Dick’s Sporting Goods is hitting its stride.
In an industry that’s had some major strike outs recently — TheStreet has covered closures at Big 5 Sporting Goods and Sportsman’s Warehouse in the past several weeks — Dick’s is batting .400.
According to new data from Placer.ai, foot traffic visits to the retailer have grown by 0.2% overall, and 1.2% same-store when compared to the same period last year. The numbers also mark a huge jump from December 2025, when overall traffic was down by 5.7% and same-store visits had dropped by 4.6%.
These metrics should put a spring in the step of Dick’s investors. In Q3 2025, a three month span that saw foot traffic consistently declining, the company managed to return good results. Now, as visit numbers are growing, analysts are hopeful things will continue to improve.
“Our momentum in the Dick’s business remains strong,” Chairman Ed Stack said on an investor call in November. It seems as though that momentum hasn’t been accidental.
The Dick’s Sporting Goods playbook
In its efforts to drive up foot traffic, Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS) has done two major things right.
First, it’s focused on expanding its House of Sport and Fieldhouse locations.
The first House of Sport location opened back in 2021. Dick’s said these new stores were intended to “explore the future of retail through multi-sport experiences inside and outside the store, broad integration with the community, elevated customer…and enhanced technology for ease of connection with the brand.”
At the end of Q3 2025, there were 35 House of Sport locations nationwide, all of which include interactive elements like large turf fields, rock walls, batting cages, and putting greens, as well as specialty gear hubs. These exclusive amenities transformed Dick’s stores into destinations.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Fieldhouse stores are similar in concept, but tend to have a smaller square footage. At the end of Q3, there were 42 Fieldhouse locations across the United States.
“These innovative formats are delivering powerful financial results, deepening engagement with our athletes, brand partners, and landlords, and laying the foundation for long-term profitable growth for the Dick’s business,” then-CEO Lauren Hobart said on the investor call.
Related: 38-year-old Dick’s Sporting Goods rival closing stores
The second thing Dick’s Sporting Goods has done right is leverage its app.
During the first week of March, Dick’s mobile app ranked third in the Apple App Store, just below Claude and OpenAI, Inc. reported.
During the Q3 call, Hobart told investors the company was “really leaning into our app experience, including app-exclusive reservations.” The app also has a move application, where users can earn exclusive discounts for every 10,000 steps or half-hour of physical activity logged via a fitness tracker.
One X user characterized these hidden perks as “basically getting free money for being active.”
The Foot Locker factor
Another element impacting Dick’s success is its acquisition of Foot Locker.
In September 2005, Dick’s Sporting Goods completed its purchase of the sports footwear apparel retailer. The merger expanded Dick’s footprint to 3,200 stores.
“Completing this acquisition on September 8 marks a bold and transformative moment for Dick’s,” chairman Ed Stack said during an investor call. “This powerful combination will allow us to serve a broader consumer base, deepen our partnerships with the world’s leading sports brands, and significantly expand our total addressable market.”
Related: 54-year-old Dick’s Sporting Goods rival closing, no bankruptcy
However, the acquisition did not come without its challenges. Some Covid-era missteps put the brand deeply in debt and left it with an abundance of undesirable inventory.
“As a result, we expect Q4 margin rates for the Foot Locker business to be down between 1,000 and 1,500 basis points, with proforma Q4 comp sales being down mid to high single digits,” Stack said back in November.
Foot Locker and House of Sports aren’t the only Dick’s subsidiaries that will have an impact on the company’s Q4 earnings. In all, the company has more than a dozen other retailers, manufacturers, and technology companies in its portfolio, including:
- Champs Sports
- Golf Galaxy
- Public Lands
- GameChanger
- A.D. Starr
Source: Dick’s Sporting Goods
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