Oshman's Sporting Goods
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (sporting goods) |
| Founded | January 1, 1919 in Richmond, Texas, United States |
| Founder | J.S. "Jake" Oshman |
| Defunct | 2001 |
| Fate | Acquired by Gart Sports Company |
| Headquarters | Houston, Texas , United States |
Area served | Southwestern United States, including Texas and California |
| Products | Sportswear, athletic gear, footwear, fitness equipment |
Oshman's Sporting Goods Inc. was a retail chain in the United States specializing in sporting goods, with its main office located in East End, Houston, Texas. The company operated both standard retail outlets and large-format Oshman's Supersports USA stores, providing customers with sportswear, athletic gear, footwear, and fitness equipment.
Founding and early development (1919–1945)
The origin of the company dates back to 1919 when J.S. "Jake" Oshman, an immigrant from Latvia and the founder, established Oshman's Dry Goods in Richmond, Texas. In 1931, he moved operations to Houston by purchasing the bankrupt Crawford-Austin army-surplus store. This move revealed a significant market for outdoor sporting supplies such as fishing and hunting products. By 1933, the first Oshman Outdoor Store was opened in downtown Houston.
Growth and incorporation (1946–1979)
Following World War II, Oshman's Sporting Goods was formally incorporated in 1946. The company's primary store relocated to a larger space at 902 Main Street in downtown Houston. Expansion efforts extended into suburban areas of Houston as well as other Texas cities including Bay City, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, and Pasadena. By the time of founder Oshman’s death in 1965, the company had become the largest sporting goods retailer in Texas and a dominant presence throughout the southwestern United States, operating ten retail locations along with two wholesale businesses across the Gulf Coast. During the 1970s, the company ventured into the Los Angeles market by opening additional stores.
Acquisitions and later developments (1980–present)
In 1978, Oshman's purchased the rights to use the Abercrombie and Fitch name from First National Bank of Chicago for $1.5 million with plans to develop a mail-order operation under that brand. At that time, Abercrombie and Fitch was bankrupt and concentrated on fishing and hunting merchandise.
By October 31, 1987, Oshman's operated a total of 185 conventional stores, one Super Sports USA megastore, and 27 Abercrombie and Fitch outlets. A proposed $50 million transaction to sell these stores to an investor group based in New Jersey was called off in December 1987. Subsequently, Limited Brands acquired Abercrombie and Fitch in 1988.
In 1993, Oshman's announced intentions to shutter 33 locations while recording a pretax loss of $15 million.
In 2001, Gart Sports Company purchased Oshman's for about $82 million through a combination of cash and stock. The acquisition resulted in Oshman's becoming part of Gart's wholly owned subsidiary GSC Acquisition Corp. Numerous former Oshman's stores were rebranded as Sports Authority outlets; however, Sports Authority ultimately ceased operations after declaring bankruptcy in 2016.
Corporate affairs
In 1991, Oshman's consolidated its California and Texas divisions at its Houston headquarters due to increasingly competitive retail markets and an economic slowdown.
External links
- Oshman's Sporting Goods (Archive)
- Articles with short description
- Defunct retail companies of the United States
- Clothing retailers of the United States
- Sporting goods retailers of the United States
- Companies based in Houston
- Defunct companies based in Texas
- American companies established in 1919
- Retail companies established in 1919
- Retail companies disestablished in 2001
- 1919 establishments in Texas
- 2001 disestablishments in Texas
- 5
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment