Via USA Today:
Sports Authority, in planning to close all of its stores,is set to launch its going-out-of-business sales this week, according to court documents.
In shutting down, the 463-store chain becomes the latest casualty among rivals for the sporting-good business. It follows the recently announced closure of the Sport Chalet chain, based on the West Coast. While sporting goods and athletic wear sales are growing, traditional retailers like the two chains have been hurt by competition from online.
That’s two of the three options for sporting goods in my neighborhood that will soon be gone forever. The Sports Chalet news didn’t seem like as big of a deal, because it was a regional chain. My first thought upon hearing the news was, “At least Sports Authority is still open.” Oh well. I do prefer to shop online, but once in a while there were things I’d need in a hurry from a sporting goods store. Still, most of the non-grocery shopping for me and my daughter is done online, and this will probably be the new normal. The once venerable American shopping mall is in peril for the very same reason. Amazon is already upping its game in the delivery market, offering same day service to Prime members in many cities.
And they still aren’t paying any hyper-inflated urban commercial rent.
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