Academy Sports + Outdoors customers will now have access to a selection of L.L.Bean products in-store and online, part of L.L. Bean’s strategy to expand its wholesale footprint.
According to a news release, Academy will carry a wide assortment of L.L.Bean’s products, including polos, backpacks, men’s and women’s apparel, and Bean Boots.
“Academy Sports + Outdoors is dedicated to making quality sporting goods and lifestyle brands accessible to our customers for their sports and outdoors passions,” said Matt McCabe, Academy Sports + Outdoors’ executive vice president and chief merchandising officer. “By adding L.L.Bean to our in-store and online assortment, we’re growing the opportunity for more customers to get outside and have more fun.”
Academy is a full-line sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer in the United States. Originally founded in 1938 as a family business in Texas, Academy has grown to 271 stores across 18 states.
L.L.Bean Expansion
L.L.Bean has been expanding beyond its own stores, website, and long-running catalog. Earlier this month, the company announced it’s opening four new stores, two in Massachusetts and two in Quebec, Canada, as well as adding Dillard’s and outdoor retailer Moosejaw to its U.S. wholesale accounts.
The Freeport, Maine-based company has posted three years of record-breaking financial results. The privately held, family-owned company, which employs more than 6,000 people, said 2022 net revenue was $1.8 billion.
L.L.Bean operates 54 stores in 19 states across the United States, along with 25 stores in Japan. For about 100 years, the only places to buy L.L.Bean products was through e-commerce, the catalog, and its retail stores.
Recognizing that many of its competitors sell to wholesale accounts, a couple of years ago L.L.Bean added a few national retail partners, including Nordstrom, Scheels, and Zappos.
“We are thrilled to partner with Academy Sports + Outdoors,” said Greg Elder, L.L.Bean’s chief retail officer, in a news release. “(We) believe this collaboration allows even greater access to our quality outdoor gear and apparel.”
