recognize that the
benefits extend well beyond achieving business efficiencies. Sustainability
programs are increasingly seen as a source of innovation, a way of differentiating
a company that appeals to employees and consumers, and a platform for new
product and market development.
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o Going Green initiatives allow companies to differentiate themselves from other
companies or brands. Also, this allows them to market themselves as “Green”
and sell products at a higher price margin.
o In a recent poll by Time Magazine, 50 percent of Americans valued
environmental protection over economic growth. This shows that Americans are
willing to purchase environmentally friendly
products despite their potentially higher costs
involved.
29

 An increased sale in organic foods is likely to translate
in an increase in healthier lifestyle choices such as

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Organic food consumption is a
growing trend in America. Source:
http://tinyurl.com/95kmsje
exercising and dieting.
o The desire for a healthier lifestyle is a consistently growing trend in America, as
individuals seek to live longer and more health
conscience. According to a recent Time
Magazine poll, 60 percent of Americans have
at some point purchased organic foods over the last year.
30
More and more
individuals are attempting to forego fast food and other unhealthy eating
options and seek alternative food options such as organic food.
o According to the comparison between 2011 and 2012, there was a 20 percent
rise in the sale of organic foods.
31
Most of these items included organic cereal,
rice and grains, condiments and dressings, as well as various other prepared
foods.
o With this growing trend of individuals seeking a healthier lifestyle, this also may
result in these same individuals becoming more active and exercising to lead this
type of lifestyle as well.
 This will likely result in more individuals joining gyms, buying sports
related products, and potentially could influence the sporting goods
retailers’ bottom line
 This is unlikely to occur in the next year alone, but rather over the course
of the next few years with the potential push from both the government
and these selective retailing stores in their marketing strategies

 Companies that are conscience about their recycling programs are likely to see
additional public approval.
o Over the course of the past few years, companies have recognized that it is
prudent that consumers recycle their used products. Many of these companies
are looking into the recycling of these products as a potential source for
generating newer products.
32

o Companies choosing to use recycled materials are also able to use this as PR
marketing campaign, by claiming that they are sustainable. This will drive up
consumer interest as well as offering a chance for the company to earn
additional financial growth.
o Though the ability for companies to recycle tends to be slightly more expensive
than not recycling, many companies feel as though the perceptual gains by
consumers are worth the additional financial stress.
 This will likely result in many companies and organizations emphasizing
recycling programs and advocating environmental awareness

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2012 Presidential candidates at their
first debate. Source:
http://tinyurl.com/cpfvj87
Implications:
Because of the ecological ramifications associated with a company that does not advocate
environmental awareness, it is likely Hibbett Sporting Goods will incorporate certain recycling
procedures to generate public approval. In addition, the transition from many individuals eating
healthier organic foods is highly likely to influence potential overall sales within Hibbett
because these individuals will likely associate eating well with eventually exercising as they wish
to be well-rounded healthy individuals. Due to the new healthy lifestyle, consumers will look to
purchase exercising goods from Hibbett.

Political & Legal

 The 2012 Presidential Election is highly
likely to influence the manner in which
many retailers operate and function in the
economy.
o In every presidential election,
especially the 2012 election, the issue
of the economic status of the country
is a pivotal issue that is discussed.
According to recent Gallup polls, both
President Barak Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney show
considerable desire to fix the struggling economy and potentially increase
consumer spending in the retail sector.
33

o President Obama states that he will address the National Retail Federation’s
(NRF) continued pressure of increasing jobs, encourage consumer spending, and
attempt to promote possible growth and development. According to NRF,
“America’s retailers want to continue growing our economy, but to do that we
need Washington to embrace common-sense economic policy.”
34

o Republican candidate, Mitt Romney, also believes in major economic reform
policies, which may be incorporated if he wins the 2012 Presidential Election.

 Ongoing federal policies highly likely to challenge and discourage potential business
opportunities in America.
o Many policies and procedures coming out of Washington are making small
businesses fearful for their futures, according to several politicians.
35
For the
most part, these businesses are fearful over potential increases in taxes, limited

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consumer spending, and an overall contraction of business growth that is
currently occurring in the United States.
o The ability for businesses to operate to their greatest capacities is limited as
many governmental regulations and policies virtually limit overall growth and
development in a decisive way.
o With the Democrats in control of the Executive Branch and the Republicans with
the majority of control in the Legislative Branch, any potential economic growth
is limited based on differing viewpoints.
 It is likely that these ongoing governmental policies imposed on
businesses will continue to sustain limited or no growth
 As many governmental policies take time, if there is a potential transition
in the Executive Branch to the Republican Party, it is likely to take a long
time for new policies to be invoked.

 With limited resources, the ability to effectively serve the United States economy is
likely to be a difficult and enduring process for the government.
o Based on a recent survey conducted with 6,000 businesses across America, many
businesses wish for the government to address the current tax issue that exists
with many businesses.
36
The underlying issue for these businesses is that they
desire a sense of uniformity that exists between state and local taxes.
o Much of the government’s current resources are limited, and the ability to
potentially address these issues is going to take considerable time and allocation
of resources by the government.
 It is unlikely the government will be able to address the major concerns
of both large and small sized businesses in the next two years

Implications:
As Hibbett Sporting Goods is considered a small-sized market business, the ability for the
company to gain economic prosperity in the industry is difficult. With no recognized political
ties or affiliations demonstrated with the company’s managerial team, it is unlikely that the
2012 Presidential Election will play any significant impact in the company’s operations.
However, the issue of tax breaks is a major concern for Hibbett, as many of their stores are
located in some of the highest tax bracket locations for businesses.

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Competitive Review

Executive Summary

Dick’s Sporting Goods is genuinely satisfied with its current situation in the market; however,
the company still seeks to expand and promote both corporate and financial growth over the
next few years. The company is addressing both of these issues by expanding to new store
locations (primarily on the West Coast) and focusing more on its inventory management and
product mix. Dick’s Sporting Goods primary strengths include its broad assortment of brand
name merchandise at multiple price points and high quality customer service provided. Certain
weaknesses or challenges of the company include its inability to offer specialized product
niches that smaller stores are capable of offering, and its perception of being the leader in the
sports retailing business, which may result in the company becoming complacent. Also having
to deal with the issues of sports seasonality can lead to slumps in sales when the bigger popular
sports are not in season.

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Future Goals
•Accelerate the pace of opening new
store markets and locations
•Develop new store functions such as
"Ship from store" and in-store pickup
•Accelerate financial growth
CurrentStrategy
•Heighten consumer interest in products
•Great expertise/service to gain support
•Offer broad assortment of products at various
price points
•Offer the highest quality customer service
Assumptions
•Believes itself to be the innovative leader
within the sports retail industry
•Expects both financial growth and overall
company expansion growth during 2012
•Sees newly aquired aquisitions as very
profitable and beneficial to company
•Expects to be a more dominant presence on
the West Coast in the upcoming years
Capabilities
•Strength: Large store locations with a
wide variety of product
•Strength: User friendly online website
•Strength: Expanding stores nationwide
•Weakness: Smaller stores may offer
better selection on certain niches
•Weakness: Seasonal nature of business
Competitor Response
Genuinely satisfied, but looking to continue overall growth
Likely to develop new store functions, accelerate growth
Vulnerabilities: Seasonal nature of business, potential
complacency
Porter’s 4 Forces Model (Dick’s Sporting Goods)

Figure 2 - Porter's 4 Forces Model Dick's Sporting Goods

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Discussion

Analysis

Dicks sporting Goods has been very successful in their particular market of the
retail industry. The company is still looking to expand their overall growth by creating new
stores at a faster pace and even develop new store functions such as a product rental
programs for consumers. These strengths of the company lead to Dicks being a power house
competitor and overall retailer in the industry. However Dicks Sporting Goods can run into
problems because of the seasonality of the “sports retail” market leading to a slump in sales
in off seasons for major sports.

Future Goals
Dick’s Sporting Goods future goals are to continue to increase the number of store
locations nationwide until they are able to double the current number of stores they have.
In addition, the company hopes to accelerate financial growth by focusing much more on
its product mix and inventory management.
37
Finally, Dick’s is looking at modifying
certain in store functions such as shipping from stores and in store pickup to satisfy recent
consumer demands.

Assumptions
Dick’s views itself as the leader within the sporting goods retailing industry, and only
expects the company to continue its ongoing success. By offering a broad assortment of
products at various prices, high quality customer service, and newly developed in store
functions the company foresees continued leadership within the industry and overall
growth.
38
Finally, the company sees its recent acquisitions of Golf Galaxy, LLC, Chick’s
Sporting Goods, and Galyan’s Trading Company as a means of future financial growth.
39

Strategies
Dick’s strategies include offering a broad assortment of products at various prices,
providing premiere customer service, and heightening consumer interest in products
through several different means.
40
The ultimate focus in each of the specified strategies is
to “gain a competitive advantage through effective business measures.” Altogether, the use
of each of these strategies has effectively made Dick’s Sporting Goods the leader within
the industry.

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Capabilities
The strengths that make up Dick’s Sporting Goods are primarily based upon their vast
number of store locations and large quantity/quality of product lines.
41
In essence, Dick’s
maintains and operates almost three hundred more stores and thousands of more products
then the nearest competitor. However, this same competitive advantage also can be seen
negatively, as smaller stores may be more capable of offering certain product niches that
Dick’s simply cannot specialize in. Furthermore, the company has also acknowledged the
aspect of certain times of the year being more profitable than other times, such as the fourth
quarter or winter season of the fiscal year.
42

Strengths of Dick’s Sporting Goods

Broad assortment of brand name
merchandise at multiple price points.
Dick’s Sporting Goods carries a wide
variety, more than any other sports retailer,
of well-known athletic brands within its
stores.
43
These brands include Nike, Adidas,
The North Face, Columbia, Callaway Golf
Merchandise, Under Armour, as well as
private brand names on an exclusive basis. The wide range of product selections for each
athletic category allows for the company to address the needs of the consumer, from the
beginner to the ultimate sport enthusiast.
44
The ultimate desire for the company is to develop
the reputation of having variation of every desired item by its customer basis.

Exceptional online business support, which shows signs of continued growth and
development for its customer basis. One of Dick’s Sporting Goods more recognizable strengths
within the company is its online business website. As many other notable online retailers
(Amazon, EBay, etc.), have exhibited recent intentions of offering sporting good items/products
online as well, Dick’s online presence also continues to illustrate signs of financial growth.
45
In
addition, with the continued technological developments occurring annually the need to assist
customers online has shown to be a necessary aspect for all large retailers.

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Private company labels/products helping boost overall margins. In order to remain a leader
within the sporting goods retailing industry and aid in boosting margins, Dick’s Sporting Goods
carries its own private-label brands alongside its name brand products.
46
These private label
products (including Ativa) “sell at margins approximately 5-6 percentage points higher than
typical branded goods.”
47
The incorporation of these private-label products immensely aid the
gross profit margins of the company, and effectively generate a greater corporate presence
within.

Weaknesses of Dick’s Sporting Goods

Smaller stores may offer better niches or specialized products/services that Dick’s cannot
match. Being that Dick’s Sporting Goods is the largest sporting goods retailer in the industry,
the ability for the company to effectively serve all of its customer’s desires is unlikely. In smaller
retailing stores (such as Hibbett Sporting Goods, Big Five Sporting Goods, etc.), these
companies are capable of offering certain niches that attract certain consumers, and ultimately
enable them to receive repeat business.
48
To combat this weakness, Dick’s attempts to offer a
broad assortment of product and provide high quality service.

Instances of complacency may inhibit successful actions within the competitive environment.
At the moment, Dick’s Sporting Goods is the most dominant presence within the retail sporting
goods environment. Their financial portfolio shows continued growth and development, they
are expanding their corporate presence throughout the United States, and maintain high
satisfaction ratings from consumers.
49
However, with all their current success the possibility for
the company to become complacent is a growing concern from within their senior management
team. These individuals fear that the company’s recent success within the industry will
ultimately distort their views for future business actions and activities.

Smaller selection of generic products/services that are more affordable for the customer. One
of the main principles demonstrated by Dick’s Sporting Goods is offering high quality, high-cost
products that are mostly used by serious sports enthusiasts. The inability to offer lesser-valued
products that other smaller sporting goods retailers (Big Five Sporting Goods, Hibbett Sporting
Goods, etc.) are capable of offering limits the company’s overall success. In addition, during this
struggling economy many individuals are unable to purchase such high priced items, and
ultimately decide to select the lesser valued product instead.
50

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Background
In 1948, teenage boy named Dick Stack had been employed at a small Army and Navy store in
Binghamton, New York. Dick was an enthusiastic outdoorsman and thought about offering a
business plan to his employer. This plan was to sell fishing gear in the shop. After being turned
down by his employer he returned home and told his grandma of his recent failure. His
grandma then gave him $300 of her own money and told him to follow his dreams. He took
that $300 and opened his own bait and tackle shop. By the late 1950s, to respond to his loyal
customers he expanded his product lines to include many of the things that are found in
present day stores. Now, Dick’s Sporting Goods now has over 450 stores, offer the highest
quality products in sports, outdoors, and apparel. Dick’s also owns and operates Golf Galaxy,
which is a retailer for golf specialty items.
51

Timeline

1948
•Dick Stack starts his own bait-and-tackle shop in Binghamton
1958
•The small shop becomes a full-fledged sporting goods store, known as Dick's Clothing and Sporting Goods
1984
•After Dick Stack retires, his son Edward becomes CEO and president; plans expansion of sporting goods
superstore concept.
1992
•Dick's begins expansion outside Binghamton area.
1994
•Dick's relocates to Pittsburgh; the company operates 22 stores in four states.
1996
•Over 50 stores are in operation, generating an estimated $10 million in sales per store.
1999
•Chain Store Age Executive names Edward Stack Retail Entrepreneur of the Year; company name is changed
to Dick's Sporting Goods.
2001
•Sales exceed $1 billion with more than 130 stores.
2002
•Dick's Sporting Goods becomes a public company.

