Dick's Sporting Goods to Build Distribution Center in Goodyear, Ariz., Scheduled to Open in Early 2013

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. (NYSE: DKS), the leading U.S. based full-line sporting goods retailer, today announced its plans to construct a distribution center in Goodyear, Ariz., that will service the western United States and is expected to bring approximately 120 jobs to the area when business opens in early 2013.

The distribution center will be designed to ultimately support approximately 160 stores as Dick's Sporting Goods grows its store base in the western United States over the next 5-10 years and is eventually expected to employ up to 300 associates.

Spanning 600,000-square feet and stretching across more than 50 acres, the Goodyear operation will reside at 4651 N. Cotton Lane at the confluence of Interstate 10 and Loop 303 as an anchor tenant in the master planned 1,600-acre PV303 business park.

"We are extremely pleased to announce our plan to build and open a distribution center in the City of Goodyear, Ariz., and further our commitment to the overall strategic growth of the organization," said Lee Belitsky, Senior Vice President at Dick's Sporting Goods. "This distribution center, our fourth nationally, is a positive step in the expansion of the Dick's Sporting Goods footprint in the western United States. We're excited to establish deep roots in the greater Goodyear community and help play an important role in the active daily lives of the people who live, work and visit here."

After exploring several location options in the western United States, Arizona and the City of Goodyear was chosen by Dick's Sporting Goods for the business friendly environment, the quality and reliability of the workforce, and the support of Mayor Georgia Lord and the Goodyear City Council.

"A perfect fit for our Palm Valley 303 business park and its foreign trade zone, Dick's west coast distribution center will not only generate jobs to help pay mortgages in Goodyear households but will also be a development catalyst by bringing needed infrastructure to the area," said Goodyear Mayor Georgia Lord. "We recognized from the outset that Dick's Sporting Goods would be a quality company to have in our corporate family and we welcome them into our community."

Construction on the approximately $40 million distribution center is scheduled to commence in December 2011 and conclude early in the first quarter of 2013. The building phase is expected to bring more than 375 temporary construction jobs to the area. An additional $18-20 million in capital investment in technology and automation equipment is expected to be injected into the project's development prior to opening.

Additionally, Dick's Sporting Goods is pursuing LEED certification for the facility with plans to incorporate sustainable components such as high efficiency lighting and HVAC, recycled and environmentally-friendly construction materials, energy management systems and recycling programs for corrugate and plastics.

Kris Bjorson of Chicago-based Jones Lang LaSalle was the lead broker on the deal. Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Merit Partners, Inc. is serving as the development agent for Dick's Sporting Goods, while Butler Design Group of Phoenix is the project's lead architect. 

The general contracting is being managed by Renaissance Companies of Scottsdale and Atlanta area-based Johnson Stephens Consulting is the Material Handling Equipment and Operational design and engineering partner.

Dick's Sporting Goods currently has six stores in Arizona, including Gilbert, Glendale, Mesa, Phoenix, Tempe and Oro Valley, outside of Tucson.

About Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc.
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. is an authentic full-line sporting goods retailer offering a broad assortment of brand name sporting goods equipment, apparel and footwear in a specialty store environment. The Company also owns and operates Golf Galaxy, LLC, a golf specialty retailer. As of October 31, 2011, the Company operated 474 Dick's Sporting Goods stores in 42 states, 81 Golf Galaxy stores in 30 states and e-commerce web sites and catalog operations for both Dick's Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy. Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. news releases are available at www.dickssportinggoods.com/investors. The Company's website is not part of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements Involving Known and Unknown Risks and Uncertainties

Except for historical information contained herein, the statements in this release or otherwise made by our management in connection with the subject matter of this release are forward-looking statements (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) and involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various important factors, many of which may be beyond our control. Our future performance and financial results may differ materially from those included in any such forward-looking statements and such forward-looking statements should not be relied upon by investors as a prediction of actual results. You can identify these statements as those that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future results, performance or advancements and by forward-looking words such as "believe", "anticipate", "expect", "estimate", "predict", "intend", "plan", "project", "goal", "will", "will be", "will continue", "will result", "could", "may", "might" or other words with similar meanings. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements about our future expectations regarding growth, revenues, earnings, profitability, dividends, spending, margins, costs, liquidity, store openings and operations, inventory, private brand products, our actions, plans or strategies.

The following factors, among others, in some cases have affected and in the future could affect our financial performance and actual results, and could cause actual results for fiscal 2011 and beyond to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements included in this release or otherwise made by our management: continuation of the ongoing economic and financial downturn and other changes in macroeconomic factors or market conditions that impact consumer spending; changes in the general economic and business conditions and in the specialty retail or sporting goods industry in particular; fluctuations in our quarterly operating results or same store sales; volatility in our stock price; our ability to access adequate capital; competition in the sporting goods industry; limitations on the availability of attractive store locations; inability to manage our growth, open new stores on a timely basis or expand successfully in new and existing markets; changes in consumer demand; unauthorized disclosure of sensitive, personal or confidential information; disruptions in our or our vendors' supply chains; factors affecting our vendors, including potential increases in the costs of products, their ability to maintain their inventory and production levels and their ability or willingness to provide us with sufficient quantities of products at acceptable prices; factors that could negatively affect our private brand offerings; risks and costs relating to product liability claims, product recalls and the regulation of and other hazards associated with certain products we sell; the loss of our key executives; costs and risks associated with increased or changing laws and regulations affecting our business; our ability to secure and protect our intellectual property; risks relating to operating as a multi-channel retailer, including the impact of rapid technological change, internet security and privacy issues and the threat of systems failure or inadequacy; problems with our current management information systems or software; disruption at our distribution facilities; the seasonality of our business; regional risks because our stores are generally concentrated in the eastern half of the United States; costs and risks related to litigation or other claims against us; costs and uncertainties associated with pursuing strategic acquisitions; our ability to meet our labor needs; currency exchange rate fluctuations; risks associated with our Chief Executive Officer and his relatives' controlling interest in the Company; the impact of foreign instability and conflict; our anti-takeover provisions, which could prevent or delay a change in control of the Company; impairment in the carrying value of goodwill or other acquired intangibles; and our current intention to issue quarterly cash dividends.

Known and unknown risks and uncertainties are more fully described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 29, 2011 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on March 18, 2011 and in other reports filed with the SEC.  In addition, we operate in a highly competitive and rapidly changing environment; therefore, new risk factors can arise, and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors, nor to assess the impact of all such risk factors on our business or the extent to which any individual risk factor, or combination of risk factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. We do not assume any obligation and do not intend to update any forward-looking statements except as may be required by the securities laws.

Contacts:
Matt Ciesluk
Catalyst Public Relations
O. (704) 644-6555 / C: 704-301-1280
[email protected]

SOURCE Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc.