Dick's Sporting Goods close to deal to open store in ex-Linens N Things in Pittsfield Township
Can the third time be the charm for Dick’s Sporting Goods and its efforts to locate a store in the Ann Arbor area?
The national chain is entering final negotiations for the former Linens N Things store on Lohr Road, landlord Tom Goldberg said.
“Hopefully this store will be open by the end of the year,” Goldberg said.
A typical Dick's Sporting Goods exterior shows the presence the sporting goods retailer tries to create in open air shopping centers like Waters Place.
From PREIT
Dick’s has shopped the Ann Arbor trade area for a store location for several years and it’s been close to building two stores in the past:
• The first was on Briarwood Circle on property owned by Briarwood Mall, where the company planned to build a 47,074 square foot store in early 2006.
• The second was on Lohr Road, where a self-storage business now sits. The chain filed site plans with Pittsfield Township in 2007 for this store, then received approvals in 2009.
Township officials said last spring that store officials had contacted them about moving that construction forward.
However, now the chain has targeted an existing big-box vacancy just to the south across Lohr, next to Borders and near both Kohl's and Best Buy.
Choosing to move into an existing building instead of pursuing construction makes fiscal sense, Goldberg said.
“The fastest way to get to the finish line is to take existing space,” he said.
The space is among the largest retail vacancies in Washtenaw County, yet it’s not quite large enough for the typical Dick’s store.
Goldberg said the chain — as part of the deal — will seek to expand the building’s footprint by adding additional space at the rear of the store.
Dick’s, based in Corapolis, Penn., employs about 10,200 at its 400-plus stores in 40 states, according to filings.
The company — worth $4.43 billion, based on its stock price of about $38 per share —posted $4.69 billion in annual revenue.
The store would mark the third recent full-line sporting goods store change in this market: MC Sports recently moved from Oak Valley Centre, also owned by Goldberg, to Briarwood Mall. Advantage Sports, an independent retailer, opened on West Stadium.
Meanwhile, while the deal to bring Dick’s to the Ann Arbor area “isn’t a done deal,” Goldberg said, “everyone is acting in a positive way to get it done.”
Paula Gardner is Business News Director of AnnArbor.com. Contact her at 734-623-2586 or by email. Sign up for the weekly Business Review newsletter, distributed every Thursday, here.
Comments
timjbd
Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 1:48 p.m.
Yet another big box mega-schlock mart selling Chinese-made crap. Just what everyone needs- another opportunity for Americans to ship their money overseas and support Chinese economic domination. Keeping all these stores in one place is a good idea, though. That way you can see which of your neighbors are responsible for the state of the Michigan economy. Don't forget to stop in at Olive Garden for lunch so you can watch THAT money fly out of state, too.
Kim Kachadoorian
Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 1:17 p.m.
Happy to see this. Will add a nice mix to the shopping center. Also happy as some pointed out that this will not be "building new" but instead using a space already available.
James
Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 3:15 a.m.
@jmac Mc sports is already open at briarwood...
Ricebrnr
Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 2:30 a.m.
Horrors yet another place to buy firearms in Ann Arbor. Yay!
Jim Pryce
Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 1:30 a.m.
Hopefully, Dick's works. A Hooters shouldn't be far behind. In all the other towns, Westland, Southgate, where there is Dick's Hooters is there too.
curly
Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 12:22 a.m.
Long overdue! Dick's has an amazing collection of high quality name brand products that the Ann Arbor area desperately needs. We welcome the additional jobs as well.
Ralph
Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 12:06 a.m.
Just what we need in the neighborhood - another category killer!
LauraM
Tue, Feb 8, 2011 : 11:47 p.m.
I hope all goes smoothly. I also agree - Dick's has much better things than Dunhams or MC.
hotsauce_gm
Tue, Feb 8, 2011 : 11:45 p.m.
Nice! DSG is a far superior sporting goods store compared to Dunhams....
a2phiggy
Tue, Feb 8, 2011 : 10:37 p.m.
So nice to see that existing real estate is being used instead of pursuing a new build. Dick's is heads & tails above either MC or Dunham's. Can't wait!
Paula Gardner
Tue, Feb 8, 2011 : 10:02 p.m.
Yikes! Link has been changed. Thank you.
Curious
Tue, Feb 8, 2011 : 10:02 p.m.
Sounds like a perfect location. Kohl's, Best Buy, Dicks Sporting Goods all in one place. Nice!
Susan Montgomery
Tue, Feb 8, 2011 : 9:57 p.m.
Umm... Your " on Lohr Road," link goes to somewhere in England...
Hunterjim
Tue, Feb 8, 2011 : 9:28 p.m.
Yahoo! A great store in a great location!
pvitaly
Tue, Feb 8, 2011 : 9:23 p.m.
jmac, Dunham's and M.C. Sports are not good sporting goods stores. They have low quality products - if they even have the product you looking for. I really hope that this Dick's gets built out here!
jmac
Tue, Feb 8, 2011 : 8:50 p.m.
Ditto, Bob. That Borders is probably on its way out very soon...Just wondering: with a Dunham's Sporting Goods on Washtenaw and another sporting goods store (M.C. Sports?) slated to move into the old movie theater space in Briarwood, how much market is out there for 'sporting goods' in this area anyway??
bob
Tue, Feb 8, 2011 : 8:43 p.m.
Glad to see Dick's Sporting Goods fill an empty big box space. And if they need more square footage there may be lateral space available soon...as Borders is right next store. Sad, but true.