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Dick’s Sporting Goods Management Team

Officer 2011 Compensation Experience
Edward W. Stack
Age: 57
Executive Chairman and CEO

Total
Compensation:$11,114,002
Salary: $961,538
Executive Chairman and CEO since 1984
President since 2006
Been with Dicks since 1977 and held a
variety of positions including store manager
and merchandise manager
Executive Director since 1984
Serves on the Board of Directors of the
National Federation
Joseph H. Schmidt
Age: 52
President and Chief Operating
Officer

Total Compensation:
$3,818,570
Salary: $728,269
Chief Operating Officer and President since
2009
Executive V.P. since 2008
Was previously the Senior V.P. of Store
Operations since 2005 and served as V.P. of
Store Operations since2001
Served multiple positions from 1981-1990
Timothy E. Kullman
Age: 56
Chief Financial Officer, Executive
V.P. of Finance & Administration
and Trasurer
Total Compensation:
$2,061,244
Salary: $ 563,327
Executive V.P., Finance & Administration and
Chief Finance Officer since 2008
Served as V.P. and Chief Financial Officer of
PetSmart from 2002-2007
During his 5 years he oversaw great financial
growth
Executive V.P. and Chief Financial Officer for
Hagameyer North America Holdings Inc from
2001-2002
Served as Senior V.P., Chief Financial Officer
and Treasurer for Delchamps Inc. 1994-1997
John G. Duken
Age:51
Executive V.P. of Global
Merchandising
Shares Owned: 102,633
Market Value: $5,270,000
Executive V.P. of Global Merchandising since
February 2012.
Holds BS in finance from the University of
Southern California
Lauren R. Hobart
Age: 43
Chief Marketing Officer and Senior
V.P.
Total Compensation:
$2,656,351
Salary: 416,827
Senior V.P. and Chief Marketing since joining
Dicks in February 2011
Worked at PepsiCo as Chief Marketing
Officer, and several years in strategic
planning
Before PepsiCo she worked for JP Morgan
Chase and Wells Fargo

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Analysis
Dick’s Sporting Goods as a Board of Executives that range in various fields throughout
the retail industry. The board consists of well-educated and experienced men and women all of
which are middle aged with several years of experience whether with Dick’s or other well-
known retailers. These executives combine their knowledge to be one of the strongest retailers
of sporting goods and apparel. They all have been working together for some time with the
exception of John Duken who just joined Dick’s in February 2012.

Products and Services
Executive Summary
Dick’s Sporting Goods stores across the nation feature a variety of “stores-within-a-
store.” These six stores are: Golf Pro Shop, The Lodge, Fitness, Team Sports, Footwear, and
Athletic Apparel. Also, Golf Galaxy™, a subsidiary of Dicks Sporting Goods, features an even
broader product line of golf equipment. The concept of having stores within-a-store allow
Dick’s Sporting Goods to be a major retailer with the expertise of a private boutique. Dick’s
Sporting Goods doesn’t only pride themselves on their top brands and exclusive products, but
also their competitive pricing and an established eCommerce site that offers interactive
capabilities with their brick-and-mortar locations. In 2011, Dick’s Sporting Goods relied on the
sales of their “hardlines”, this includes sporting goods, fitness equipment, outdoor gear, and
golf equipment (figure 3). It is highly likely that in the next 24 months Dick’s Sporting Goods will
continued to push the sales of their hardlines.

Figure 3 - Dick's Sporting Goods Merchandising

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Golf Pro Shop
The Golf Pro Shop at Dick’s Sporting Goods
features equipment, apparel, footwear, and
accessories from the top national brands. These
brands include: Taylor Made, Callaway Golf, Titleist
Golf, Adams Golf, Footjoy, and Nike. Dick’s Sporting
Goods also offers specialty services including custom fitting, club
repair, and re-gripping. On-hand working in their Golf Pro Shops Dick’s Sporting Goods boasts
more than 450 PGA and LPGA pros on hand to help out their customers and offer their own
advice.
52

The Lodge
The Lodge at Dick’s Sporting Goods is targeted
towards the outdoors enthusiast with products for hunting,
camping, and fishing. The assortment of products includes
both “tried-and-true” products as well as products harnessing
the latest technology. Featured brands names in The Lodge
include: Coleman, Remington, Shimano, and Old Town. The
Lodge also offers many in store services including: rifle-scope
mounting, bore sighting, fishing line spooling and arrow cutting. Hands-on displays located
within The Lodge allow customers to get a first-hand look at what their purchasing and test the
product before they buy.
53

Fitness
The Fitness area in a Dick’s Sporting Goods
store offers big box products, like exercise machines
and weight sets, as well as fitness accessories like
footwear, apparel, and supplements. Brand names
include: LIVESTRONG, Precor, Nautilus, SKLZ, and
Everlast. Included in the fitness section is Dick’s
Sporting Goods very own bicycle shop that sells,
repairs, and tunes bicycles. Bike shop brands include
Diamondback, Yakima, Pearl Izumi, Giro, and Bell.
54

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Team Sports
The Team Sports section of Dick’s Sporting Goods offers products for the following
sports: Baseball, Softball, Soccer, Ice Hockey, Field Hockey, Basketball, Football, Lacrosse,
Volleyball, and Wrestling. The brand names that are carried in this section are the industry
leading brands, including: Nike, adidas, Under Armour, Mizuno, Wilson, Easton, Rawling, STX,
and Warrior. Sales associates in this section of the store are avid players and coaches that have
experience using the products. Dick’s Sporting Goods is also the recognized retailer of Little
League Baseball. Dick’s Sporting Goods offers team discounts as well as donations.
55

Footwear
Dick’s Sporting Goods offers a “shared-service ”
concept in their Footwear sections. This means that
customers can help themselves to the products on display,
with employees walking around to service them if needed.
The footwear section is dedicated to footwear for any
sport, as well as shoe accessories, performance socks, and
insoles. Leading footwear manufacturers include: Nike,
Adidas, Asics, Brooks, Mizuno, Saucony, and Reebok. The
footwear section is also host to outdoor footwear from brands: Timberland, KEEN, Reef, and
their own Field & Stream line.
5657

Athletic Apparel
Dick’s Athletic Apparel store carries an extensive
collection of sports apparel for men, women, and children.
Dick’s focuses on high-technology fabrics that are specific
for athlete’s needs. The merchandise in the section features
leading manufacturer’s brands: Nike, Under Armour,
Reebok, and Adidas. Also included in the athletic apparel
section is an outerwear section which features jackets and
pants for hunting, camping, skiing, and snowboarding.
Brand names include Columbia and The North Face.
58

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Golf Galaxy
Golf Galaxy is a subsidiary of Dick’s Sporting Goods dedicated to the sport of golf.
59
Golf
Galaxy provides a world class selection of golf equipment, more expansive than that of the Golf
Pro Shop in Dick’s Sporting Goods. Golf Galaxy features equipment, apparel, footwear,
accessories, and custom services. The golf industry’s premiere manufacturers are featured in
the store, brand names include: Taylor Made, PING, Titleist, Callaway Golf, Adams Golf,
Cleveland, Nike Golf, and Footjoy. Golf Galaxy is also home to their own private brands: Walter
Hagen, Nickent, Slazenger, and Puma. Golf Galaxy also offers a host of services, they include:
club repair, club fitting, golf course simulators, putting greens, and indoor driving bays. The
staff at Golf Galaxy is comprised of PGA and LPGA professionals.
60

Marketing Activities and Trends
Executive Summary
It is highly likely that in the next 24 months Dick’s Sporting Goods will continue to use
more lifestyle advertising in supplement to their usual event advertising. With the addition of
Anomaly as their marketing agency, Dick’s Sporting Goods is likely to spend more money on
marketing as well as change the way people see the company. Dick’s Sporting Goods is making
the change to be more than just somewhere people go to shop, but as a brand.
Discussion
In the past, Dick’s Sporting Goods has relied on in-house marketing teams and various
production companies to get the word out about their stores. Usually this meant newspaper
clippings and annual events.
61
Though successful, Dick’s Sporting Goods has recently decided to
increase their presents in the sports retail
industry and shift from being somewhere people
shop, to a brand name.
62
This is the first time
Dick’s Sporting Goods will be launching an
overarching brand campaign that will impact the
entire year, instead of just a particular season.
Figure 4 - Dick's Sporting Goods New Marketing
Campaign

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The new ad campaigns being run by Dick’s Sporting Goods
feature in-sports footage, as well as all the hard work that leads up to
it. They focus on the lifestyle of the athlete and all the dedication
that they put into the sport, and try to incorporate that into the
Dick’s brand name. As seen in figure 4, the ads are much more
dramatic and personal, whereas in figure 5 the ads are used to
promote sales events in the store.
The recent choice to invest in the Anomaly Agency as their
marketing agency is allowing Dick’s Sporting Goods to advertise and
market their stores on a much larger level. This recent decision
follows the appointment of Lauren Hobart, a veteran marketing guru for PepsiCo for 14 years,
and now the head of marketing for Dick’s Sporting Goods.
63

Dick’s Sporting Goods will continue to advertise in newspapers, direct mail, and
seasonal on local television and radio. But in addition, this new marketing strategy will allow
Dick’s Sporting Goods to market on a national level.
In addition marketing and advertising, Dick’s Sporting Goods also features a “ScoreCard
Rewards Card”, in which their customers can earn points and eventually earn gift certificates.
ScoreCard members are also receive exclusive offers as well as deals relative to their sports
preferences and past history of purchases.
64

Operation-Capacities
Executive Summary
Dick’s Sporting Goods has a large amount of stores nationwide as well as four large
distribution centers. With more than 1,200 vendors, Dick’s Sporting Goods is able to purchase
goods and distribute them to each of their stores in an extremely efficient manner thanks to
new advanced technological systems. In addition to their current stores, Dick’s Sporting Goods
is planning on doubling their size in the future to over 900 stores nationwide. It is highly likely
that Dick’s Sporting Goods will continue to invest money in new stores and distribution centers
in the next 24 months.

Figure 5 - Dick's Sporting
Goods Old Marketing
Campaign

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Discussion

Dick’s Sporting Goods features 480
stores in 40 states, as well as 81 Golf Galaxy
stores. As seen in figure 6, this number is
increasing rapidly every year. In 2011 alone
Dick’s Sporting Goods opened 36 stores,
that’s an 8.1 percent growth rate (figure 7).
Dick’s Sporting Goods plans on growing at an
even higher rate in 2012.
65
Dick’s Sporting
Goods is ultimately planning on opening over 400 more stores, almost doubling their size.
66
In
addition to opening new stores, Dick’s Sporting Goods is also remodeling their older stores. In
2011 alone, Dick’s Sporting Goods remodeled 14 of their stores, and in 2010, 12 of their stores
(figure 8).
67

Dick’s Sporting Goods has four distribution centers nationwide. A 725,000 square foot
distribution center in Plainfield, Indiana, a 657,000 square foot distribution center in Atlanta,
Georgia, a 601,000 square foot distribution center in Smithton, Pennsylvania, and lastly, a
624,000 square foot distribution center in Goodyear, Arizona.
68
Products are purchased from
approximately 1,200 vendors and then sent to these distribution centers. From there, the
products are allocated and it is determined how much of which product will go to each store.
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Figure 6 - Dick's Sporting Goods Locations Figure 7 - Dick's Sporting Goods Store
Growth
Figure 8 - Dick's Sporting Goods Store Information

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In order to maximize margins Dick’s Sporting Goods has placed a large emphasis on
inventory management. Recent advanced technological tools are now allowing Dick’s Sporting
Goods to develop systems that optimize prices, merchandise sizing, and package optimization.
This will allow Dick’s Sporting Goods to more closely correlate inventory allocations decisions to
the specific needs of each store.
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Dick’s Sporting Goods Strategies
• Corporate emphasis of maintaining an upscale focus
A great deal of Dick’s Sporting Goods corporate success is directly linked to the company’s
ability to illustrate an emphasis on higher-performance products designed for serious athletes
or enthusiasts. Although, the company also offers products at various ability and price levels as
well to assist certain consumer demands. With the company’s focus on higher quality and
higher-priced products, Dick’s maintains a competitive advantage over its other sporting goods
and general merchandise retailers. Through this method of premium pricing, Dick’s is able to
gain favorable perceptions among buyers, which inevitably causes greater corporate success.

• Increase brand presence through various marketing concepts and schemes
The notion of establishing a strong brand presence throughout the United States is a pivotal
component of Dick’s Sporting Goods overall competitive business strategy. A clear example of
this expressed concept was during 2011, when Dick’s attempted to gain a stronger brand
presence in Ohio. During this marketing campaign, Dick’s distributed thousands of discount
offers (at approximately 22 events), received mention by over 50 media outlets, and gave over
$10,000 in various promotions and sweepstakes. Altogether, the company was able to
significantly increase its brand presence in Ohio, and has continued to effectively implement
such strategies in other locations as well.

