Sporting Life (retailer)

Clientele

Sporting Life is well known for its large stock of outerwear, fleece, coats, and jackets, often regarded as Ontario’s "luxury sporting goods store (and $2,300 parka emporium)" and the "Holt Renfew of the sporting world". It is one of the few Canadian retailers to carry expensive labels such as Arc'teryx, Canada Goose, Marmot, Moncler, The North Face, Patagonia, and Salomon. The outerwear selection is often considered "sporty chic" while incorporating high performance technologies such as Gore-Tex and/or premium goose down; Sporting Life was one of the first North American retailers of Canada Goose, which has only been recently also been sold at Holt Renfrew and Harry Rosen.[2][3] Sporting Life's clientele tends to be more upmarket and enthusiast, in contrast to another domestic sporting goods retailer, Sport Chek, which caters to a more casual audience as well being common in Canadian shopping plazas and malls. Sporting Life's annual sales in 2011 were $100 million, less than one tenth of Sport Chek's parent Forzani Group. Co-founder David Russell suggested that Sport Chek and Sporting Life were not direct competitors, saying “Typically, our price points take over where theirs end”.[4]

Due to its few locations and unique premium product selection, Sporting Life has been considered a destination shop in Toronto for decades. At its flagship store, the parking lot is reportedly full on weekends despite having a parking attendant and has often stalled traffic on Yonge Street south of Lawrence.[5] It is extremely popular during Boxing Day and Black Friday, with huge lineups of customers waiting to enter, as brands such as The North Face are often marked down by 50%, though these promotions do not extend to Canada Goose. The Sporting Life is also known for sponsoring the Sporting Life 10K run which starts at its flagship store and takes the route of Yonge Street; the 2013 edition sold out with 27,000 participants raising $2.2 million.[6]

History

It was founded in 1979 as a privately owned company by David and Patti Russell (husband and wife), and Brian McGrath. The three co-founders are enthusiast skiers at a private club and are actively involved in picking merchandise, with Mr. Russell into sports equipment, Ms. Russell on 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% share in the company in late 2011, with the founders retaining the remaining balance of 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 it contains 36,000 square feet over two stories, having been recently expanded in 2011. Their 2545 Yonge Street location only sells bikes and snowboards and not apparel. They also have a 42,0000-square-foot anchor space at Sherway Gardens, which relocated to a new wing in 2015 as part of that mall's renovation, while the original location will be replaced by Nordstrom in 2017. There is also a 10,000-square-foot location in Collingwood, situated near Blue Mountain, which was initially their only store outside Toronto.

In 2008, Sporting Life launched its e-commerce website.

Expansion

The co-founders of Sporting Life sold a 75% stake to Fairfax in late 2011 in order to fund the retailer's expansion. The plan was to open two stores a year, with suggested locations in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Montreal, each store being in the 30,000-50,000 square foot range.

Sporting Life's fifth and sixth locations opened in 2014, the first time in 14 years that they had opened a new store. Sporting Life had bought Ottawa-based Tommy & Lefebvre on June 25, 2013, and moved their staff from the Bank Street location moved to their new store at a reconstructed Lansdowne Park in October 2014. Another Sporting Life opened at the newly renovated Markville in September 2014, replacing a Sport Chek.

Sporting Life opened their sixth store at Hillcrest Mall in spring 2016, on the site of the former The Bay "Men's Store and Home" store; after The Bay had consolidated its two separate mall locations into a newly expanded central space. In 2017, two more stores are scheduled to open; one at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in the space previously occupied by Sears Canada, and another at CF Market Mall.

Sporting Life 10K

The Sporting Life 10K is an annual 10K running/walking event on Yonge Street in Toronto, that has taken place every May since 2003. Money raised from the Sporting Life 10K goes towards funding Camp Oochigeas – a volunteer run summer camp to provide enriching experiences to victims of childhood cancer.

27,000 people participated in 2013.