Sports Experts
{{Short description|Canadian sporting goods retailer}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Sports Experts Inc.
| logo = Sports Experts logo.svg
| industry = Retail
| foundation = 1967
| area_served = Canada
| headquarters =
| owner = Canadian Tire
| parent = Provigo (1981–1994)
FGL Sports (1994–2011)
Canadian Tire (2011–present)
| website = {{URL|https://www.sportsexperts.ca/|sportsexperts.ca}}
}}
Sports Experts Inc. is a major Canadian sports-retailer franchise primarily located in Quebec, Canada. It is part of FGL Sports (formerly The Forzani Group), itself part of the Canadian Tire group.
History
Sports Experts was founded in 1967. It was purchased by Provigo in December 1980.{{cite news|title =Sports Experts set to digest its plum acquisition|newspaper = Montreal Gazette|location = Montreal|page = 59|date = 27 May 1981}}
On February 5, 1985, Sports Experts, which at the time had 108 locations across Quebec and The Maritimes, merged with Toronto-based Collegiate Arlington Sports, a sporting-goods chain of 44 stores in Quebec, Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.{{cite news|title =Provigo to control sporting-goods chain|newspaper = Montreal Gazette|location = Montreal|page = D1|date = February 2, 1985|url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Fr8DH2VBP9sC&dat=19850205&printsec=frontpage&hl=en}} The merger went in effect in April 1985 and the combined company took on the name Sports Experts Inc. The Arlington locations initially continued under their namesake but had all been converted to the Sports Experts banner by 1986.{{cite news|title =Sports Experts advertisement|newspaper = Montreal Gazette|location = Montreal|page = B6|date = April 2, 1986|url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Fr8DH2VBP9sC&dat=19860402&printsec=frontpage&hl=en}}
In 1994, Provigo sold Sports Experts to the Forzani Group. The Forzani Group has since been acquired by Canadian Tire in 2011.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportsexperts.ca/en-CA/business-overview/Our-history|title = Our history}}
As of 2021, the largest Sports Experts store is located at the Laurier Quebec shopping mall in Quebec City.{{Cite web|url=https://retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2021/11/groupe-boucher-opens-canadas-largest-sports-store-in-quebec-city-interview-photos/|title=Groupe Boucher Opens Canada's Largest Sports Store in Quebec City [Interview/Photos]|first=Mario|last=Toneguzzi|date=November 11, 2021}}
See also
- Sport Chek, the Western Canada and Ontario sister brand to Sports Experts
- Intersport, a sister store to Sports Experts in Canada, Canadian licensee of the international marque
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://www.sportsexperts.ca/}}
{{Canadian Tire}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Retail companies established in 1967