Thanks for Visiting!

Register for free to get the full story.

Sign Up
Already have a Placer.ai account? Log In

Catching Up With DICK’s & Hibbett

by 
Bracha Arnold
 on 
March 2, 2023
Catching Up With DICK’s & Hibbett

The sportswear and sporting goods market experienced a boost during the early stages of the pandemic as fitness moved offline and people stocked up on home equipment. And though offline fitness has rebounded following its COVID-induced slump, the sports retail segment continues to grow. With 2023 already underway, we look at the changes in visits to two of the biggest names in the segment – DICK's Sporting Goods and Hibbett Sports – to see how these brands performed in 2022 and what we should expect from the category this year.

Pre-Pandemic Gains Remain

Despite the downturn in discretionary spending last year, both DICK's Sporting Goods (DICK's) and Hibbett Sports (Hibbett) managed to hold on to their pandemic gains and maintain positive year-over-three-year (Yo3Y) quarterly visit trends every quarter of 2022. Q1 and Q2 2022  visits to DICK's were up 4.0% and 0.8% relative to 2019, and visits to Hibbett outperformed by 25.3% and 28.0%, respectively, for the same period. 

The two chains’ emphasis on expansion over the past few years has likely contributed to their consistently outperforming foot traffic. DICK's has also been leaning into partnerships, teaming up with brands like Peloton and Stanley to bring a wider customer base into their stores. The company’s recent purchase of Moosejaw is also a testament to its commitment to expanding the DICK’s brand ecosystem.

Year-Over-Year Visits: Getting the Ball Rolling

2021 was a strong year for both chains, with foot traffic to DICK's and Hibbett consistently outpacing 2019 visits – and this strength is critical when analyzing year-over-year (YoY) comparisons. Hibbett saw positive foot traffic growth in three out of the year's four quarters, with Q4 seeing a year-over-year (YoY) decline of 1.8%. And while DICK's saw its foot traffic down, much of this can be related to shifts in group size and shopping patterns, and even with those, by Q4 2022 gaps had narrowed just 2.8% compared to the previous year's visits. 

It’s important to keep in mind that the two chains target different audiences. Hibbett positions itself as the go-to sporting goods retailer for smaller communities with fewer retail options nearby, and DICK's has been concentrating on expanding its brand ecosystem, which includes Field & Stream, Public Lands, and Golf Galaxy, while also prioritizing omnichannel services and strategic partnerships.

Loyalty is The Name of the Game

Of the two brands, DICK’s is by far the bigger company with a significantly larger visit share – but competition in the category is growing, and Hibbett’s recent growth means that the space is getting crowded. And although both companies have active loyalty programs – foot traffic data indicates that Hibbett is making significant strides not just in growing its overall visit numbers, but also in increasing its share of returning visitors. While DICK's still leads the loyalty pack, Hibbett is nipping on its heels, with its rate of returning visitors rising as DICK's returning visitors are on the decline. In 2019, 84.2% of DICK's visitors visited a DICK’s store at least twice, in comparison with Hibbett which saw just a 61.3% share of return visitors for Hibbett. By 2022, those numbers had declined by 3.4 percentage points for DICK's while increasing by 6.5 percentage points for Hibbett.

Weekly Visits Showing More Variance 

Despite the overall positive trends for both companies, inflation is still making its impact felt on this discretionary segment. Weekly visits into 2023 showed quite a bit of variance YoY, with DICK's seeing foot traffic declines six out of the seven weeks analyzed, while Hibbett’s visits declined for two weeks. However, January and February tend to be slower seasons for sporting goods retailers, and visits should likely begin picking up again in March. 

Final Thoughts

The past few years have been tumultuous for all retail categories. Yet, chains like Hibbett and DICK’s prove that strategic expansions, partnerships, and consumer loyalty can provide visit boosts in challenging times.

For more data-driven retail insights, visit placer.ai/blog.

Get 3 brand & industry
breakdowns every week

Subscribe to the newsletter

Great! Prepare your inbox for data-driven insights...
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Get a Demo

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please provide a valid email
Please enter your email
Please enter company name

Thanks for reaching out!

