Academy Sports + Outdoors, a leading full-line sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer, is excited to announce it has surpassed 300 stores after opening its first locations in York, Pa., Harrisburg, Pa., and Hagerstown, Md. These stores also mark Academy's first locations in Pennsylvania and Maryland, increasing the retailer's footprint to 21 states.
In addition, Academy opened a new store in Kansas City, Mo. in March, and will open another new location in Charlotte, N.C. in April. The company plans to open a total of 20-25 new stores in its 2025 fiscal year. The five new stores are expected to bring about 300 total new jobs to their local communities.
As part of its commitment to making a positive impact and investing in these local communities, Academy is donating more than $40,000 to support over 350 children through local Boys & Girls Clubs in these five communities. NFL star and Harrisburg native, Micah Parsons, joined Academy at its Harrisburg, Pa. grand opening where he took 100 local kids on a shopping spree while Pittsburgh Panthers running back, Juelz Goff, took another 100 kids on a shopping spree at the York, Pa. store. Their involvement highlights the importance of community support and the role of local heroes in inspiring the next generation to have fun out there.
"Academy's continued new store expansion reinforces our commitment to helping more customers and communities have fun out there. With the opening of these five new stores, we're expanding access to the best apparel, footwear, sports and camping equipment," said Eric Friederich, senior vice president of retail operations at Academy Sports + Outdoors. "Opening our 300th store and growing into two more states are exciting milestones, and we look forward to continuing our growth into new markets and becoming the go-to destination for customers looking for a localized assortment with the top brands at the lowest prices."
2025 Q1 New Store Opening Locations
- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
- York, Pennsylvania
- Hagerstown, Maryland
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Charlotte, North Carolina
In 2023, Academy opened a total of 14 new stores across 6 different states. The following year, in 2024, Academy's expansion efforts resulted in opening 16 new stores across 10 different states, including its first locations in Ohio.
Every Academy store is a fun destination where families can find apparel, footwear, sports and camping equipment, hunting and fishing gear, outdoor cooking, and more from top national brands at an everyday value. Academy also offers free services such as grill and bike assembly, scope mounting, bore sighting, line winding/spooling, and propane exchange. Hunting and fishing licenses are also available to purchase in stores.
Additionally, Academy offers tremendous value and quality through its exclusive, private label brands such as Magellan Outdoors, Freely, R.O.W., BCG, H2OX, Redfield, and Mosaic, which offer great choices for outdoor apparel and equipment, women's and men's apparel, workout attire, fishing equipment, hunting optics and accessories, and outdoor furniture, respectively.
Customers can find the best assortment of athletic and casual shoes, sports and outdoors equipment, and clothing from top national brands such as Nike, adidas, L.L.Bean, Carhartt, YETI, Stanley, Marucci, Titleist, Shimano, Brooks, Blackstone, Owala and more, in-store, online, and through the Academy mobile app.