• New growth initiatives to expand the company’s overall outlook
Over the course of the last several years, Dick’s Sporting Goods has exhibited rapid expansion
and technological developments to better serve its cliental. For the fiscal 2012 year, “Dick’s
operated 500 stores in 44 states,” and recent forecasts show that the long-term prospects of
the company are to continue its rapid expansion. Overall, the company aims at opening an
additional 400 stores, which would target a total store count of 900. In terms of technological
developments, the company aims at offering top-notch customer experiences by introducing a
new mobile application for IPhones and Android Smartphones. The application provides the

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customer with the nearest store location, ongoing sales events and discounts, as well as the
ease of buying goods directly from the mobile application. Both of these measures indicate
that the immediate future of Dick’s Sporting Goods is quite promising, and will ultimately
enhance its customer service.

• Newly acquired acquisitions demonstrate future growth and development in
certain prosperous sporting retail markets
In recent years, the acquisitions of the intellectual property rights to the Top-Flight brand from
Callaway Golf Company, Chick’s Sporting Goods, and Golf Galaxy, LLC have shown positive
growth in terms of financial statements and reports. In addition, these various business
acquisitions have also opened Dick’s Sporting Goods up to newer and more promising
marketplaces, which many sources believe will yield future profits as well. Altogether, it is with
these specific mergers and acquisitions that Dick’s Sporting Goods hopes to gain a substantial
control over the sporting goods retail industry.

Financial Summary: Dick’s Sporting Goods
Dicks Sporting Goods had been able to increase their revenues from $4.5B to $5.2B in
the past four years due to their market strategy and competitive capability. Also Dicks Sporting
goods have been able to increase its overall Net Profit steadily every year.
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Figure 9 - Dick's Sporting Goods Stock Prices

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Acquisitions
 2004 Dicks Sporting Goods acquires Galyans Trading Company along with stocks and
locations
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 In 2007 Dicks Sporting Goods acquired Los Angeles based “Chicks Sporting Goods”
 2011 Upper Management talk about acquiring an E-Commerce Company, but did not name
targets

Net Income Overview
2011
$263,906
2010
$182,077
2009
$135,359
2008
$(39,865)
2007
$150,566

Dicks Sporting Goods has had a strong net income the past five years, creating a larger return
on investment for the shareholders of the company.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Current/Recent Key Events

 Dick’s Sporting Goods reports home-run first quarter in 2012
The recent financial figures of Dick’s Sporting Goods reported that the overall earnings
of the company topped both Wall Street’s view and the fiscal year forecast of the
company.
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The company stated, “it earned $57.2 million, or 45 cents a share in 2012,
compared with a year-earlier it earned $37.5 million, or 30 cents a share in 2011.”
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This
strong first quarter in 2012 also illustrates future financial growth as well.

 Newly developed DICK’s Sporting Goods Mobile Application
To further enhance the mobile and in-store experience for customers, Dick’s announced
the development of their Sporting Goods Mobile Application on 20 September 2012.
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Users will now have access to store locations, the benefits of the Score Card Reward
Program, and make purchases from the store over their mobile devices. This recent
development has prompted for a new relation between consumers and the company as
a whole.

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 Building distribution site for western half of the United States
Dick’s began construction of a distribution center, during 2011, in Goodyear, AZ that will
be completed by January 2013. The site will serve as the regional outpost for all
necessary shipping and receiving, distribution, and storage products. Most importantly,
this site grants Dick’s Sporting Goods greater access to the western half of the United
States, as the company did not have a strong anchoring in this part of the country.
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Timeline Analysis of Dick’s Sporting Goods Recent Events

Acquisitions & Expansion

1997
•Dick's Sporting Goods begins operating and opening stores in Florida and
California
2004
•Dick's aquires 48 locations from Galyan's Trading Company, which was another
sporting goods store
2007
•Dick's aquires Golf Galaxy, LLC and its 65 golf superstores
•Dick's aquires Chick's Sporting Goods, a California based company
2010
•Company plans expansion into California, Oregon, and Washington with a total
of six new store locations
2011
•First Dick's Sporting Goods opens in Oklahoma
2012
•Dick's plans to build its first store in New Mexico during the summer

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Executive Summary
Big Five Sporting Goods is moderately satisfied with its current situation in the market, but the
company is seeking to improve its recent financial decline and instability that has occurred over
the past three years. It is addressing these issues by expanding the number of retail stores the
company has through a controlled growth strategy, meaning that they will very slowly expand
into areas picked strategically to give the highest chance of success for the company, which is
primarily occurring on the West Coast of the United States. The primary strengths of Big Five
Sporting Goods are its capability of developing a niche within communities of stores and its
effective marketing techniques that target their consumer demographics. Certain weaknesses
or challenges of the company include its relatively small store capacities and overall size of the
corporation as a whole, as well as its absence of online support to its consumer basis for socially
connecting through Facebook and/or Twitter or even a shopping network. Altogether, the
company is still a small market competitor within the industry environment, and requires more
growth and development before it is taken more seriously as a “strong” competitor.

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Future Goals
•Improve financial decline and instability
that occured over the past three years
•Expand retail stores using a strategy
consisting of controlled growth
•Attempt to maximize investor relations
CurrentStrategy
•Expanding stores on the West Coast
•Refined merchandising strategy to increase
net sales
•Offer broad assortment of products, so
customer may be able to compare shop
•Manage inventory levels accordingly
Assumptions
•Believes itself to be a very personable
sports retailer
•Expects marginal growth over the coming
years, but understanding of economy
•Sees recent expansion as potential for
future growth and development
•Assumes itself as providing substantially
better customer service than competitors
Capabilities
•Strength: Capability of developing a niche
within communities of stores
•Strength: Effective marketing techniques
to target their consumer demographics
•Strength: Expanding store size/locations
•Weakness: Lack of online support, limited
customer basis
Competitor Response
Moderately satisfied, but looking to continue overall growth
Likely to expand slightly using controlled growth strategy
Vulnerabilities: Lack of online support to address customers
Porter’s 4 Forces Model (Big 5 Sporting Goods)

Discussion
Analysis
Big 5 Sporting Goods has done well in the retail industry and the company plans to expand
their stores and products using a controlled growth strategy, meaning that they will expand
slowly in areas that they feel they will have the best opportunity for success. However Big 5
will run into issues with consumers because of its lack of online support and shopping access
in the changing market.

Figure 10 - Porter's 4 Forces Model Big 5 Sporting Goods

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Future Goals
Big Five Sporting Goods future goals are to expand their retail store coverage by
effectively implementing a controlled growth strategy.
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In addition, the company hopes to
develop market relations with certain organizations, groups, and other businesses to
improve the company’s status within the sports retail industry. Finally, the company is
attempting to recover from its financial instability and decline that occurred over the past
few years.
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Assumptions
The company views itself as one of the more legitimate and personable sports retailers in
the United States. During the last several years, Big Five Sporting Goods had significant
financial negativities, however they view their recent developments and expansions as a
sign of potential growth and development. Ultimately, the company understands the current
economic situation and that it may take some time before the financial figures of the
company will show a positive growth.
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Strategies
Big Five Sporting Goods strategies include refining its merchandising strategy to increase
net sales, manage inventory levels accordingly, and offer a broad assortment of products to
allow consumers to compare shop.
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Recently, the company has sought expansion in the
North West, South West, and West Coast of North America. These recent developments
have enabled the company to accomplish certain aspects regarding several of their
emphasized corporate strategies.

Capabilities
The strengths that make up Big Five Sporting Goods are primarily based upon the
capability of the company to develop a niche, ability to effectively target their consumer
demographics, and recent ability to expand in store sizes/locations.
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The company is
perceived as a community-oriented sports retailer, that effectively adjusts its business
model to meet the ongoing demands of both the market and consumers as a whole.
However, Big Five Sporting Goods emphasis on being a small-market sporting goods
retailer somewhat limits the businesses activities and actions within the competitive
environment.
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Strengths of Big Five Sporting Goods

Capability of developing a niche within communities of store locations. The numerous Big Five
Sporting Good locations and accessible store format encourages frequent customer visits to
each respective store location.
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Each instance that a customer enters a Big Five Sporting Goods
store location they receive excellent customer service, as the stores are much smaller than
bigger sporting retailers (such as Dick’s) and the Big Five staff is capable of addressing each
specific customer that enters their stores. Altogether, this makes the customers shopping
experience more enjoyable and they are likely to encourage others to come to Big Five and will
repeat business themselves.

Effective marketing techniques
that target the company’s
specific demographics. Big Five
Sporting Goods marketing and
advertising techniques are highly
effective with their consumer
basis. The company primarily
uses print advertisements that
have an average weekly distribution of over 18 million newspapers.
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Some of the full-line
retailers are unable to match the inserts or mailers received by Big Five customers, which
makes the company more recognized within given communities. Altogether, the consistency
and reach of the company’s print advertising programs drives sales and creates high customer
awareness of the name “Big Five Sporting Goods.”
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Strong vender relationships that provide a wide assortment of various products. Over the past
five decades, Big Five Sporting Goods has developed very strong
relationships with various venders throughout the United States.
Currently, the company purchases merchandise from roughly 800
vendors including apparel, footwear, outdoor equipment, and
other products.
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Only one other company maintains gr eater
relationships with other vendors and that is Dick’s Sporting Goods.
The company truly benefits from the long-term relationships that
senior management has worked diligently in building.

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Weaknesses of Big Five Sporting Goods

Limited number of overall stores and customer basis. When evaluating Big Five Sporting
Goods, it is important to emphasize that the company is strictly located on the West Coast in
lower populated communities. It only operates in this manner, because it wishes to avoid major
competitors such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and Wal-Mart. Because the company is quite limited
in this capacity, the number of stores and its customer basis is considerably smaller than other
major sporting goods retailers that exist within the marketplace.
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Lack of an online presence demonstrates a small market presence within the competitive
environment. One of the major weaknesses demonstrated by Big Five Sporting Goods is its
incapability of fulfilling online orders to serve its customers. While most of the company’s
business is from repeat customers that do not wish to acquire their items online, the absence of
an online presence for the company is a major component of them remaining in a small market
setting.
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The growing trend of online retailing is a necessary factor for all businesses, and those
that do not wish to incorporate this idea will be the companies that struggle and possibly cease
to exist.

Recent financial struggles have inevitably caused the company debt that must be addressed.
Over the course of the last three years, Big Five Sporting Goods has seen an influx in its overall
debt due to the economic recession, a struggling product mix and inventory management
system, as well as recent managerial failures exhibited by senior officials
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While the company
is addressing each of these issues, the ability to fix these problems will take a great deal of time.
However, recent financial reports indicate that the company is showing a modest financial
growth over the last few months.

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Background

Big 5 Sporting Goods was founded in 1955. It was founded by Maurie and Harry Liff and
the present chairman Robert W. Miller. The first five stores had been in spread out through
Southern California and the stores had been named “Big 5 Stores”. The founders had not been
concerned with whether the name was strong or not. In its early years, Big 5 was known to sell
military surplus items such as tents and air mattresses. The company was known for
manufacturing itself and sold assorted household items and even tools. With the help of print
advertisements, their only form of advertisement, they grew greatly and sold large numbers of
products. But when sports emerged as a major trend in 1963, Big 5 management saw it fit to
specialize in it. That same year, Big 5 Stores soon became Big 5 Sporting Goods.
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Timeline

1955
•United Merchandising is formed using the trade name "Big 5 Stores."
1963
•Operating name is changed to "Big 5 Sporting Goods" as the chain specializes in sporting goods.
1971
•Thrifty Corp. acquires the chain.
1986
•Thrifty is acquired by Pacific Enterprises.
1992
•Big 5 is acquired in management-led buyout financed by Leonard Green & Partners.
1997
•The company is recapitalized, with majority ownership passing to employees.
2002
•Big 5 goes public.

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Big 5 Sporting Goods Management Team
Officer
2011
Compensation
Experience
Steven G. Miller
Age: 60
CEO, President, and Chairman
of the Board
Total
Compensation:
$811,828
Salary: $485,000
Bonus: $140,000
CEO since 2000
President and Chairman since 1992
Executive V.P. 1992-2000
Administration 1988-1992

Barry D. Emerson
Age: 54
Chief Financial Officer, Principal
Accounting Officer , Senior V.P.
and Treasurer
Total
Compensation:
$491,103
Salary: $333,000
Bonus: $ 92,500
Chief Financial Officer, Senior V.P. and
Treasurer since 2005
V.P., Treasurer, and Chief Financial
Officer of U.S. Auto Parts since July 5,
2005
V.P., Treasurer, and Chief Financial
Officer of Elite Information Group Inc.
from 1999-2004
Boyd O. Clark
Age: 54
Senior Vice President of Buying
Total
Compensation:
$408,136
Salary: $231,808
Bonus: $76,000
Senior V.P. of Buying since 2011
35 years of Retail Experience
Served in the Buying Department since
1992
Prior to Big 5, he was a buyer and
Divisional Merchandise Manager at
another regional retailer
Richard A. Johnson
Age: 66
Executive Vice President
Total
Compensation:
$416,351
Salary: $250,000
Bonus: $100,000
Executive V.P. since 2007
Senior V.P. of Store Operations 1992-
2007
Been with Big 5 for 36 years
V.P. of Store Operations from 1982-
1992
Shane O. Starr
Age: 54
Senior Vice President of
Operations
Total
Compensation:
$60,481

Senior V.P. of Operations since 2007
Been with Big 5 for 28 years
Served as V.P. of Operations since 1999

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Analysis
The Big 5 Sporting Goods management consists of five executive officers who along with the
board make all of the executive decisions regarding the company and its future. Most of the men on
serving as high management are middle aged and have served with the company for a long time. All of
which have significant experience in the retail industry.

