"Setting a goal is not the main thing," NFL Hall of Fame Coach Tom Landry
once said. "It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with
that plan." That's just as true for sporting goods retailers like Dick's
Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS ) and Hibbett Sports (NASDAQ: HIBB ) as it is for
championship sports teams. Sporting goods retailers are cyclical stocks in a
weak economy, consumers are less likely to spend money on treadmills and
high-end golf clubs. Although sales at sporting goods stores rose 7.2% in
September, persistently high unemployment and other woes make that trend
unlikely to last. For major retailers like DKS and HIBB, the keys to riding out
the storm will depend on the strength of their business strategies and how
efficiently they can execute those plans. Here's how Dick's and Hibbett
stack up: Business Model Dick's: The DKS business model is like that of a
big-box retailer. Most of the company's 455 stores in the U.S. are in
mid-sized and large markets, and stores average 50,000 square feet. Dick's 81
Golf Galaxy stores average 15,000 feet. The company hopes to expand its store
network and e-commerce channel, while driving margin growth through inventory
management, private-brand sales, leveraging vendor relationships and
"regionalization" getting the right products to the right stores to boost
sales and reduce the need for clearance. DKS' success is based on the
"disciplined execution" of its strategy. When the company saw the economy
turn south back in 2008, it shifted its focus from earnings to liquidity. The
company cut inventory and expenses (including reducing store hours) and accessed
$90 million of its $100 million credit line to rise out the storm. Hibbett
Sports : The HIBB business model is more of a boutique approach: Its 802 stores
average 5,000 feet and generally are located in malls that often are anchored by
a Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT ) store. Hibbett focuses on small and mid-sized markets in
the Sun Belt, Mid-Atlantic and lower Midwest. The company hopes to leverage its
small-market strategy to open between 350 and 375 additional stores in the
future. HIBB's keys to success are in deployment of sophisticated information
systems to aggressively control inventory and costs, as well as a rigorous sales
training program to boost product knowledge and sales skills. Recent Earnings
Dick's : DKS last reported earnings Aug. 16; the company's second-quarter
net income rose 43.3% to $78.8 million (59 cents per share), up from $51.5
million (43 cents per share) in the second quarter of 2010. Revenue grew by 6.6%
to $1.31 billion, slightly lower than Wall Street expected. Despite the slowdown
in sales, Dick's same-store sales rose by 3% in June and July. The company
continues to grow its margins, which rose 1.3% in the quarter to 30.7%. DKS will
next report earnings Nov. 14. Hibbett: HIBB last reported earnings Aug. 19: the
company's second-quarter earnings rose 48% to $5.9 million (21 cents per
share), compared to $4 million (14 cents per share) for the same quarter last
year. Revenue jumped more than 9% to $151.9 million, beating analysts'
estimates of $151.9 million; same-store sales increased by 5.9%. HIBB grew its
gross margins by a little more than 1% in the quarter to 33.07%. HIBB will next
report earnings Nov. 21.
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