Dick's Sporting Goods 2011 Annual Report Download - page 28

2012, we employed 539 PGA and LPGA professionals in our Dick’s golf departments and our Golf
Galaxy stores. As of January 28, 2012, we also employed 573 bike mechanics to sell and service bicycles
and 386 certified fitness trainers who provide advice on the best fitness equipment for our customers.
All of our stores also provide support services such as golf club grip replacement, bicycle repair and
maintenance and home delivery and assembly of fitness equipment.
Interactive ‘‘Store-Within-A-Store’’. Our Dick’s Sporting Goods stores typically contain five separately
identifiable specialty departments. We seek to create a distinct look and feel for each ‘‘store-
within-a-store’’ department to heighten the customer’s interest in the products offered. A typical Dick’s
store has the following in-store specialty shops: (i) the Golf Pro Shop, which carries a full range of
products featuring major golf suppliers such as TaylorMade-adidas Golf, Callaway Golf, Titleist, Adams
Golf, FootJoy and Nike Golf as well as our exclusive brands, Walter Hagen, Maxfli, Nickent and
Slazenger. The Golf Pro Shop features a putting green, golf simulators and launch monitors as well as
video monitors featuring golf tournaments and instruction on the Golf Channel or other sources;
(ii) the Footwear Center, featuring hardwood floors, a track for testing athletic shoes and a bank of
video monitors playing sporting events; (iii) the Fitness Center, providing an extensive selection of
equipment for today’s most popular fitness activities, including a dedicated cycle shop designed to sell
and service bicycles, complete with a mechanics’ work area and equipment on the sales floor; (iv) the
Lodge for the hunting and fishing outdoorsman, designed to have the look of an authentic bait and
tackle shop; and (v) Team Sports, a seasonal sports area displaying sports equipment and athletic
apparel associated with specific seasonal sports, such as football, baseball, soccer and lacrosse. Our
stores provide interactive opportunities by allowing customers to test golf clubs in our indoor driving
range, shoot bows in our archery range, or run on our footwear track.
Our Golf Galaxy stores are designed to create an exciting and interactive shopping environment that
highlights our extensive product assortments and value-added services. Interactive areas, such as an
artificial bent grass putting green and golf simulators, add to the entertainment value of the shopping
experience. Our store design and equipment displays encourage customers to test our products before
making a purchase decision. Our highly visible service areas reinforce the expertise available from our
staff.
Exclusive Brand Offerings. We offer a wide variety of products on an exclusive basis under various
brands such as Maxfli, Field & Stream, Slazenger, Reebok, adidas baseball, K¨ oppen, Umbro, Walter
Hagen, Nickent, Fitness Gear, DBX, Tailgate Gear, Quest and Nishiki. Our exclusive brands and styles
offer exceptional value and quality to our customers at each price point and obtain higher gross
margins than we obtain on sales of comparable branded products. Our team designs and develops these
brands to offer our customers differentiated assortments from our competitors. We have invested in a
development and procurement staff that continually sources products targeted specifically to the needs
of a Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy consumer.
Merchandising
We offer a full range of sporting goods and active apparel at each price point in order to appeal to the
beginner, intermediate and enthusiast sports consumer. The merchandise we carry includes one or
more of the leading manufacturers in each category. Our objective is not only to carry leading brands,
but a full range of products within each brand, including premium items for the sports enthusiast. As
beginners and intermediates move to higher levels in their sports, we expect to be prepared to meet
their needs.
We believe that the range of the merchandise we offer, particularly for the enthusiast sports consumer,
distinguishes us from other large format sporting goods stores. We also believe that the range of
merchandise we offer allows us to compete effectively against all of our competitors, from traditional
independent sporting goods stores and specialty shops to other large format sporting goods stores and
mass merchant discount retailers.
6 Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc. 2011 Annual Report