Eye on Retail: Dick’s doubles down on experiential
Dick’s Sporting Goods is bringing its immersive store concept to Minnesota.
The country’s largest sporting goods retailer will open a Dick’s House of Sport store in Minnetonka, Minn., in May. Dick’s unveiled the concept, last April, opening a 100,000-sq.-ft. store at Eastview Mall, in the Rochester suburb of Victor, N.Y. It was followed by a second location, in Knoxville, Tenn.
House of Sport Minnetonka will feature the concept’s signature element: an outdoor turf field and running track that is attached to the store. The 20,000-sq.-ft. area will open later this year and will host open play, fitness and sports clinics, as well as practices for athletes of all ages. In the winter months, the field will convert to an ice skating rink and offer open skate, skating lessons, stick and puck drills, and games.
Other signature attractions will include a 35 ft. rock climbing wall; tech-enhanced batting cage for baseball and softball and high-tech golf hitting bays and putting green. Additional features include a hockey shop, a House of Cleats that will seasonally rotate product and a health and wellness center where customers can find products and advice focused on recovery and well-being.
A service area will be dedicated to sharpening hockey skates, breaking in gloves, stringing lacrosse sticks, building and repairing bikes and more. The store will also offer community programming such as sport clinics, rock climbing, summer camps, yoga classes and birthday parties.
The merchandise assortment will include the latest gear for team sports, a vast selection of footwear, best-in-class athletic apparel brands, and top-of-the-line equipment and apparel for outdoor activities and golf. The store will offer elevated in-store services with employees who are passionate about helping customers while showcasing their love for sport, the retailer said.
House of Sport is one of two new concepts opened by Dick’s during the past year. In September, the company opened the outdoor- and conservation-focused Public Lands, in the Pittsburgh suburb of Cranberry Township.
Dick’s Sporting Goods operates more than 850 namesake stores, Golf Galaxy, Field & Stream, Public Lands, Going Going Gone! and Warehouse Sale stores. It also owns and operates Dick’s House of Sport and Golf Galaxy Performance Center, as well as GameChanger, a youth sports mobile app for scheduling, communications, live scorekeeping and video streaming.