Sports Authority
LBO loaded massive debt preventing e-commerce investment. All 463 stores liquidated in 2016. 14,000 jobs lost.
- FOUNDED
- 1987
- ACQUIRED
- Leonard Green & Partners, 2006, $1.3 billion
- IMPACTS
- 1 documented
Find a local alternative
Look for sporting goods stores instead.
check if a business is PE-ownedexcludes Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), Eastern Outfitters (Bob's Stores / Eastern Mountain Sports), Fanatics
Editorial Record
maintained by DeathbyPE. Every claim links to a public source.Timeline
1987
Sports Authority founded
2006
Acquired by Leonard Green & Partners for $1.3 billion
2016
Sports Authority liquidated all 463 stores after $1.3B LBO
CriticalClosure / BankruptcyLeonard Green's leveraged buyout loaded massive debt preventing e-commerce and store modernization. All 463 stores closed by August 2016. 14,000 workers lost their jobs.
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Sports Authority to Close All Stores
Before / After
MetricBefore PEAfter PEΔ
Store count
reported 2016
before 463 stores
after 0 (liquidated)
-100%
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