Products
Sporting Goods
Big 5 Sporting goods stores offer a wide variety of recreational sporting goods to the
customer. Big 5 Sporting Goods offers a wide variety of goods from soft goods to hard goods.
Their product mix includes athletic sportswear and fan gear, as well as equipment for outdoor
activities and team sports. These products range from known brands like Nike and Under
Armour to smaller private labels that Big 5 Sporting Goods itself owns.
Brands
Big 5 offers a wide variety of top brands in the sporting goods industry. They include :
Adidas, Crocs,Head, K-Swiss, Razor, Spalding, Asics, Crosman, Heelys, Lifetime, Reebok, Speedo,
Bearpaw Easton Hillerich & Bradsby Mizuno, Remington, Timex, Browning, Everlast, Icon
(Proform), New Balance, Rollerblade, TitleistBushnell, Fila, Impex, Nike, Russell Athletic, Under
Armour, Coleman, Footjoy, JanSport, Prince, Saucony, Wilson, Converse, Franklin, K2, Rawlings,
Shimano, Zebco
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Private Labels
There use of selling private labels represents 3% of our net sales. It allows Big 5 to offer
the customer with a wider range of goods and at a variety of prices. These products are sold
under Big 5’s trademarks they own or if they are licensed to them by third parties. The use of
private labels lets Big 5 be able to target smaller markets with products with good value at a
cheaper price.
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Marketing Activities and Trends
Executive Summary
Big 5 marketing activities look to focus on reaching their target market. Their market is
smaller neighborhoods. Big 5 Sporting Goods uses marketing strategies such as weekly ads in
newspapers, emails, and social media to connect with their customers. Big 5 Sporting Goods is
able to connect with their customers directly.
Discussion
Big 5 sporting goods targets a smaller niche, they focus in
on the smaller neighborhoods. Big 5 Sporting Goods uses weekly
print advertisements to help reach a greater number of
households. This strategy has been in use since 1955. The print
advertisements are primarily a four page color print that shows
off promotions in their sporting goods. The ads are distributed
through over 18 million newspaper inserts.
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Big 5 Sporting Goods uses an in-house advertising staff to
produce their paper ads. In doing so, they have the flexibility to
choose their own designs for their advertisement. Also with
having an in house advertisement they are capable to react
quickly to merchandise trends and work with management to
maximize the effectiveness of the paper ads.
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Big 5 also use social media to connect with their
customers. They have an E-team that focuses on social media sites such as Facebook and
Twitter. With twitter Big 5 Sporting Goods will sometimes use the media site to promote
various deals. They also contact their customers through email subscriptions.
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Operations and Capacity

Executive Summary
Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporate offices are located in California. In a result of this Big 5
Sporting Goods stores are located in the western part of the country. Not only are their stores
in the west, they also own distribution centers as well. Big 5 Sporting Goods has been recently
growing with adding new stores each year.

Discussion
Currently Big 5 Sporting Goods has 406 stores in the western part of the US. In the past
five years Big 5 has opened up 73 new stores. They mainly are located in California in which
38% of their stores are located. Their stores are on average 11,000 square feet. This helps Big 5
to target smaller neighborhoods. Big 5 Sporting Goods has continued to expand since 2007 and
have continued to do since.
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Big 5 Sporting Goods does not
manufacture the goods they sell. They
have to maintain a good relationship
with the vendors. They purchase from
over 800 vendors, and have had good
relationships with vendors for 57 years.
They also have a fully integrated
management information system. This
helps Big 5 sporting goods to get a
report of sales, support merchandise
management, inventory receiving and
distribution, as well as business
intelligence retail analytics tools.
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Their distribution center is located in Riverside, California. The facility is 953,000 square
feet. From this warehouse Big 5 uses leased tractors to distribute to all of their stores at least
once a week. Oregon is also home to a small distribution hub. This 12,000 square foot facility
enables trailers of products to ship to the Pacific Northwest. This helped to shorten the trip and
make the distribution more efficient.
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Figure 11 - Big 5 Sporting Goods Locations

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Financial Summary: Big 5 Sporting Goods
Over the past five years Big Five Sporting Goods has seen Net Revenue shrink from $20.6
million to $11.7 million due to their target market and overall competitive ability in the
market.
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Net Income Overview
2011
$11,673
2010
$20,562
2009
$21,811
2008
$13,904
2007
$28,091

Big Five Sporting Goods is declining in both share price and net income, resulting in a smaller
return on investment for the shareholders of the company; decreasing the competitive ability
for the company.
Current Events/Key Aspects: Big 5 Sporting Goods
 May 16, 2012 Adidas (the world’s second largest sports
retailer) sued Gig Five Sporting Goods for selling “Knock off” that
were made to look like the company of Adidas.
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 April 2011, Big Five Sporting Goods is sued for “False
Advertisement”, said to have been advertising tennis,
racquet ball equipment for a certain price and changing
stores or register. The Company settled this lawsuit after paying $4M.
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Figure 12 - Big 5 Sporting Goods Stock Prices

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Financial Analysis

Financial Analysis of Hibbett Sporting Goods 2009-2011

Executive Summary
Hibbett Sporting Goods appears to be in a stable financial condition. The financial ratios
indicate that the company has made changes recently to better manage internal issues such as
debt management and return on assets and shares. However the company still continues to
struggle with the liquidity of assets. The ratios are very low compared to the satisfactory 1:1
ratios of the market. Better inventory and asset management is needed for the company to
become more favorable for profits. Compared to the industry Hibbett has a favorable Profit
Margin with almost a +5% over the industry average. Hibbett also has a better Return on Assets
with nearly 9% over the industry average.

Hibbett Financial Ratio's2009Change2010Change2011
Asset Turnover 2.4 -0.262.14 -0.022.12
Avg. Inventory Investment40 3 43 -3 40
Accounts Recievable 5% -2% 3% 0 3%
Debt to Equity 10% 1% 11% -2% 9%
Debt to Assets 6% 1% 7% -1% 6%
Current Ratio 2.36:10.412.76:10.1 2.86:1
Acid-Test Ratio .33:10.32 .65:10.21 .86:1
Return on Assets 13% -1% 12% 3% 15%
Return on Equity 22% -3% 19% 4% 23%
Profit Margin 5% 0 5% 2% 7%
Earnings Per Share $0.96$0.06$1.02$0.09$1.11
P/E $18.93-$1.76$17.17$3.53$20.70

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Activity and Efficiency
Asset Turnover Ratio
This formula determines how well the business is utilizing its assets to generate new sales
revenue. It is better to have a higher ratio between the numbers. This means that the company
has less money tied up in assets.
Hibbett Sporting Goods ratio in 2011 was
2.12, which is much worse than in 2009 at 2.4 and
still not as good as 2010 at 2.14. These ratios
show that over the past three years the company
has become less efficient in asset turnover. This
means that Hibbett hasn’t been able to generate
new sales revenue has quickly in the past three
years. Although the drop in the ratio is minimal it
is because of some money tied up in assets.
Average Inventory Investment Period
This number indicates the number of days it
takes to convert a dollar of cash outflow to a dollar of
sales. It is better to have a smaller number with this
formula. A longer inventory investment period
requires a higher investment in inventory, which
translates to less available cash.
In 2011 Hibbett had a ratio of 40 which is
an improvement from 2010 which was 43 and is
the same as 2009. Overall Hibbett remains
pretty constant with its inventory investment
periods.
Accounts Receivable
This number indicates sales for which
payment has not yet been collected by a company. A
lower ratio is desired in this formula because it shows
that companies are being paid for their work and
money is no longer tied up in accounts receivable.
35
40
45
2009
2010
2011
Average Inventory
Turnover (In Days)
Average
Inventory
Turnover (In
Days)
0.00%
2.00%
4.00%
6.00%
2009
2010
2011
Accounts Recievable
Accounts
Recievable
1.8
2
2.2
2.4
2009
2010
2011
Asset Turnover Ratio
Asset
Turnover
Ratio

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In 2011 Hibbett had a ratio of 3%, remaining consistent with 2010 and maintaining
much improvement from 2009’s 5%. Overall Hibbett does well with its accounts receivables.
This means that Hibbett is paid more quickly and has more money coming in quicker from
companies. As a retail store they don’t offer credit therefore the number is lower.
Implications
These ratios conclude that Hibbett Sporting Goods is having issues with their asset
turnover time and have less revenue coming in and has more money tied up in assets, but
however has made good improvements to managing its inventory and accounts receivable and
make sure that money is paid to them more quickly resulting in a quicker turn around.

Leverage and Solvency
Debt to Equity
This ratio measures funds provided by creditors versus the funds provided by owners. A lower
ratio is preferred in this area. A rising Debt to Equity indicates increases in debt.
Hibbett has made huge improvements in the last three years, ending 2011 with a ratio
of 9% whereas it was 11% in 2010 and 10% in 2009.
Debt to Assets
This ratio measures the
percentage of assets financed by
creditors compared to those
financed by the owners. A lower
ratio is preferred (no more than
fifty percent).
Hibbett has remained
pretty consistent in managing
its debt to assets, pulling in a
ratio of 6% in 2011, beating
2010’s 7%, while matching
2009’s 6%.
Implications
Hibbett Sporting Goods has been very successful in managing its debt to assets and
equity in the past three years and looks as if it should remain this way. Hibbett has seen a
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
2009
2010
2011
Leverage
Debt to Equity
Debt to Assets

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decrease in assets financed by the owners has well as a decrease in debt. This shows that the
management of money is improving.
Liquidity
Current Ratio
The current ratio is the
liquidity ratio, which measures the
ability to pay off short-term
obligations. For current ratio it is
better to have a higher ratio. An
industry standard is to seek a 1.5:1
ratio. If the current assets of a
company are more than twice the
current liabilities, then that company
is generally considered to have good
short-term financial strength.
Minimum acceptable ratio is 1:1, but
this can be seen as having potential risks.
Hibbett recorded a remarkable 2.86:1 ratio in 2011 and has not fall below 2:1 in the past
three years. Demonstrating a major strength for the company and any of its partners and/or
vendors.
Acid-Test Ratio
The Acid-Test ratio is considered to be the best measurement for liquidity of a company. This
ratio focuses primarily on highly liquid assets. The formula takes into account the company’s ability to
meet its obligations. A higher ratio is preferred with this formula. A 1:1 ratio is considered to be
satisfactory.
In 2011 Hibbett showed a .86:1 ratio for liquidity, falling under the satisfactory 1:1.
However this is a great improvement compared to 2010’s .65:1 and 2009’s terrible ratio of
.33:1.
Implications
Hibbett’s ratio for current assets is incredible compared to the ideal ratio in the market
showing the company has enough current assets to meet the payments. However Hibbett’s
Acid-Test ratio falls well below the ideal ratio for the industry; suggesting that the company
does not liquidate its assets quickly enough as the top competitors in the industry.
0
1
2
3
2009
2010
2011
Liquidity
Current Ratio
Acid Test

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Profitability
Return on Assets
This formula measures how well a business is using its assets to produce more income. A higher
ratio is preferred. “ROA gives an idea as to how efficient management is at using its assets to generate
earnings”.
In 2011 Hibbett
Sporting Goods had a ratio of
15%, showing growth since
2010 with a low 12% and
2009 with a 13% ratio.
Hibbett has been able to
remain constant in their
return on assets with an
increase in the past year.
Return on Equity
This ratio is used to
determine what return the
company is providing to its shareholders. A higher ratio is preferred.
Hibbett had a ratio of 23% in 2011 the highest in the past three years, comparing to 22%
in 2009 and 19% in 2010. Hibbett has made a big jump from 2010 to 2011 and looks as if it will
continue to remain in this area.
Profit Margin
This ratio is used to determine how much overall profit the company is making during a given
timeframe. A higher ratio is preferred. If the ratio declines, this could be due to cost increases.
Hibbett had been sitting consistently with a 5% ratio for 2009 and 2010, but was able to
make a positive jump to 7% in 2011. This positive increase suggests a change in the way the
company is being managed in order to bring in more profit.

0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
2009
2010
2011
Profitability
Return on Assets
Return on Equity
Profit Margin

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Implications
Hibbett Sporting Goods has been able to make positive increases in the past three years
to have 2011 be the best year for the company. Hibbett appears to be stable as a company in
the profitability section of financials and have room to continue to improve. The increases in
income as made the company very profitable as well as keep the prices from climbing too high.
The Company looks to continue its prosperity in the future.
Capital Market/ Shareholders Returns
Earnings Per Share
This ratio indicates the portion of a
company's profit allocated to each outstanding
share of stock. Excellent indicator of a company's
profitability. Higher Ratios are preferred .
Hibbett had a low return of $0.96 ratio
in 2009 and has been able to change this ratio
to a favorable $1.11 in 2011. Suggesting that
the company has had success and is able to
continue to be profitable in the near future
and expect this ratio to climb.
P/E Ratio
This ratio indicates the market price of $1 of earnings.
Hibbett recorded its highest P/E ratio of $20.11 in 2011 showing the market price of the
dollar to be the highest it’s been in the past three years.
Implications
Hibbett Sporting goods showed to be very beneficial to the shareholders from 2009-
2011 because they were able to bring their ratios higher than in the start; Resulting in a higher
payback for shareholder, keeping them satisfied. This indicates that the company is very
profitable and is a good sign for shareholders. It appears that the company will continue this
profitability into the future.

