Big 5 Sporting Goods - Wikipedia

American sporting goods retailer Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation

Trade name	Big 5 Sporting Goods
Company type	Subsidiary of Worldwide Sports Group Holdings LLC
Traded as	Nasdaq: BGFV
Industry	Sporting Goods Outdoor Gear
Predecessor	United Merchandising Corp.
Founded	1955; 71 years ago (1955) as United Merchandising Corp.
Founder	Maurie LiffHarry LiffRobert Miller
Headquarters	El Segundo, California, USA
Number of locations	410
Key people	Steven G. Miller (CEO)Barry Emerson (Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer)
Revenue	US$795.4 million(2024)[1]
Net income	US$−69.0 million (2024)[1]
Total assets	US$609.3 million (2024)[1]
Total equity	US$175.6 million (2024)[1]
Owner	Worldwide Sports Group Holdings LLCCapitol Hill Group
Number of employees	7,600≈2,100 full-time; ≈ 5,500 part-time [1]
Website	big5sportinggoods.com

Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation is a sporting goods retailer headquartered in El Segundo, California, with 410 stores in the Western United States.[2] Steven G. Miller is the chairman, president, and CEO.

History

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Founded in September 1955 by Maurie Liff, Harry Liff and Robert Miller,[3] its name is derived from the first five Army surplus stores that were opened in California.[4] Sportswest and Sportsland were acquired in May 1988 from Pay 'n Save.

In 1990, the company was fined $125,000 for selling discounted brand-name shoes that were actually poorly manufactured by those brands to be distributed only in Big 5 stores. For example, some New Balance models sold in Big 5 stores used a cardboard heel cup instead of a plastic heel cup. The investigation started when long-distance runner Gary Tuttle reported the oddly poor quality of the name-brand shoes he had purchased at Big 5 stores.[5]

In 1997, Robert Miller and his son Steven G. Miller bought Big 5 back from Leonard Green & Partners, owners since 1992, by acquiring a majority stake. By then, the firm was making $400 million in revenue with 202 stores in 9 states.[6]

In 2016, the company posted net sales of $1.02 billion with 432 stores in 11 States.[7]

On June 29, 2025, Worldwide Golf Group and Capitol Hill Group reached an agreement valued at $33.6 million to acquire the company, with stockholders receiving $1.45 per share.[8] On October 2, 2025, the transaction had been completed and Big 5 became a private company and merged with Worldwide Sports Holdings LLC.[2][9] Big 5's common stock, which had traded under the ticker symbol BGFV, was delisted from the Nasdaq.[10]

Description

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Big 5 stores are smaller than big-box competitors, with an average size of 12,000 square feet. The stores sell name-brand products and Big 5 products.[4]

Big 5 stores sell firearms, but face ever-stricter local regulations regarding the secure sale of firearms.[11]

References

[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Big 5 Sporting Goods.

1. ^ a b c d e "Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended 29 December 2024". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 14 March 2025. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
2. ^ a b "Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation Completes Merger with a Partnership Comprised of Worldwide Golf and Capitol Hill Group" (Press release). El Segundo, California and Bethesda, Maryland: Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation. Globe Newswire. 2 October 2025. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
3. ^ Dow Jones Client Solutions (September 5, 2010). "Investor Relations Home". Big 5 Sporting Goods. Big 5 Sporting Goods, Inc. Archived from the original on 6 September 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2010. Big 5 is the leading sporting goods retailer in western United States, operating stores in 12 states.
4. ^ a b "Big 5 founder Robert W. Miller dies at age 85". Whittier Daily News. 2008-09-17. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
5. ^ Reed, Mack (1990-05-16). "Big 5 Fined $125,000 for False Advertising". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
6. ^ Vrana, Debora (1997-10-09). "Big 5 Founder to Buy Majority Stake in Firm". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
7. ^ "How Big 5 Sporting Goods is succeeding where other sporting goods stores have failed". Pasadena Star News. 2017-01-19. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
8. ^ "Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation Enters Into Definitive Agreement to Be Acquired by a Partnership Comprised of Worldwide Golf and Capitol Hill Group" (Press release). El Segundo, California; Bethesda, Maryland: Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation. Globe Newswire. 30 June 2025. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
9. ^ "Worldwide Golf Group LLC and Capitol Hill Group completed the acquisition of Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation". MarketScreener. Retrieved 2025-10-08.
10. ^ "Equity Corporate Actions Alert #2025-538: Information Regarding the Merger of Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation (BGFV)". Nasdaq Stock Market LLC. 2 October 2025. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
11. ^ "Council asks for new restrictions on gun sales and ownership". Santa Monica Daily Press. 2023-06-19. Retrieved 2024-05-22.

External links

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• Official website

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