Dick’s to Acquire Moosejaw From Walmart to Bolster Outdoor Portfolio
Dick’s Sporting Goods is adding to its outdoor footprint.
The country’s largest sporting goods retailer on Wednesday made a deal to acquire Moosejaw, an e-commerce platform for outdoor brands, from Walmart. Terms were not disclosed but the deal is expected to close in March.
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The acquisition will allow Dick’s to further expand its reach in the lucrative $40 billion outdoor industry, joining its Public Lands concept launched last year.
Moosejaw, which was founded in 1992, was purchased by Walmart in 2017 for $51 million when Marc Lore was with the mass retailer and working to expand its e-commerce footprint. That was the same year Walmart purchased Bonobos. Since then, the retailer has incorporated several of those purchases into its main business, including Jet.com and Bonobos, and sold others, including ModCloth.
In addition to its “highly successful e-commerce platform,” Moosejaw operates 12 brick-and-mortar stores in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan and Missouri.
“We admire what Moosejaw has accomplished over the past 30 years as leaders in the outdoor industry and look forward to the opportunity to share insights and learn from one another,” said Todd Spaletto, president of Public Lands and senior vice president of Dick’s. “We believe there’s potential to grow the Moosejaw business and provide compelling experiences and an expanded product assortment to its millions of loyal customers.”
According to a Walmart spokesperson: “Moosejaw joined the Walmart family to expand our assortment and expertise in the specialty outdoor category, and make Moosejaw accessible to more customers. Since acquiring Moosejaw, Walmart.com has grown from 70 million to hundreds of millions of items. While Moosejaw operated as a stand-alone business, it was able to leverage Walmart’s scale and customer reach to propel the Moosejaw Madness. We’re excited about this new opportunity for Moosejaw to reach even more athletes and outdoor enthusiasts in its mission to make the outdoors more inclusive.”
The company deferred to Dick’s on any further comment and Dick’s declined to comment because the deal has not yet closed.
Dick’s created Public Lands in 2021 with a mission to “celebrate and protect public lands for all,” the company said. The brand now operates seven retail locations and also has what Dick’s characterized as a “thriving e-commerce presence.”
Spaletto, who boasts more than two decades of experience in the outdoor industry, holding high-level jobs at The North Face, Wolverine World Wide and Jansport, joined Dick’s in 2020 to spearhead the launch of Public Lands. The first store opened in Dick’s’ hometown of Pittsburgh in the fall of 2021, was 50,000 square feet and featured 30-foot-tall rock-climbing walls as well as shops dedicated to a variety of outdoor activities, including biking, camping, fishing, paddling, skiing, climbing, running and hiking. The stores also donate 1 percent of all sales to local and national conservation efforts.
Once the acquisition closes next month, Moosejaw’s chief executive officer Eoin Comerford will report to Spaletto.
Dick’s operates some 850 total stores and also owns Golf Galaxy and House of Sport.
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