$0
$5
$10
$15
$20
$25
2009
2010
2011
Shareholders Return
EPS
P/E

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Financial Analysis for Dick’s Sporting Goods

Executive Summary
Dick’s Sporting Goods is a strong financial company. The company has been increasing each
year in all aspects. Dick’s asset turnover has been decreasing each year and their average
inventory period has seen a relatively drastic decrease has well. They have been reducing their
debt since 2009. Their debt has been decreasing most likely due to expansion and offering
more apparel and customizations to consumers. Liquidity has been slowly growing since 2009
and is strong. Dick’s has been very profitable since 2009 and continues to grow with increasing
earnings per share.

Dick's Sporting Goods Financial Ratios2009 Change 2010Change 2011
Asset Turnover 2.1 -0.3 1.9 -0.1 1.8
Average Inventory Period 104 -4 100 -6 94
Accounts Receivable 1.40% -0.60% 0.80%-0.08%0.72%
Debt to Equity 50.94%-17.11%33.83%-5.57%28.26%
Debt to Assets 23% -7% 16% -1% 15%
Current Ratios 1.7:1 -0.2 1.5:1 0.3 1.8:1
Quick Ratio .22:1 0.12 .34:1 0.34 .68:1
Return on Assets -2% 8% 6% 1% 7%
Return on Equity -4.50%16.50% 12% 1% 13%
Profit Margin Ratio -0.90% 3.90% 3% 0% 3.00%
Earnings Per Share -$0.36 $1.51 $1.15$0.35$1.50
P/E Ratio 0.31 0.89 1.20 0.37 1.57

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Activity and Efficiency
Inventory Investment Period
This number indicates the number of days it takes to convert a dollar of cash outflow to a dollar of sales.
It is better to have a smaller number with this formula. A longer inventory investment period requires a
higher investment in inventory, which translates to less available cash.
Dick’s has seen a decrease in its average
inventory investment period by 10 days
between the years of 2009 which was 104
and 100 in 2010. This indicates that company
is making the conversion of inventory to cash
much faster.
Asset Turnover Ratio
This formula determines how well the business is
utilizing its assets to generate new sales revenue.
It is better to have a higher ratio between the
numbers. This means that the company has less money tied up in assets.
Dick’s ratio has decreased from 2.1 in 2009 to 1.8 in 2011. They have had more money tied up
in assets. Dick’s hasn’t been has efficient since 2009
Accounts Receivable Ratio
This number indicates sales for which
payment has not yet been collected by a
company. A lower ratio is desired in this
formula because it shows that companies
are being paid for their work and money is
no longer tied up in accounts receivable.
Dick’s s seen a decrease in accounts
receivable from 1.40% in 2009 to 0.72%
in 2011. They have been improving on
the time in which money is paid. Overall, this is a fairly large decrease in percentage resulting in
quicker payments and less money tied up in receivables (Figure 3).
85
90
95
100
105
2009
2010
2011
Average Inventory
Turnover (In Days)
Average
Inventory
Turnover (In
Days)
0.00%
0.50%
1.00%
1.50%
2009
2010
2011
Accounts Recievable
Accounts
Recievable

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Implications: Dick’s activity and efficiency ratios show that the company is doing well and
managing the status quo. Its accounts receivable indicate that they are being paid more quickly
for their work allowing for a quicker turn around and more available cash. Dick’s financial
situation is stable and will continue to grow. The reduction in investment period has been a
great improvement for Dick’s and it looks to continue to fall.

Leverage and Solvency
Debt to Assets
This ratio measures the percentage of assets financed by creditors compared to those financed by the
owners. A lower ratio is preferred (no more than fifty percent).
Dick’s debt to assets has decrease from 23% in 2009 to 15% in 2011, which is a 8% decrease.
This indicates that there are less
assets being financed by creditors.
Debt to Equity
This ratio measures funds provided by
creditors versus the funds provided by
owners. A lower ratio is preferred in this
area. A rising Debt to Equity indicates
increases in debt.
Dick’s debt to equity ratio has
decreased substantially from 50.94%
in 2009 to 28.26% in 2011, which is
22.68% reduction. This indicates a large reduction in funds that are provided by creditors.
Implications: Dick’s has seen a decrease in drastic debt since 2009. The decrease in debt is their
ability to receive payments and its debt looks to continually fall.

0%
20%
40%
60%
2009
2010
2011
Leverage
Debt to Equity
Debt to Assets

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Liquidity
Current Ratio
The current ratio is the liquidity ratio, which measures the ability to pay off short-term obligations. For
current ratio it is better to have a higher ratio. An industry standard is to seek a 1.5:1 ratio. If the current
assets of a company are more than twice the current liabilities, then that company is generally
considered to have good short-term financial strength. Minimum acceptable ratio is 1:1, but this can be
seen as having potential risks.
Dick’s current ratio saw a decrease from 1.7:1 in 2009 to 1.5:1 in 2010. However it rose again to
1.8:1 in 2011, the highest it’s been in
three years
Quick (Acid-Test) Ratio
The quick ratio is considered to be the
best measurement for liquidity of a
company. This ratio focuses primarily on
highly liquid assets. The formula takes
into account the company’s ability to
meet its obligations. A higher ratio is
preferred with this formula. A 1:1 ratio is
considered to be satisfactory.
Dick’s quick ratio has seen a drastic increase from .22:1 in 2009 to .68:1 in 2011. There has been
a quicker turn around for assets and they are much more reliable since 2009 .
Implications: Both the current ratio and acid test have relatively high numbers which means
they pay off whatever current debt they have quicker with the faster turnaround in inventory.
The quick ratio for the industry is .62%
102
.

0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2009
2010
2011
Liquidity
Current Ratio
Acid Test

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Profitability
Return on Assets
This formula measures how well a business is using its assets to produce more income. A higher ratio is
preferred. “ROA gives an idea as to how efficient management is at using its assets to generate
earnings.”
Dick’s saw a negative
return on assets of -4.50%
in 2009 and then an 8%
jump to 6% in 2010. It then
rose to 7% in 2011. After
2009, it appears that the
management at Dick’s is
using assets well to
generate earnings. In the
years up to 2009 there
were large investments in
expansion and marketing
the company.
Return on Equity
This ratio is used to determine what return the company is providing to its shareholders. A higher ratio is
preferred.
Much like the return on assets, the return on equity was negative in 2009 and rose over 16% to
reach 12% in 2010. It climbed again in 2011 to 13%. The amount returned to shareholders had
been increasing each year.
Profit Margin Ratio
This ratio is used to determine how much overall profit the company is making during a given timeframe.
A higher ratio is preferred. If the ratio declines, this could be due to cost increases.
Similarly to the return on assets and return on equity, Dick’s had seen a negative return in 2009,
an increase to 3% in 2010 and then a .70% increase to 3.70% in 2011. Dick’s management has
appeared to have turned the company around after its negative return in 2009 and increased
its profitability.

-10.00%
-5.00%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
2009
2010
2011
Profitability
Return on Assets
Return on Equity
Profit Margin

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Implications: Dick’s has seen an increase in profitability since 2009 and continues to profit off
of decreasing cost of goods which is a result from new vendors as well as and their ability to
increase profits each year. With their return on assets and return on equity rising, the company
will continue to do well.

Capital Market and Shareholder’s Return
Earnings Per Share
This ratio indicates the portion of a company's
profit allocated to each outstanding share of
stock. Excellent indicator of a company's
profitability. Higher Ratios are preferred.
In 2009, Dick’s saw a negative earnings per
share at $-.36, then a drastic increase to
$1.15 in 2010 and continued to rise to
$1.50 in 2011. The earnings per share will
continue to rise as the company continues
to do well.
P/E Ratio
This ratio indicates the market price of $1 of earnings.
Dick’s had a negative P/E ratio of $-.31 in 2009 and it increased to $1.20 in 2010. It continued to
rise to $1.57 in 2011. These numbers show that Dick’s are increasing their earnings and they are
projected to increase .
Implications
Due to the increasing earnings per share it is probable that people will sell or hold their stock
since the stock continues to rise. The P/E ratio rose from 2009 to 2011 and looks to rise more
in the future. This has risen due to a 2.9% rise in Dick's Sporting’s store sales, 4.4% increase in
Golf Galaxy store sales and a 34.6% growth in e-commerce business.
103

($0.50)
$0.00
$0.50
$1.00
$1.50
$2.00
2009
2010
2011
Shareholder's Return
EPS
P/E

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Financial Ratio Analysis for Big 5 Sporting Goods

Executive Summary
Big 5 Sporting Goods has shown a lack of ability to increase their profit over the last three
years. There has been a decrease in asset turnover however the average inventory period has
increase substantially over the past three years. Accounts receivable has been hovering around
the same it has been and the debt equity has seen drastic decreases and increases. Debt to
Assets has seen the same as their equity with the current ratio increasing minimally from 2010
to 2011. The Quick Ratio has seen no change with the Return on Assets, Return on Equity, Profit
Margin and Earnings Per Share all having decreased.

Big 5 Sporting Goods Financial Ratios2009Change2010Change2011
Asset Turnover 2.45 -0.162.29 0 2.29
Average Inventory Period 139.0613.7152.763.07155.83
Accounts Receivable 1.50%0.18%1.67%-0.22%1.45%
Debt to Equity 43.40%-10.31%33.09%9.45%42.54%
Debt to Assets 15.63%-2.92%12.71%4.19%16.91%
Current Ratio 1.82 -0.011.81 0.3 2.11
Quick Ratio 0.13 0 0.13 0 0.13
Return on Assets 5.96%-0.72%5.24%-2.28%2.96%
Return on Equity 16.54%-2.90%13.64%-6.19%7.45%
Profit Margin Ratio 2.44%-0.14%2.29%-1.00%1.29%
Earnings Per Share 1.01 -0.070.94 -0.410.53
P/E Ratio 7.91 0.07 7.98 0.41 8.39

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1.30%
1.40%
1.50%
1.60%
1.70%
2011
2010
2009
Accounts Receivable
Accounts
Receivable
Activity and Efficiency
Inventory Investment Period
This number indicates the number of days it
takes to convert a dollar of cash outflow to a
dollar of sales. It is better to have a smaller
number with this formula. A longer inventory
investment period requires a higher
investment in inventory, which translates to
less available cash.
Big 5 Sporting Goods has increased its
average inventory investment period by
17 days, from 139 days in 2009, to 156
days in 2011. Big 5 Sporting Goods is taking longer to turn inventory into cash .
Asset Turnover Ratio
This formula determines how well the business is utilizing its assets to generate new sales revenue. It is
better to have a higher ratio between the numbers. This means that the company has less money tied up
in assets.
Big 5 Sporting Goods’ asset turnover ratio of 2.29 in 2011 is the exact same as in 2010, and .16
better than in 2009. Overall, Big 5 sporting goods has been less efficient at utilizing its assets to
generate new sales .
Accounts Receivable Ratio
This number indicates sales for which payment
has not yet been collected by a company. A
lower ratio is desired in this formula because it
shows that companies are being paid for their
work and money is no longer tied up in
accounts receivable.
Big 5 Sporting Goods’ accounts receivable
ratio jumped from 1.50% in 2009 to 1.67%
in 2010. From 2010 to 2011 accounts
receivables made its way back down to 1.45%. Overall, these changes are minimal and should
not affect the company .

