Sam J. Johnson
promoted to President
Eric Friederich
promoted to Senior Vice President of Retail Operations
Michael P.
Mullican steps down as President to pursue other personal
and professional opportunities
KATY,
Texas, Oct. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Academy
Sports and Outdoors, Inc. ("Academy") (Nasdaq: ASO) today announced
that, effective on October 23, 2023,
Sam J. Johnson, Executive Vice
President (EVP) of Retail Operations, will become President,
succeeding Michael P. Mullican, who
recently informed the company that he is stepping down to pursue
other personal and professional opportunities. In his new role, Mr.
Johnson will continue to report to Steve
Lawrence, Chief Executive Officer, and his responsibilities
will include continued oversight of retail operations and real
estate & construction, as well as new responsibility for
logistics & supply chain. Mr. Mullican will serve the company
in an advisory capacity through a brief transition period beginning
today.
Mr. Johnson has served as EVP of Retail Operations and a key
member of the executive leadership team since joining Academy in
April 2017. He led the transformation
of Academy's store operations to sector-leading store productivity
and profitability, while also achieving record customer
satisfaction scores. Mr. Johnson was also instrumental in helping
create a more exciting shopping experience by hiring "enthusiasts"
to help customers make more informed purchasing decisions, while
also investing in technology and processes that helped improve
operations and drive greater productivity. During his tenure at
Academy, he has developed a strong partnership with the company's
logistics & supply chain organization, positioning him well to
take on this added responsibility. Prior to joining the company,
Mr. Johnson spent seven years with hhgregg, Inc., where he most
recently served as Chief Retail Officer and led various functions
including store operations, customer relations, commercial sales,
real estate and visual merchandising. Prior to hhgregg, Inc., he
spent more than 20 years in various leadership roles with Sears
Holdings Corporation, including Vice President of Small Stores.
In connection with Mr. Johnson's promotion to President,
Eric Friederich has been promoted to
Senior Vice President of Retail Operations, succeeding Mr. Johnson
as the head of store operations. Mr. Friederich has been with
Academy since November 2016, most
recently as Regional Vice President of East Region Stores and
previously as Senior Director of Communication and Merchandise
Execution and as a District Manager. He has more than 25 years of
retail business experience and previously held leadership positions
at JCPenney and Target.
Mr. Lawrence stated, "I am pleased to congratulate Sam and Eric
on their well-deserved promotions. Sam is a trusted and integral
partner to our leadership team. I am confident that his deep retail
experience, proven leadership and broad knowledge of our business
make him very well-suited to help lead us through our current
long-range strategy. Eric also brings a strong wealth of store
operations experience and exceptional leadership that we will
leverage to continue driving store growth and productivity."
Mr. Johnson stated, "I am honored to take on my new role as
Academy's next President. I look forward to working closely with
Steve, our Board, and the entire Academy team to continue advancing
our long-term growth strategy through new store openings and the
increased productivity of existing stores and distribution centers,
while providing fun for all our customers."
Mr. Lawrence continued, "I also want to thank Michael for his
service and leadership to Academy and all his contributions to our
success, including helping lead the company through remarkable
growth, an initial public offering and a debt refinancing. All of
us wish him the best in his future endeavors."
Mr. Mullican stated, "It has been an exciting and rewarding
journey at Academy. I have genuinely enjoyed my time here and am
grateful for the experience and opportunities Academy has provided
me. I want to thank all the amazing people across Academy for their
support and contributions through the years. I am very proud of the
many accomplishments we've achieved together."
About Academy Sports + Outdoors
Academy is a leading
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 275 stores across
18 states. Academy's mission is to provide "Fun for All" and
Academy fulfills this mission with a localized merchandising
strategy and value proposition that strongly connects with a broad
range of consumers. Academy's product assortment focuses on key
categories of outdoor, apparel, sports & recreation and
footwear through both leading national brands and a portfolio of
private label brands. For more information, visit
www.academy.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains
forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking
statements are based on Academy's current expectations and are not
guarantees of future performance. You can identify these
forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "continues,"
"may," "will," "should," "could," "strategies," "plans" or the
negative version of these words or other comparable words. The
forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements
regarding Academy's expectations regarding its future performance
and are subject to various risks, uncertainties, assumptions, or
changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict or quantify.
Actual results may differ materially from these expectations due to
changes in global, regional, or local economic, business,
competitive, market, regulatory and other factors, including
ongoing inflation and continued increases in interest rates, many
of which are beyond Academy's control. Important factors that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements are set forth in Academy's filings with
the SEC, including Academy's most recently filed Annual Report on
Form 10-K, under the caption "Risk Factors," as may be updated from
time to time in our periodic filings with the SEC. Any
forward-looking statement in this press release speaks only as of
the date of this release. Academy undertakes no obligation to
publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as
a result of new information, future developments or otherwise,
except as may be required by any applicable securities laws.
Media
inquiries:
Elise Hasbrook, Vice President Communications
281.253.8200
elise.hasbrook@academy.com
|
Investor
inquiries:
Matt Hodges, Vice President Investor Relations
281.646.5362
matt.hodges@academy.com
|
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/academy-sports--outdoors-announces-president-transition-301963914.html
SOURCE Academy, Ltd. d/b/a Academy Sports + Outdoors