Sports Life is a sporting goods retailer based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Sporting Life sells footwear, clothing, and equipment to serve runners, cyclers, skiers, snowboarders, and pedestrians.
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Sporting Life is well known for its large stock of outerwear, fur, coats, and jackets, often considered the "luxury Ontario sporting goods store (and $ 2,300 park emporium)" and "Holt Renfew of the sporting world". This is one of several Canadian retailers to carry expensive labels such as Arc'teryx, Canada Goose, Marmot, Moncler, The North Face, Patagonia, and Salomon. The choice of outerwear is often considered "sporty chic" while incorporating high performance technologies such as Gore-Tex and/or premium goose; Sporting Life is one of Canada's first North American retailers in Canada, which recently also sold in Holt Renfrew and Harry Rosen. [2] [3] Sporting Life customers tend to be more classy and enthusiastic, in contrast to other domestic sporting goods retailer, Sport Chek, which serves a more casual audience and is also common in shopping malls and Canadian malls. Sporting Life's annual sales in 2011 were $ 100 million, less than a tenth of the Sport Chek parent, Forzani Group. Co-founder David Russell suggested that Sport Chek and Sporting Life were not direct competitors, saying "Usually, our price points take over where they end." [4]
Due to its small location and unique premium product selection, Sporting Life has been regarded as a destination shop in Toronto for decades. In its flagship store, the parking lot is reportedly full on weekends despite having a parking attendant and frequent traffic jams on Yonge Street south of Lawrence. [5] It was very popular during Boxing Day and Black Friday, with a large lineup of customers waiting to get in, since brands like The North Face are often flagged down 50%, although this promotion does not apply to Canada Goose. The Sporting Life is also known for sponsoring a 10K Sporting Life run that starts at its flagship store and takes the Yonge Street route; 2013 edition was sold out with 27,000 participants collecting $ 2.2 million. [6]
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History
Founded in 1979 as a private company by David and Patti Russell (husband and wife), and Brian McGrath. The three co-founders are ski enthusiasts in private clubs and are actively involved in the selection of merchandise, with Mr Russell becoming a sports equipment, Ms. Russell with fashion; and Mr. McGrath focused on footwear. In 2011, there were 270 full time staff and a total of 600 employees. Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited bought a 75% stake in the company at the end of 2011, with the founders retaining the remaining balance of the shares.
Sporting Life originally had four locations until their 2014 expansion. Their flagship store is located at 2665 Yonge Street, just south of Lawrence Avenue, and has an area of ​​36,000 square feet over two floors, which was recently expanded in 2011. Location 2545 Yonge Street they only sell bikes and snowboards instead of clothing. They also have an anchor space of 42,000 square feet at the Sherway Gardens, which are transferred to the new wing in 2015 as part of the mall's renovation, while the original location will be replaced by Nordstrom by 2017. There are also 10,000 square-foot locations in Collingwood, located near Blue Mountain, which originally was their only shop outside Toronto.
In 2008, Sporting Life launched its e-commerce website.
Expansion
The founders of Sporting Life sold 75% of the shares to Fairfax at the end of 2011 to fund retailer expansion. The plan is to open two stores a year, with locations recommended in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Montreal, each store in the range of 30,000-50,000 square feet.
Location fifth and sixth Sporting Life opened in 2014, the first time in 14 years they opened a new store. Sporting Life has purchased Tommy & amp; Lefebvre on June 25, 2013, and move their staff from the location of Bank Street move to their new store in Lansdowne Park which was reconstructed in October 2014. Another Sports Life opened in newly renovated Markville in September 2014, replacing Sport Chek.
Sporting Life opened their sixth store at Hillcrest Mall in the spring of 2016, at The Bay's "Men and House" storefront; after The Bay consolidated its two separate split locations into a newly expanded central space. In 2017, two more stores are scheduled to open; one at the Yorkdale Shopping Center in the space previously occupied by Sears Canada, and others at the CF Market Mall.
Sports Life 10K
The 10k Sporting Life is the 10K annual run event at Yonge Street in Toronto, which has been taking place every May since 2003. The money earned from Sporting Life 10K is used for the funding of Oochigeas Camp - a season camp volunteer run heat to provide the experience of enriching childhood cancer victims.
27,000 people participated in 2013.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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