85
90
95
100
105
2009
2010
2011
Average Inventory
Turnover (In Days)
Average Inventory
Turnover (In Days)

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0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
2011
2010
2009
Leverage and Solvency
Debt to Equity
Debt to Assets
Implications
Big 5 Sporting Goods activity and efficiency ratios indicate that the company is doing a poor job
of turning their inventory into sales. Inability to sell their inventory could result in too much
money being caught-up in inventory, and limiting their cash on hand. If Big 5 Sporting Goods
can’t become more efficient in their inventory investment and asset turnover, they could face
financial problems as well lost opportunities for growth.
Leverage and Solvency
Debt to Assets
This ratio measures the percentage of assets financed by creditors compared to those financed by the
owners. A lower ratio is preferred (no more than fifty percent).
Big 5 Sporting Goods’ debt to asset
ratio has decreased from 15.63% in
2009 to 12.71% in 2010. From 2010
to 2011 that percent rose by 4.20% .
Debt to Equity
This ratio measures funds provided by
creditors versus the funds provided by
owners. A lower ratio is preferred in this
area. A rising Debt to Equity indicates
increases in debt.
Big 5 Sporting Goods’ debt to equity ratio decreased from 43.40% in 2009 to 33.09% in 2010.
Debt to equity rose by 9.45% from 2010 to 2011.
Implications
Big 5 Sporting Goods’ debt to equity and debt to assets ratios showed slight decreased in 2010
but are right back to where they started in 2011. Their debt to assets are below 50 percent,
indicating that they aren’t in any serious trouble. Debt to equity is higher than debt to assets
showing that increases in debt are evident. Furthermore, both debt to equity and debt to
assets are below that of both Dick’s Sporting Goods and Hibbett.
104

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0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
2011
2010
2009
Liquidity
Current Ratio
Acid-test Ratio
Liquidity
Current Ratio
The current ratio is the liquidity ratio,
which measures the ability to pay off
short-term obligations. For current ratio
it is better to have a higher ratio. An
industry standard is to seek a 1.5:1
ratio. If the current assets of a company
are more than twice the current
liabilities, then that company is
generally considered to have good
short-term financial strength. Minimum
acceptable ratio is 1:1, but this can be
seen as having potential risks.
Big 5 Sporting Goods’ current ratio was consistent at 1.8:1 from 2009 to 2010, but then
increased to 2.1:1 in 2011. Big 5 was able to pay off short term obligations much faster with the
incoming money they made
Acid-Test (Quick) Ratio
The acid-test ratio is considered to be the best measurement for liquidity of a company. This ratio -
focuses primarily on highly liquid assets. The formula takes into account the company’s ability to meet its
obligations. A higher ratio is preferred with this formula. A 1:1 ratio is considered to be satisfactory.
Big 5 Sporting Goods’ acid-test ratio has remained constant at 0.13 from 2009-2011 (Figure 5).
This number is very low because much of their assets are tied up in inventory and therefore
their inventory turnaround is very high.
Implications
Big 5 Sporting Goods’ current ratio of 2.1:1 is above satisfactory, but only places in the median,
below Hibbett Sporting Goods and above Dick’s Sporting Goods.
105
The quick ratio industry
average is 0.62:1.
106
Big 5 Sporting Goods’ quick ratio of 0.13 places them well below the
industry average indicating their difficulty to pay off short term debt. Big 5 Sporting Goods
shows that it has the ability to pay off short-term investments but is struggling to convert their
highly liquid assets to liquid cash.

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0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
2011
2010
2009
Profitability
Return on Assets
Return on Equity
Profit Margin
Ratio
Profitability
Return on Assets
This formula measures how well a business is using its assets to produce more income. A higher ratio is
preferred. “ROA gives an idea as to how efficient management is at using its assets to generate
earnings.”
Big 5 Sporting Goods’ return on assets decreased from 5.96% in 2009 to 5.24% in 2010, then
large jump to 2.96% in 2011. Big 5 Sporting Goods has shown a decreasing ability in using their
assets to produce income.
Return on Equity
This ratio is used to determine what return the
company is providing to its shareholders. A
higher ratio is preferred.
Big 5 Sporting Goods faced a 2.9%
decreased in return on equity from 2009
to 2010. From 2010 to 2011 that number
decreased again 6.19%. This decrease in
return on equity shows that Big 5 Sporting
Goods is decreasing the return they’re
providing to their shareholders.
Profit Margin Ratio
This ratio is used to determine how much overall profit the company is making during a given timeframe.
A higher ratio is preferred. If the ratio declines, this could be due to cost increases.
The profit margin ratio for Big 5 Sporting Goods has steadily decreased from 2.44% in 2009, to
2.29% in 2010, and then to 1.29% in 2011. This decrease in profit margin ratio signals that Big 5
Sporting Goods’ is making less profit year after year since 2009.
Implications
Since 2009 Big 5 Sporting Goods has shown a decrease in profitability. This is likely due to an
increase in Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), an increase in operating expenses, as well as an overall
increase in debt. Big 5 Sporting Goods is still profitable but if they don’t reduce their debt as
well as operating expenses, further decreases could occur.

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7.008.009.00
P
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2011
2010
2009
Earnings per share
Earnings per
share
7.50
8.00
8.50
2011
2010
2009
P/E Ratio
P/E Ratio

Capital Market and Shareholder’s Return
Earnings Per Share
This ratio indicates the portion of a company's
profit allocated to each outstanding share of
stock. Excellent indicator of a company's
profitability. Higher Ratios are preferred.
Big 5 Sporting Goods’ earnings per share
numbers have decreased from $1.01 in
2009 to $0.94 in 2010. Further decrease
to $0.53 was shown in 2011. This
numbers are consistent with the decrease in profitability that Big 5 Sporting Goods has shown.
P/E Ratio
This ratio indicates the market price of $1 of
earnings.
Big 5 Sporting Goods’ P/E ratio has
increased from $7.91 in 2009 to $7.98 in
2010, and then to $8.39 in 2011. These
numbers show that the projected earnings
for Big 5 Sporting Goods is increasing .
Implications
Due to the decrease in earnings per share, and only a slight increase in the P/E ratio, it is
unlikely that shareholder’s will sell Big 5 Sporting Goods stock. Due to the slight increase in P/E
ratio, there is a possibility that stock may be purchased.

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Golf Driver Head With Exchangeable Rear Sections Source:
http://tinyurl.com/d2huzl8

Patent Analysis

Executive Summary
Hibbett Sporting Goods is a moderate sized leader in the sports retailing industry; however,
within their product portfolio, the company does not have any technological patents to support
their status in the industry. In comparison, other leaders in the industry such as Dick’s Sporting
Goods have several patents that relate to their product(s) offered; however, these expressed
patents are strictly limited to their products and are not new technological patents in the
industry as a whole. When observing the industry, the newly developed technological patents
that have been created over the past few years have had a profound impact on the retailing
market as a whole. If Hibbett Sporting Goods wants to remain highly competitive in the market,
it would be considerably beneficial for the company to initiate patent research and
development within their company and attempt to purchase the rights to patents. If Hibbett
remains stagnant during this time, it is likely the other retailers in the industry will gain a
significant competitive advantage by utilizing technology patents such as automated retail
machines, online sports rental methods, or on shelf tracking systems to track product supplies.
However, if Hibbett possibly purchases or leases some of these described patents, the company
will likely gain a significant competitive advantage in the retail industry.
Dick’s Sporting Goods Patents

 Golf Driver Head With Exchangeable Rear Sections
107

o US Patent Number: 7959522
o Issuance Date: June 14, 2011
o Original Assignee: Dick’s Sporting
Goods, Inc.
o Inventors: Richard Ray North, III,
Ben S. Lavallee
o Number of References: 5
o Patent Use: The patent is a
complete golf driver kit. It allows for
exchangeable connectable parts to hit a golf ball different distances.

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Soccer Training System Source:
http://tinyurl.com/ba7493y
o Abstract: A golf driver kit includes a front portion and a plurality of rear portions
exchangeably connectable to the front portion and being of different respective
shapes for imparting different flight characteristics to a struck golf ball. The front
portion includes a front face plate and a hosel for receiving a shaft, plus a
rearwardly projecting base on which the rear portion is seated. The rear portion
is removably attached to the front portion by screws.

Implications
The Golf Driver Head With Exchangeable Rear Sections was filed on August 12, 2008. The
object of this patent is to provide a complete golf driver kit with interchangeable parts that
enable different flight characteristics to a struck golf ball. With the recent acquisition by Dick’s
Sporting Goods of Callaway Golf, the expansion of Dick’s golf products/services is likely to
illustrate considerable financial growth over the next few years. If Hibbett Sporting Goods
wants to remain a viable competitor with Dick’s, the company should consider a revamped
outlook with their golf products. A patented product such as this object demonstrates
considerable innovation and ingenuity, and Hibbett must show this sort of strategy with their
product lines as well to remain competitive.

 Soccer Training System
108

o US Patent Number: 6846253
o Issuance Date: January 25, 2005
o Original Assignee: Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc.
o Inventor: Damian A. Szwalek
o Number of References: 8
o Patent Use: The patent is a specific soccer training
system with three specific modes. It allows for
independent training development.
o Abstract: A soccer training system that has three
modes and includes a frame, a net, a target panel,
and a rebound panel. The frame with the net
secured thereto provides a soccer goal mode; the
frame with the target panel positioned across its
front provides a soccer target mode; and the
frame with the rebound panel positioned across its front provides a soccer

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Sports Equipment Storage Racks
Source: http://tinyurl.com/8vvkclz
rebounder mode. The target panel has cutouts and/or apertures to pass a soccer
ball. The rebound panel redirects a kicked ball back toward the kicker. The
rebound panel can also be inclined to alter the return angle of the ball.
Preferably, elastic corded hooks attach the target panel or the rebound panel to
the front of the frame.

Implications
The Soccer Training System was filed on March 12, 2003. The object of this patent is to provide
a soccer training system that has three modes and includes a frame, a net, a target panel, and a
rebound panel. With the ability of Dick’s Sporting Goods to offer more than just apparel and
footwear products in their stores, their targeted consumer demographics expands exponetially.
If Hibbett Sporting Goods wants to remain competitive with the retail leader Dick’s, the
company should attempt to expand its product lines, including offering more technologically
advanced products. By offering more unique sports equipment items such as this patent, the
company will be able to attract greater cliental to their business.
New Technology Patents Relative to Sports Retailing Industry

 Sports Equipment Storage Rack
109

o US Patent Number: 6053340
o Issuance Date: April 25, 2008
o Original Assignee: John L. Cameron
o Inventor: John L. Cameron
o Number of References: 17
o Patent Use: The patent is a sports equipment storage
rack designed for universal actions. The equipment
will be safe and secure within these storage areas.
o Abstract: A rack for organizing, protecting, and storing
various sports equipment has a backboard, a
receptacle for holding a beverage container, at least
one equipment hook, a bat holder hook, at least one
flexible member such as a securing strap, an optional
hanging hole, and a decorative area. The backboard
supports the other components and contains points of
attachment for the securing strap. The receptacle stores a beverage container in

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Automated Transaction Machine
Source: http://tinyurl.com/9mtmkep
an upright position. The equipment hook allows for hanging sports or related
equipment such as baseball gloves or baseball hats. The bat holder hook allows
for holding a baseball bat or other equipment such as a jacket or other items of
clothing. The flexible member such as a securing strap secures the rack to a
fixture such as a chain link fence, wall or other support.

Implications
The Sports Equipment Storage Rack was filed on November 27, 2005 by John L Cameron. The
object of this patent is to provide a sensible means for organizing, protecting, and storing
various sports equipment. It is a universally used patent in the sports retailing industry as
Hibbett Sporting Goods, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Big Five Sporting Goods all use some sort of
variation of this patent. If Hibbett Sporting Goods wishes to gain a competitive advantage in the
industry, it will continue to utilize this object within its stores and possibly look for innovative
advancements or customizations of the object. The ability to develop newer means of storing
sports equipment for Hibbett Sporting Goods will ensure the company’s future development
and growth within the sports retailing industry.

 Automated Transaction Machine
110

o US Patent Number: 8118222
o Issuance Date: February 21, 2012
o Original Assignee: Transaction Holdings Ltd.
o Inventor: David M. Barcelou
o Number of References: 5
o Patent Use: The patent is an automated retail
terminal that is similar to an ATM or Internet
kiosk. It is used with a credit card or smart card.
o Abstract: An automated retail terminal in
which a plurality of goods and/or services are provided in an integrated system.
The integrated system generally avoids duplicating hardware or functions in the
course of delivering the goods or services offered, so for example in a
combination ATM and Internet kiosk the same credit card or smart card reader is
used for both the ATM and the Internet kiosk functions, the same control screen
activates the ATM functions and the Internet functions, and etc.

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Electronic Commerce Transactions Within A Marketing System
Source: http://tinyurl.com/9mjo4he
Implications
The Automated Transaction Machine was filed on November 22, 2010. The object of this
patent is to provide an automated retail terminal source that provides an assortment of goods
and/or services in an integrated system. It is a newly developed technology in the retail market;
however, the potential implications of this patent are virtually limitless, as companies will be
able to incorporate some of their smaller sized products/services in this automated transaction
machine without the need for human interaction. If Hibbett Sporting Goods wishes to maintain
their current position in the sporting goods retailing market, the company will likely need to
incorporate newer technological innovations such as this patent. The ability to automatically
serve consumers without human interaction is the future of the retailing industry, and the
businesses that implement this concept into their company will benefit in the long run. It would
be beneficial for Hibbett to purchase or lease this patent, which would thereby allow them to
own the product and/or market. In addition, the company could be in a position to lease out
the patent for royalties from other companies.

 Electronic Commerce Transactions Within A Marketing System
111

o US Patent Number: 8239272
o Issuance Date: August 7, 2012
o Original Assignee: Amway Corporation
o Inventors: David M. Bamborough, James G. Blodgett, William R. Dangl
o Number of References: 7
o Patent Use: The patent is a system and method for providing complete
electronic commerce for a company’s marketing products online.
o Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method for providing
complete electronic commerce (“E-Commerce”) transactions and solutions for a
marketing company's products via the World Wide Web, including facilities for
signing up new customers and recruiting, training and supporting new
Independent Business
t an interactive online
p In another aspect, the
p invention relates to the
combination of a marketing
b with a membership buying
opportunity using both
e commerce and face-to-face
transactions. The present invention is also directed to a system and method for

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Internet-Based Sports Equipment Rental Method
Source: http://tinyurl.com/9s8k444
combining a marketing business with a membership buying opportunity, so that
Independent Business Owners participating in the marketing plan can introduce
customers to a membership buying opportunity and earn bonuses or
commissions based on the purchases by those members.

Implications
The Electronic Commerce Transaction Within A Marketing System was filed on June 23, 2010.
The object of this patent is to provide complete electronic commerce (“E-Commerce”)
transactions and solutions for a marketing company’s products via the World Wide Web. The
rapid growth of electronic commerce over the past few years illustrates the necessity of
interactive commerce for companies over the traditional face-to-face transaction. If Hibbett
Sporting Goods wishes to maintain their current status in the industry, they need to strengthen
their online commerce presence. Almost all of the purchases made by customers shopping at
Hibbett Sporting Goods are made in person, and electronic commerce is an underutilized
element for Hibbett. The ability to serve both electronic and interpersonal commerce is a
necessary action that companies will need to address in the future. It would be beneficial for
Hibbett to purchase or lease this patent, which would thereby allow them to own the product
and/or market. In addition, the company could be in a position to lease out the patent in
exchange for royalties from other competitors.

 Internet-Based Sports Equipment Rental Method
112

o US Patent Number: 6885998
o Issuance Date: April 26, 2005
o Original Assignee: Jeffrey A. Smith
o Inventor: Mark J. Arduino
o Number of References: 4
o Patent Use: The patent is a conceptual
idea of renting sports equipment online for
predetermined times, dates, and locations.
o Abstract: Disclosed is an Internet-based
sports equipment rental system and
method that enables individuals to rent
sports equipment and other items, such as
golf clubs, from a renting company's Web
site. The system and method includes
automated rental processing and tracking
software that runs on the renting company's Web site to allow individuals to

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Interactive Shopping System With Mobile Apparatus
Source: http://tinyurl.com/cbj8dsz
rent sports equipment conveniently over the Internet for use at predetermined
locations at predetermined future times.

Implications
The Internet-Based Sports Equipment Rental Method was filed on March 25, 2000. The object
of this patent is to provide consumers with the ability to rent sports equipment and other items
online and ultimately allow individuals to rent them at predetermined locations and future
times. With the ongoing economic recession occurring throughout the United States, the
concept of renting, leasing, or maintaining temporary ownership is becoming a growing trend.
If Hibbett Sporting Goods wishes to gain a competitive advantage in the industry, the company
has the opportunity of offering some form of rental service to its consumers. The ability to
implicate such a strategy in the sports retailing goods industry will grant Hibbett Sporting Goods
the opportunity to become a large market sized company in the marketplace and give them a
significant competitive advantage over its competitors.

 Interactive Shopping System With Mobile Apparatus
113

o US Patent Number: 6434530
o Issuance Date: August 13, 2004
o Original Assignee: Retail Multimedia Corporation
o Inventors: Martin A. Sloane, Tod Bogan
o Number of References: 22
o Patent Use: The patent is an
interactive system adapted for
online shopping venues. It is
implemented through the use of a
mobile device.
o Abstract: An interactive system
adapted for use in a shopping
venue, comprises: an interactive
and intelligent source of
information, for example
supplemental information related to articles available for selection by shoppers
in a shopping venue, and not otherwise available to the shoppers during
shopping; and, a plurality of interactive, mobile apparatus which shoppers can

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On-Shelf Tracking System Source:
http://tinyurl.com/b6qbbqz
move throughout the shopping venue and use for transmitting queries to the
interactive source of information and use for receiving information transmitted
from the interactive source of information, whereby shoppers can receive
information useful for evaluating the articles when making article selection
decisions, and at least some of the received information can be formulated to
influence the article selection decisions. At least some of the information
transmitted to the shoppers can be responsive to the queries.

Implications
The Interactive Shopping System With Mobile Apparatus was filed on January 20, 2001. The
object of this patent is to provide consumers with an interactive system for use in a shopping
venue with their mobile devices. With the rapid development of technological concepts in the
retail industry, especially with mobile devices, the need for companies to be well aware of
these growing technologies is a required element for the company if they wish to remain
competitive. If Hibbett Sporting Goods wishes to gain a competitive advantage in the industry,
the company should lease this patent to enable the company the option of offer marketing
advertisements and selling their products through consumer’s mobile devices. The social value
expressed with mobile phones continues to grow and expand, and the ability for Hibbett
Sporting Goods to utilize this strategy will grant them a significant competitive advantage in the
industry.

 On-Shelf Tracking System
114

o US Patent Number: 3249320
o Issuance Date: September 20, 2012
o Original Assignee: N/A
o Inventor: Patrick Campbell
o Number of References: 4
o Patent Use: The patent is an on shelf
tracking system that tracks for both
consumer theft and inventory amounts.
o Abstract: A system to be installed on a
merchandising unit having one or more inventory zones, one or more units of
product, one or more product sensors, a mounting structure, and an
electromagnetic signal processor. The one or more product sensors, each at least
associated operatively with one of the one or more inventory zones, converts a
sensed quantity of the one or more units of product into a respective analog
electromagnetic signal. The mounting structure secures the one or more product

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Articles of Apparel Providing Enhanced Body
Position Feedback Source:
http://tinyurl.com/d9dwjpu
sensors to the merchandising unit. The electromagnetic signal processor in
communication with the one or more product sensors can sample output from
the one or more product sensors.

Implications
The On-Shelf Tracking System was filed on August 29, 2010. The object of this patent is to
provide a product sensor that is designed to ensure the security and output of a specific
merchandising unit. With the threat of potential theft that all retailers face, the ability to
ensure the number of inventory of a specific product is a valuable asset for all companies. In
addition, this patent also allows management to know the total number of sales of a particular
product. If Hibbett Sporting Goods wishes to ensure the safety and security of their products,
the company should purchase/lease the patent or attempt to establish some sort of on-shelf
tracking system like this patent. This concept is the new wave of the future, and companies that
are unable to address it will be obsolete.

 Articles Of Apparel Providing Enhanced
Body Position Feedback
115

o US Patent Number: 2148585
o Issuance Date: August 1, 2011
o Original Assignee: Nike International Ltd.
o Inventors: Todd Kenneth Craig, Steven
Wright
o Number of References: 7
o Patent Use: The patent is a highly developed
form of sporting goods apparel that
enhances body position feedback.
o Abstract: Articles of apparel include: (a) a garment structure having one or more
fabric elements structured and arranged to provide a close fit to at least one
predetermined portion of a body (e.g., area(s) of the body for which enhanced
position sensing and/or feedback are desired, such as the lower back, the arch of
the foot, etc.); and (b) a body position feedback system engaged with or
integrally formed as part of the garment structure. The body position feedback
system may apply higher tensile or constricting (compressive) forces to selected
portions of the wearer's body, which can help stimulate or interact with nerves

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Social Networking And E-Commerce Integration Source:
http://tinyurl.com/b98txaa
and deep tissue receptors located in various portions of the body. The increased
forces at selected locations of the body give the wearer sensory feedback
regarding the position or orientation of these parts of the body and can improve
or accelerate development of 'muscle memory.'

Implications
The Articles of Apparel Providing Enhanced Body Position Feedback was filed on May 15, 2008.
The object of this patent is to provide a piece of athletic apparel that is a close fit to at least one
predetermined portion of the body (e.g. arms, legs, torso, etc.). With the current constructs of
athletic apparel, the ability to offer a product that is capable of providing sensory feedback is a
significant advancement in the manufacturing of the clothing. If Hibbett Sporting Goods were
capable of providing such a product, the company would be a technological innovator in the
industry. Many of the consumers that shop at Dick’s Sporting Goods or Big Five Sporting Goods,
would likely switch to Hibbett for this specific product. It would be beneficial for Hibbett to
partner with the Nike and possibly lease this patent for exclusivity. In addition, Hibbett should
also consider establish a long term strategy to work with Nike on other possible patents as well.

 Social Networking And E-Commerce Integration
116

o US Patent Number: 1682167
o Issuance Date: June 3, 2011
o Original Assignee: Greg M.
Lemelson
o Inventor: Greg M. Lemelson
o Number of References: 5
o Patent Use: The patent is a
method of relating electronic
commerce shoppers with social
media users.
o Abstract: The present invention
relates to methods, systems and
databases for sharing user
inputted data obtained from two
different environments. In
particular, the present invention relates to methods of obtaining user inputted
data (e.g., metadata or links) from a social networking environment, and
providing the data to other users in an e-commerce environment, and vice versa.
Data from both environments can be stored in a database accessible by either

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environment. In another embodiment, a user can access the data via a search
performed or provided to the user in real-time.

Implications
The Social Networking And E-Commerce Integration patent was filed on February 13, 2007. The
object of this patent is to allow for sharing user inputted data obtained from two different
environments. In this case, the two environments are metadata or links from a social
networking environment and the e-commerce environment. As both of these trends are
showing significant growth, the ability to coordinate them under a single integrated system will
be very beneficial to any businesses that incorporate them into their corporate strategy. If
Hibbett Sporting Goods developed this coordinated system with these two environments, the
company would establish a whole new cliental segment. Those that participate in electronic
commerce and utilize social networking would be able to receive Hibbett Sporting Goods news,
ongoing sales and advertisements, and price listings. The possibilities of this patent are virtually
limitless, and Hibbett should take full advantage of them. In addition, Hibbett should definetly
consider purchasing this patent because at the moment there is no original assignee associated
with the patent.

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Strategies

SWOT Analysis

Executive Summary
Over the past six decades that Hibbett Sporting Goods has been a retailer in the sporting
goods industry, many strengths and weaknesses have accumulated within the organization that
effect the means in which the company targets its customer basis. While Hibbett Sporting
Goods is generating a great deal of financial and regional success in its base of operations in the
Southeast, its regionalized setting, large market competitors, and complete reliance on vendors
for its product(s) have amounted to the company only becoming a small-sized market business
within the industry. In order for Hibbett to develop itself into a large market presence in the
industry, the company must be willing to utilize newly developed technologies to its advantage,
promote a growing desire to utilize online commerce as a means of purchasing, and expand the
company to the western portion of the United States as all opportunistic notions. In addition to
applying the company’s overall strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, Hibbett must address
looming threats it faces such as new competition and decrease in consumer spending.

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Hibbett Sporting
Goods SWOT
Analysis &
Strategies
Strengths:
 Small-market strategic
advantages
 Specialized product
selection catering to
community
 Managerial experience
Weaknesses:
 Complete reliance on
vendors for products
 Strong competition
 Regionalized company
setting in industry
Opportunities:
 Rapid growth rate of
online commerce
 Growth/Expansion
 Development of new
technological
innovation in retail
industry
Strengths/Opportunities
Strategies:
 Embrace local
communities to expand
and fill voids left by
major retailers.
 Utilize specialized
product selection
through an online
presence.
 Through the expertise of
the managers, acquire a
new piece of technology
in the retail industry.
Weakness/Opportunities
Strategies:
 Utilize online
commerce as an ability
to become less
regionalized and grow.
 Enter into long-term
agreement with
vendors to ensure
growth.
 Market new
technologies acquired
that competitors will
not have.
Threats:
 New competitors
 Decrease in consumer
spending
 Competitors have a
larger market
presence

Strengths/Threat Strategies:
 Offer discounts of
specialized products to
increase consumer
spending
 Offer community
oriented sales/events
that larger competitors
are unable to accomplish
 Through the expertise of
managers, develop new
competitor threat
assessments.
Weakness/Threats Strategies:
 Open stores
nationwide to compete
with competitors with
a large market
presence
 Attempt to decrease
the product costs from
vendors to increase
consumer spending
 Develop viral
advertising campaigns
to increase national
brand awareness

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Target market for Hibbett Sports is in small to
mid-sized markets that major retailers such as
Wal-Mart and Dick’s are absent towards.
Strengths/Opportunities
Hibbett Sporting Goods is in a prime
position to take advantage of many existing
opportunities by utilizing the company’s
strengths. Hibbett maintains many small market
strategic advantages that their customer basis
values and is conscience about when shopping in
their stores. It is essential that Hibbett avoid
taking on large market retailers such as Dick’s in
urban areas because of their vast product lines,
competitive prices, and overwhelming popularity.
Instead, Hibbett should embrace the local and
midsized communities to fill a void that Wal-Mart and Dick’s are not able to fulfill.
117
There is
also a growing popularity in offering retail options through an online presence.
118
Hibbett is
making progressive steps towards offering purchasing options on their website, and if the
company is capable of performing these measures it is likely they will utilize their specialized
products to sustain growth and development through online orders. The rapid development of
new technological innovation in the retail industry is having a profound impact on the way
consumers shop, order, and pay for things.
119
At the moment, Hibbett maintains no registered
patents within their company, and the growing opportunistic advantages of patents for certain
companies are remarkable. Through the expertise and experience of the managerial team of
Hibbett, the company should attempt to acquire a type of patent that gives them a competitive
advantage in the industry over its competitors.

Weaknesses/Opportunities
Hibbett Sporting Goods operates its sporting goods stores in small to mid-sized markets
throughout the Southeast, Southwest, and lower Midwest regions of the United States.
120
Its
reliance on these regions is one of the company’s main focal points in their competitive
strategy model; however, this limits their overall influence in the industry as a whole. With the
rapid development of online commerce occurring in the industry, Hibbett can utilize online
commerce as a means of growth and expansion within the market. Like many other sporting
goods retailers in the industry, Hibbett is completely reliant on their vendors (such as Nike,
Adidas, Under Armour, etc.) to supply their products within their stores.
121
With the notable
reliance by Hibbett towards these vendors, Hibbett can ensure its status within the retail
industry by entering into long term agreements with these vendors to remain a viable
competitor within in the industry as a whole. Rapid technological developments in retail means
that retailers must ensure their company’s status by identifying and implementing certain
technological developments that would aid the company itself and offer something that a
competitor may not have.
122
In this case, if Hibbett is capable of marketing a newly acquired
technology that the company purchased, the company could gain a significant competitive
advantage over its major competitors in the industry such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and Big Five
Sporting Goods.

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Growing development of
social media in retail

Strengths/Threats
With the recession showing some signs of abating within the United States, the overall
impact of it is still felt in many business industries, particularly in the retail industry.
123
A major
influence for many businesses is the overall decrease in
consumer spending. To counteract these figures for Hibbett,
the company should offer various discounts and
advertisements to boost consumer spending figures. Probably
the best method to implement such discounts and
advertisements would be through social media, and Hibbett
recently joined Facebook over the past year. Online advertising
is an inexpensive way to attract new customers and increase
consumer spending. Placing advertisements on a social media
website such as Facebook would allow Hibbett to expand their
market much further and boost consumer spending overall. In
the third quarter of 2009 alone, Facebook exposed users to 297 billion ads, 23 percent of all the
advertisements on the World Wide Web.
124
In addition to being most viewed, Facebook
advertisements are one-third the price of other online advertising such as on Google
searches.
125

The ability of Hibbett Sporting Goods to develop small-market strategic advantages and tactics
that other major sporting goods retailers are unable to address is one of the pivotal competitive
advantages the company has to offer. In comparison, one of Dick’s Sporting Goods essential
practiced strategies is primarily operating in urbanized areas that enable them to attain a
greater number of potential customers in their stores.
126
Unlike Dick’s, Hibbett focuses a great
deal of their efforts on community oriented sales and events that attract their repeat cliental
back to their stores. In addition, this practice also shows individuals living in urbanized areas or
those that are more familiar with Dick’s Sporting Goods the capabilities of Hibbett. Altogether,
The above map illustrates the locations of Hibbett Sporting Goods
stores, which are primarily based in the Southeast region of the US.

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The reduction of Nike’s prices
would enable Hibbett to discount
their product line prices as well.
this focused strategy emphasizes the overall conduct of Hibbett Sporting Goods in the retail
industry, as it is a company that operates with the primary focus of satisfying the consumer and
the community.
Although the market demonstrates considerable economic struggles for retailing companies, a
major threat many corporate leaders or managers of companies face are new competitors in
the marketplace. According to 2011 figures, the future of retail is quite promising, as there was
a 28% increase in the number of new retailing businesses from the previous year.
127
The focus
of many companies needs to be on addressing some of these new competitors before they
emerge as a large market presence in the industry. In regards to Hibbett, companies such as Big
Five Sporting Goods and other sporting goods retailers that have only been in the industry for a
short time must be addressed. It is the responsibility and strategic value for the managerial
officials working at Hibbett Sporting Goods to develop such strategies to ensure Hibbett’s
overall success in the industry.
Weaknesses/Threats
With large market sporting goods retailers expanding both their product portfolios and
number of nationwide stores, the need for a small market sized company such as Hibbett
Sporting Goods to develop a greater presence in the marketplace is essential for the company’s
overall success. According to Dicks Sporting Goods annual report from 2011, the company
opened an additional 44 stores bringing its total number of stores up to 525.
128
The demand for
a greater number of Hibbett Sporting Goods is essential in order for the company to remain
competitive, and these locations need to be beyond the current region in which Hibbett
normally operates. The company needs to strategically break out of its current hub in the
Southeast and develop additional stores on the West Coast, Northwest, and Southwest of the
United States to become a nationwide recognized business.

Investing in decreasing the costs relating to vendor fees
for Hibbett Sporting Goods products would benefit the
company by promoting an increase in consumer
spending. The diminished costs Hibbett would have to
provide the vendors (such as Nike, Adidas, and Under
Armour) would enable the company to offer many of
their products at discounted prices. At the moment,
consumer spending rates continually show signs of
increasing, which ultimately forces businesses to keep
their prices at a high level because of the potential lost
business from these individuals.
129
If Hibbett Sporting
Goods is capable of reducing the purchasing costs of
these vendor product lines, the company will see
consumer satisfaction at higher levels, increase of market
share and market growth, as well as gain a significant
competitive advantage in the retail industry of sporting goods.

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While maintaining a diligent focus on Hibbett’s primary competitors and vendors is a necessary
action that the company must perform, Hibbett needs to focus more on broadening their
customer base rather than being satisfied with their current customers. Currently, Hibbett’s
advertising on all media outlets is non-existant. On YouTube, Hibbett has only several video
uploads with a total of only a few thousand views; Dick’s has millions of total viewers on their
page because of their overwhelming popularity and notable figures they bring in the
commmercials.
130
Within these commercials, Dick’s highlights the premier stature of the
company, its historic roots, and the well known individuals that use Dick Sporting Goods
products. Many of these well known individuals are athletes that dominate their sports such as
Ray Rice, Justin Verlander, and Lebron James, and ultimately it is through their testimonials that
the Dick’s Sporting Goods brand name presence is considered by most to be the leader within
the industry. If Hibbett Sporting Goods wants to remain competitive, the company needs to
address its marketing scheme. The company needs to focus less on community oriented market
targeting and more on focusing on a national level marketing concept that will enable Hibbett
to become a large market retailer like Dick’s and other notable businesses.

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Porters 9 Forces Model
Executive Summary
Five industry level forces and four macro-environmental forces were taken into account
when determining the threat levels for Hibbett Sports. Hibbett Sports is likely to face high
threats from industry rivals, the social macro-environment, and from suppliers. Hibbett Sports’
industry rivals offer a variety of the same products at competitive pricing, putting pressure on
Hibbett to be the most competitive. Hibbett Sports’ industry rivals also offer online shopping
allowing them to expand their customer base to the entire United States. Social factors, mainly
social media, is one of the leading marketing tools for companies currently. Hibbett Sports
must take advantage of social media and further expand their social media marketing in order
to reduce social threats. Finally, the threat from suppliers is a direct result of extremely high
switching costs. Hibbett Sports is forced to pay whichever price the manufacturer sets, this
could be detrimental during periods of economic distress.

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Social
 Smart phones allow
customers to access
information on the go
 Social media is the
leading way to reach
customers
 Increased use of
eCommerce and online
shopping

Buyers
 Low
differentiation
 Large number of
competitors
Suppliers
 High concentration
 High switching
costs
 Unique suppliers
Porter’s 9 Forces Model

Technological
 Mobile coupons
 Near Field
Communication (NFC)
 Increased ability to
customize clothing,
shoes, jerseys etc…

Political Legal
 Presidential election
likely to influence how
business will choose to
operate
 Federal policies
discourage business
opportunities
 Limited government
resources

Economical
 Mobile and web
platforms offer increase
in sales
 Market development
 Reduced store sizes
improve capabilities

Industry Rivals
 Industry composed of
many firms of equal size
and competitive position
 Competitors offer online
shopping

New Entrants
 Economies of scale
 High capital required
 Broad product line
Substitutes
 Competitive market,
similar products
 Low switching costs

Legend:
= High Threat
= Medium Threat
= Low Threat

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Industry Rivals
 Industry composed of
many firms of equal size
and competitive position
 Competitors offer online
shopping

Social
 Smart phones allow
customers to access
information on the go
 Social media is the
leading way to reach
customers
 Increased use of
eCommerce and online
shopping

Discussion
The highest threat that Hibbett Sports faces is
industry rivals. Competitors Dick’s Sporting Goods and
Big 5 Sporting Goods offer similar products at
competitive prices. Customers have the ability to shop
around and compare prices. If Hibbett Sports’ prices
aren’t the lowest there is a chance at a loss of business.
Furthermore, Dick’s Sporting Goods offers an expansive
eCommerce website that allows consumers from all
over the world to purchase products
131
. In addition to
Dick’s current eCommerce website, they are looking to further develop their online shopping
capabilities by incorporating a more user friendly website as well as an option for online
purchase and in-store pickup
132
. From 2010 to 2011, Dick’s reported a 36 percent increase in
sales just through eCommerce sales alone
133
. If Hibbett would build an eCommerece website
and then continue to support and promote eCommerce channel shopping, than they will likely
see similar growths in sales numbers. Industry rivals will always be present, but taking
advantage of opportunities such as online shopping will enable Hibbett Sports to be highly
competitive.
The next highest threat is the social environment.
Companies in the sports retail industry are looking more
into social media everyday. With 63 percent of adults
using social media daily, it is more important than ever to
take advantage of low cost social media marketing
134
.
Furthermore, 90 percent of small business marketers are
using social media, and of those 90 percent, 93 percent
rate social media tools as important
135
. Hibbett is
currently using social media outlets Facebook and Twitter,
and is currently seeking to hire social media jobs
136
. Social
commerce is also a huge market that Hibbett Sports has
yet to develop into. Social commerce sales should total
$9.2 billion by the end of 2012, and are expected to rise to $14.25 billion by the end of 2013
137
.
Lastly, 50.4 percent of Americans are reported using smartphones in 2012
138
. Smartphone
users are able to access websites and social media outlets easier and more often than they
were five years ago. This ease of use is likely to result in more online purchase and increased
social media usage.

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Suppliers
 High concentration
 High switching costs
 Unique suppliers
The third highest threat facing Hibbett Sports is
suppliers. Hibbett Sports relies on B2B transactions from
the companies whose products they are selling. The
result of this is extremely high switching costs. Hibbett
Sports chooses to sell the top brands in the industry. The
only way to reduce switching costs would be to carry
cheaper, lower quality brands. The cost of switching to
lower quality brands would be a large decrease in sales.
Because Hibbett is relient on the companies whose products they are selling, they are unable to
determine the costs in which they purchase the products. Instead, the costs are completely
dependent on the manufacturer. Hibbett Sports prides themselves on their long-standing
relationships with their vendors, but even they admit that a loss in key vendor support would
be detrimental to their business, financial condition, and results of operations
139
. This poses as
a risk for Hibbett because if they are unable to purchase the top name brands they will have to
settle for less qualified companies at the cost of reduced sales.
Growth Vector Matrix
Executive Summary
Considering the Growth Vector Analysis Matrix above, Hibbett Sporting Goods have
only a small group of options to consider going forward in order to continue to remain the
"Vendor of Choice"
140
for those in the region and motivate sales growth across all product lines
and improve market exposure and go beyond the current thoughts of what is the addressable
market. Hibbett Sporting Goods must apply most of its attention and its corporate energy into
the areas of new products; for example only, non-sport casual wear and diversification into
non-traditional markets; online. With the changes to social trends of fashion and new
technology in textiles and manufacturing, it is paramount that Hibbett remain diligent to this
new trend and technology and be the first to deliver this improved product to the retail market.
This diversification plays a major roll within this competitive landscape in order that Hibbett
Sporting Goods remain able to posture their product in the most effective manner as "Best in
Class"
141
. Product bundling should be considered to exploit the variety of sport and non-sport
offerings to the public. Hibbett already does a great job of being an active player in a small
target market and absolutely should continue to do so to keep consumers feeling personal and
close to the company. Hibbett Sporting Goods must continue to remain focused on customer
care by way of requiring all Hibbett Sporting Goods representatives having any direct contact
with the customer base, undergo a rigorous and continuous inter-personal training thereby
extending the Hibbett Sporting Goods Mission Statement onto the customer; "We are local and
personally committed to you"
142
.

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Legend: = High Importance = Medium Importance

Market/ Products
Current Products
 Athletic Apparel
 Athletic Equipment
 Footwear
New Products
 Create the ability for
consumers to customize
their products.
 Allow consumers to make
purchases with their mobile
devices with options such as
Near Field Communication.
 Adopt new brand names
that create products to
keep up with rising popular
trends.
Current Market
 Small regional
 High School >
Market Penetration
 Sponsorships of High
schools and local
community charities.
 Small market target allows
for a more personal feel for
the customers to relate.
Product Development
 Invest in mobile technology
software for consumers to
receive coupons and
discounts on mobile devices
as well as make purchases.
 Invest in patents for
“Organic” or “Recycled”
materials to be used in
packaging or products sold.
New Market
 Internet/ Social Media
 College <
Market Development
 Creation of a better
functioning website to
allow for online ordering
from the store.
 Stronger advertise to
become more recognizable
to a larger market.
Diversification
 Stand out in the consumers’
minds by offering better
customer service such as
extended warranties or
insurance on products.
 Stay present and even go
further in the community
through sponsorships and
charity giveaways and
rallies.

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Discussion
New Market New Products: Diversification
Hibbett needs to stand out from the competition to the consumers not only in their
current region but to the new markets such as the online community. Hibbett should stand out
from the competition by offering better services and warranty opportunities to attract and
keep consumer loyalty. Also the idea of product bundling should be a major part of the
business model because with this kind of offerings consumers will be able to get products
together for any event or occasion as one sale unit.
New Market Current Products: Market Development
As time goes continues to move forward and social and shopping trends continue to
advance into the online communities, Hibbett needs to be able to respond and keep up with
trends. Hibbett needs to create a usable shopping website that is able to process orders online
rather than just show what products they carry. As consumers become more inclined to shop
via the internet Hibbett will begin to fall behind to their competitors that have the online
shopping database.
Current Markets Current Products: Market Penetration
Hibbett currently is very successful by standing out in the community through
sponsorships of high schools and events throughout the year. This strategy needs to remain a
high priority because relating to their consumer base sets Hibbett apart from larger
competitors such as Dick’s Sporting Goods.

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