Fast-growing sporting goods retailer Hibbett Sports has selected Kutztown’s Village Square Shopping Center on Constitution Boulevard for its next store.
Birmingham, Ala.-based Hibbett has more than 1,000 stores in 31 states, preferring small- to mid-sized markets. The store will be Hibbett’s seventh in Pennylvania.
“Unless something unforeseen happens, we should open right around Aug. 29,” said Dan Wilbourn, the company’s leasing representative for the mid-Atlantic region.
Wilbourn said the store will employ about 10 full- and part-time workers.
On Wednesday, Hibbett manager Shaina Wise was outside the store at a table taking employment applications while construction workers remodeled the store’s interior.
Wise said she’s also met people involved in field hockey and soccer who have welcomed the store to the town.
The company touts its focus on local teams and leagues, with a variety of services to meet the needs of coaches and players.
Wise said she moved two weeks ago to Berks County from North Carolina so she could lead the store opening.
On Wednesday, John Scott, a representative from nearby Santander Bank branch, also greeted Wise.
Scott said the store has been vacant for about five years after a video rental store closed.
Hibbett joins CVS, Fresenius dialysis center, a state wine and spirits shop, H&R Block, Dollar Tree and Quality Shoppe in the strip mall.
Hibbett is the only sporting goods chain committed to serving small- and mid-size markets. The company said the focus on smaller markets has proved sucessful.
Hibbett is a publicly traded company with annual net sales of $913.5 million in 2015 and $852 million in 2014, according to its website.
Hibbett operates Hibbett Sports stores and Sports Additions athletic shoe stores. The company’s primary store format is a 5,000-square-foot store located in strip centers and enclosed malls, according to its website.
Hibbett Sports touts its large selection of quality branded athletic equipment, footwear and apparel, with a focus on knowledgeable, friendly customer service and providing customers with information they can’t always get at other stores that sell sporting goods.
Contact Lisa Scheid: 610-371-5049 or lscheid@readingeagle.com.
