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This article was first published in our sister brand\u00a0<\/em>Shop Eat Surf Outdoor<\/p>\n Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods<\/strong>\u00a0Chairman\u00a0Ed Stack\u00a0pulled back the curtain on the\u00a0retail\u00a0giant\u2019s\u00a0recent\u00a0moves\u00a0in\u00a0a candid conversation with NRF\u00a0Chairman\u00a0and\u00a0BJ\u2019s Wholesale Club\u00a0Chairman\u00a0and CEO\u00a0Bob Eddy\u00a0at the opening session at\u00a0NRF 2026\u00a0at Javits Center\u00a0in New York City Sunday.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n From\u00a0expanding Dick\u2019s large scale,\u00a0experiential House of Sport concept to the calculated risk of\u00a0acquiring\u00a0Foot Locker\u00a0to cultivating a winning corporate culture, Stack detailed how a company that started as\u00a0his father\u2019s\u00a0bait and tackle shop in 1948 is positioning itself to dominate the global market.\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0road to building 150,000-square-foot\u00a0House of Sport\u00a0stores\u00a0began eight years ago, Stack said.\u00a0The goal was to design the store\u00a0of\u00a0the future. However, the\u00a0initial\u00a0attempt\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0pass the smell test. After building a prototype, the team realized it\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0distinctive enough from their existing operations. They scrapped it entirely and returned to the drawing board with a blank sheet of paper and a terrifying directive from Stack.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI briefed it and talked to the team and said, \u2018We need to build the concept that will kill Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods,\u2019\u201d\u00a0Stack said. \u201cIf somebody else built this store across the street from one of our traditional stores, we\u2019re out of business.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The result was an ecosystem centered on community,\u00a0service\u00a0and product\u00a0\u2014\u00a0featuring climbing walls, batting cages, and outdoor fields.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0gamble\u00a0has paid off. There are currently 35 House of Sport locations\u00a0operating, with plans to open another 15 in the coming year.\u00a0Looking\u00a0ahead\u00a0to 2028,\u00a0Dick\u2019s\u00a0aims to\u00a0operate\u00a0between 75 and 100 of these massive locations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n And while many retailers have struggled this year due to economic uncertainty, tariffs and other pressures, Dick\u2019s is delivering strong results. In\u00a0the\u00a0third\u00a0quarter\u00a0ended\u00a0Nov. 1,\u00a0comparable store sales grew\u00a05.7%, driven by increases in both customer transactions and average ticket size.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur shoppers are in pretty good shape,\u201d Stack said, adding that when kids need a larger size of soccer cleat, for example, their parents tend to provide them with what they need to play sports.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWith that being said, the consumer is a little bit more cautious today, and the consumer, at least, from what we\u2019ve seen, is looking for something that is innovative, different,\u00a0and\u00a0that they really feel will provide them\u00a0a value,\u201d Stack said.\u00a0Value\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0always a lower price either, he said. It could be products that make athletes feel like\u00a0they\u2019ll\u00a0play better, or it can come\u00a0from production innovation or marketing and storytelling, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSome of the products that are a couple years old, that haven\u2019t\u00a0changed,\u00a0they\u2019ve been difficult,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cYou need to\u00a0reinvent the products that you carry and show that value to the consumer.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Dick\u2019s organizational chart is\u00a0inverted from the conventional org.\u00a0chart that most companies\u00a0operate\u00a0on,\u00a0Stack said.\u00a0In this model, Stack and the executive team sit at the bottom,\u00a0and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0their job to ensure\u00a0that the associates above them\u00a0are supported\u00a0with everything they need to do\u00a0a good job,\u00a0ultimately serving\u00a0the \u201cathlete\u201d (customer) at the very top.\u00a0<\/p>\n Years ago, Stack commissioned an industrial psychologist to conduct a \u201cDNA study\u201d on the company\u2019s 50 most successful people to understand what made them tick. The findings\u00a0revealed that\u00a0all employees were highly competitive, but that their competitiveness was directed outward rather than inward, at their fellow employees.\u00a0<\/p>\n Stack\u00a0compared the team to\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0NFL legend Emmitt Smith. When Smith scored a touchdown, he simply handed the ball to the official and went back to the bench. He did his job without the need for excessive showboating.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAll they really want to do is win, and they don\u2019t care what position they play,\u201d Stack\u00a0said of the team at Dick\u2019s. This led to the creation of the internal Left Tackle Award. In football, the left tackle protects the quarterback\u2019s blind side\u00a0\u2014\u00a0a vital role that rarely gets the glory of a touchdown. Dick\u2019s uses this award to recognize the unsung heroes who do the critical work behind the scenes.\u00a0<\/p>\n To foster\u00a0a\u00a0collaborative environment, Stack implemented a specific rule for meetings: No one is allowed to say \u201cNo, because\u201d in response to an idea.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe made a rule in our company that whenever you\u2019re in a meeting\u00a0\u2026 the response has to be \u2018Yes, if,\u2019\u201d Stack said. Instead of shutting down an idea\u00a0immediately, the team must explore what conditions would make it possible. It shifts the mindset from obstruction to problem-solving, a critical\u00a0component\u00a0of their ability to pivot and innovate.\u00a0<\/p>\n The discussion also\u00a0touched on the\u00a0company\u2019s recent acquisition of\u00a0Foot Locker. Stack acknowledged that Foot Locker had fallen on \u201cdifficult times\u201d and lost its position as the premier specialty athletic footwear retailer.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The acquisition offers two primary benefits that Dick\u2019s could not achieve organically:\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf this was a house that we bought, we\u2019d refer to it as a fixer-upper,\u201d Stack said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The turnaround strategy for Foot Locker hinges on leadership. Stack and CEO Lauren Hobart spent weeks analyzing the existing structure, using a \u201cdepth chart\u201d exercise\u00a0similar to\u00a0a sports team roster. They\u00a0identified\u00a0gaps and recruited heavy hitters, including\u00a0Ann Freeman\u00a0from Nike, to lead the\u00a0team.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite the challenges inherent in a turnaround, Stack expressed no regrets, saying that his team had done a good\u00a0job on\u00a0due\u00a0diligence.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf we had a mulligan\u2026 we\u2019d do it all over again,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dick\u2019s\u00a0focus extends beyond the boardroom through its Sports Matter Foundation. The initiative was formalized in 2013 but is rooted in a childhood experience Stack had working in his father\u2019s store\u00a0as a child.\u00a0<\/p>\n He recounted a story of\u00a0his dad\u00a0catching a shoplifter who had stolen a baseball glove. Instead of calling the police\u00a0or scolding the kid, Stack\u2019s father asked the boy why he did it. \u201cI just want to play baseball,\u201d\u00a0the boy said,\u00a0through\u00a0tears.\u00a0Stack\u2019s father\u00a0let\u00a0the boy\u00a0pick out\u00a0a glove, a\u00a0bat\u00a0and a ball, and sent him on his way.\u00a0<\/p>\n That moment cemented a belief that sports are a crucial safety net for youth, Stack said. With budget cuts threatening high school sports programs across the country, the foundation has stepped in to impact over 3 million kids.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nGrowing\u00a0House of Sport<\/h3>\n
The \u2018Left Tackle\u2019 Culture: How Dick\u2019s Defines Winning<\/h3>\n
The Foot Locker \u2018Fixer-Upper\u2019<\/h3>\n
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Sports Matter: The Mission Beyond Commerce<\/h3>\n