Lauren Hobart

Lauren Hobart Is Playing to Win at Dick’s Sporting Goods

In a market where high-performing brands like Nike and Lululemon are faltering, Dick’s is dominating the sporting goods game. The retail giant scored $13.4 billion in sales in 2024, ending the year with its best-ever holiday season and largest sales quarter in company history. Leading that growth is CEO Lauren Hobart, who was promoted to the role in 2021 after notching several big wins as CMO. These include turning the company’s eCommerce into a formidable multibillion dollar rival to Amazon and playing a central role in its decision to stop selling guns and ammo after the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida in 2018. Hobart credits the company’s 2024 success to several factors, noteably the strength of Dick’s private labels and its long-term strategy of building up a differentiated assortment across both performance and lifestyle. The retailer also opened seven House of Sport locations, which offer elevated service and features like rock climbing walls, indoor tracks, and simulated driving ranges to help it stand apart from traditional sporting goods retailers.

By Audrey Goodson Kingo