Why Sports Authority is throwing in the towel

Kevin Smith reports in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune that Sports Authority has decided to throw in the towel and close all its stores. When they filed for bankruptsy, they thought they could get by with just closing the stores that had been unprofitable.

In a hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware, an attorney for the Englewood, Colorado-based sporting goods chain indicated that the only option for the company was to close all of its stores.

“It has become apparent that the debtors will not reorganize under a plan but instead will pursue a sale,” said the attorney, Robert Klyman.

Phil Lempert, a Santa Monica-based analyst of consumer behavior and marketing trends, figures consumers haven’t seen the last of major retailers shuttering. Just last week, Sport Chalet announced the closure of all 47 of its stores in California, Nevada and Arizona. That chain is based in La Cañada Flintridge.

“With the minimum wage going up to $15 an hour and more people turning to online shopping, more stores are going to close,” Lempert said. “It’s fine to say that everyone should have a living wage. But the money has to come from somewhere.”

Lempert said a growing number of retail outlets have fallen victim to “showrooming,” where customers will walk into a store, try on the shirt or jacket they like and then order it online at a significant discount.

“These stores have to look at not at how they will compete with other brick-and-mortar stores, but how they will compete with Amazon,” he said. “It’s become a holistic environment where people can buy things on their mobile phones and then have the products delivered by the time they get home.”

Matt Carlson, president and CEO of the National Sporting Goods Association, said Internet sales have fueled increased competition for brick-and-mortar retailers. And online retailers have a big advantage. Their overhead costs are far less and their customers often don’t have to pay sales tax on their purchases.

Read more here.