City Sports

Type	Private
Founded	Boston, Massachusetts, USA (1983)
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts[1], USA
Industry	Sportswear and athletic equipment
Products	Clothing, shoes and equipment
Website	City Sports

City Sports is an American sporting goods retailer operating mostly on the east coast of the United States. Its chief products include athletic apparel, footwear, and equipment. Founded in 1983 by Mike Kennedy and Eric Martin, two Boston locals^[2], the company has grown across state borders and now operates seventeen stores in six states.^[3]

[edit] History

In 1983, two male friends living in the Fens neighborhood of Boston^[2] went in search of a basketball pump. Both city dwellers, the two men could not easily drive outside of the city to a suburban athletic retailer like Dick's Sporting Goods. Instead, they sought a local sports apparel and equipment maker specifically targeted at the urban dweller.

When the two friends failed to find such a store, they founded City Sports. The goal of the company, according to its website, was to meet the needs of the "athletic metropolitan adult."^[2] By 1987, the two friends believed they had developed the product mix and store atmosphere needed to achieve this goal, so they opened their second store. The company continued to grow, and now operates seventeen stores across six states (Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Georgia) and Washington, D.C..^[3]

On January 1, 2008, City Sports launched its first fully integrated website featuring all of the products that can be found in their stores.

[edit] Highland Acquisition

On March 11, 2008, the company announced it had been acquired by the Highland Consumer Fund, a subsidiary of Highland Capital Partners, an investment firm.^[4] Highland purchased an 80% stake in the company, and plans to nearly triple the number of stores to 50 within the next five years. Ultimately, Highland estimates the business has the potential to grow to around 300 stores across the United States.^[5] Both parties declined to release financial details of the deal.

[edit] References