One of our experts will be in touch soon

Try Placer.ai Free
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
It’s Showtime! Movie Theaters in the Spotlight
5 Limited Time Offers (LTOs) Driving Restaurant Traffic
Department Store Deep-Dive: Belk
Regional Grocery Chains Staying Ahead of the Competition
Five Chains that Rightsized for Success
Unlocking the Potential of Offline Retail Media Networks
Dining Out With Darden
What’s in Store for Self-Storage?
Nike + lululemon Update: Strong Performance Amid Expansion Plans
Many Ways to Win: Midwest Grocery Deep Dive
Retail, Reinvented: The Rise of the Pop-Up Shop
Navigating a New Normal in Business Travel & Commutes
Placer.ai Office Index: February 2023 Recap
Retail Categories Staying Strong in Volatile Environment
Ulta Beauty: Poised for Success into 2023
Placer.ai Mall Index February 2023: Reasons for Continued Optimism
Catching Up With DICK’s & Hibbett
The Miami-Dade Arena: An Advertising Slam Dunk
Car Washes Revving Up Visits
Tuesday Morning and Sunrises in Home Furnishing
Dining & Valentine’s Day Recap
2023: The Year of the Discount Store
Aldi’s Success Highlights Growing Demand for Value Groceries
5 Retail & Service Categories Holding onto Pandemic Gains in 2023
Visitor Insights from Super Bowl 2023
2023 First Look: Home Improvement Update
How Are Target, Walmart, and Wholesale Clubs Faring in 2023?
Department Store Deep-Dive: Nordstrom
Off-Price: Taking Off in Uncertain Times
Checking in On Middle-Class Hubs
Who Attends the Super Bowl?
Placer.ai Office Index: January 2023 Recap
Focusing On Fitness: Q4 and January Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: January 2023 – Returning Mall Normalcy?
Location Intelligence Insights Into Concert Attendance
Winning Dining Strategies for 2023
In-N-Out Burger: What to Expect as the Brand Moves East
Location Intelligence Breakdown: Coffee Caps-Off 2022
Digitally Native Brands Lean Into Brick & Mortar
Washington, D.C. Population Changes & Migration Trends
A Location Intelligence Perspective on Macy’s Rightsizing
Amazon-Powered Shopping: The Future of Brick-and-Mortar Grocery?
Cold Weather, Hot Visits: Diving into Winter Resorts
Wawa and 7-Eleven: Leaning Into the “Slurpee Effect”
2022 and Beyond: Catching Up With McDonald’s & Chipotle
Let’s Have Some Fun! Going Out Is In
Placer.ai’s Q4 2022 Quarterly Index
Placer.ai Adds Industry Executives to Leadership Team To Drive Company's Next Phase of Growth
5 Emerging Retail Formats: 2023’s Brick-and-Mortar Evolution
Grocery Update: Zooming in on the Lone Star State
2022 Office Recap: The Year of the TGIF Work Week
What Lies Ahead for Brick-and-Mortar Luxury in 2023
Placer.ai Mall Indexes: December 2022 Recap
Looking Back on 2022’s Holiday Shopping Season
Post-Pandemic Migration Trends in New York
Top Retailers for 2023
The Live Sports Advertising Opportunity
Domestic Migration to the Mountain States: Small Shifts with Big Implications
New Year, New Food: 5 Dining Trends For 2023
Announcing Placer.ai’s COVID RECOVERY DASHBOARD
This is Why Shop-in-Shops Are Everywhere
Super Saturday 2022 Recap
The San Francisco Shift
Grocery Year-End Update: Publix in the Spotlight
Three Ways Retailers Can Think Small to Increase Store Impact
Offline Beauty Is on an Upswing
The Evolving Migration Patterns of New York’s Florida Snowbirds
Placer.ai Office Index: November 2022 Recap
How Viral Social Media Trends Can Drive Offline Engagement
Are You Ready for Some Football? Experiential Marketing Shows Promise
Mall and Shopping Center Trends For 2023
Retail Corridors and Indoor Malls: A Holiday Head-to-Head
Placer Bytes: Nike, lululemon, and GameStop Update
Placer.ai Mall Indexes: November 2022 Update
Black Friday 2022: Consumers Hear the Call
Digitally Native Brands: Taking Off, Offline
Discount and Dollar Stores Leading the Pack
Turkey Wednesday 2022
Retail’s Evolving Holiday Season
Placer Bytes: Starbucks and Department Stores Ahead of Black Friday
Ulta: A Force to be Reckoned With
College Towns Drive Dining Growth
Foot Traffic Trends Reveal Consumers Ready for Holiday Cheer
How Retailers Can Win Big By Going Small
How Are Consumers Feeling Ahead of Black Friday 2022?
Off-Price, Hibbett, and Dick’s Pre-Holiday Check-in
Ho, Ho, Wholesale: Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s
October 2022’s Retail Rebound
Target and Walmart Ahead of the Holidays
Home Improvement: Leave it to the Pros
Despite Inflation, Holiday Season is Off to a Good Start
Placer.ai Office Index: October 2022 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Indexes- October 2022 Update
Americans Double Down on Fitness
The State of Grocery
CVS and Walgreens: The Wave Continues
Coffee Chains Brewing Up Visits
Placer.ai Spotlight: Pizza Players
What Drove COVID-Era Urban Migration Trends?
Kroger and Albertsons: A Merging of Strengths