Retailer continues to expand its national footprint while remaining invested in local communities

KATY, Texas , May 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Academy Sports + Outdoors ("Academy" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: ASO), a leading full-line sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer, is excited to announce it will open three new locations this quarter. The first store will open in Altoona, Pa.; which marks the third store in the state, followed by two new Tennessee locations in North Knoxville, Tenn. and Morristown, Tenn. The openings build on momentum from two new store openings in Q1, reinforcing Academy's ongoing commitment to strategic long-term growth. With each new location, Academy remains focused on serving local communities with a broad assortment of high-quality gear at everyday value.

"Our focus remains on staying grounded in what matters most, which is serving families in the communities we call home by making it easier to play, compete, and enjoy the outdoors without breaking the bank," said Eric Friederich, Senior Vice President of Retail Operations at Academy Sports + Outdoors. "We know fun can't lose when we pair unbeatable value with the local accessibility customers can count on."

Academy plans to celebrate each new store by donating $15,000 to support more than 60 children through local non-profit organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Blair County, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley and Boys & Girls Club of Morristown. Each location will host a grand opening weekend featuring exclusive deals and giveaways, a ribbon cutting ceremony, and fun for the entire family. The Altoona grand opening weekend will be marked with a meet-and-greet experience featuring collegiate quarterback Rocco Becht. Fans of the football star can expect to get their gear autographed and snap a photo with Becht.

In pursuit of becoming the best sports and outdoors retailer in the country, Academy opened a total of 24 new stores across 16 states in 2025, including its first locations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Academy's expansion efforts resulted in 16 new stores across 10 different states in 2024.

Academy's store growth is supported by continued investments that enhance the customer experience, including the recent rollout of the new myAcademy Rewards Mastercard^® Credit Card, and enhanced myAcademy Rewards program, providing cardmembers and loyal customers with exclusive benefits and ways to save. Together, these initiatives reinforce Academy's commitment to delivering unbeatable value both in-store and beyond.

Every Academy store is a fun destination where families can find apparel, footwear, sports, hiking and camping equipment, hunting and fishing gear, outdoor cooking, and more from top national brands at an everyday value. Academy also offers free services such as grill and bike assembly, scope mounting, bore sighting, line winding/spooling, and propane exchange. Hunting and fishing licenses are also available to purchase in stores.

Additionally, Academy offers tremendous value and quality through its exclusive, private label brands such as Magellan Outdoors, Freely, R.O.W., BCG, H2OX, Redfield, and Mosaic, which offer great choices for outdoor apparel and equipment for the entire family, women's and men's apparel, workout attire, fishing equipment, hunting optics and accessories, and outdoor furniture, respectively.

Customers can find the best assortment of athletic and casual shoes, sports and outdoors equipment, and clothing from top national brands such as Nike, adidas, Carhartt, YETI, Stanley, Marucci, Titleist, Shimano, Brooks, Blackstone, Owala and more, in-store and online, and through the Academy mobile app.

Combined, the three new stores are expected to bring nearly 200 total new jobs to their local communities. Individuals interested in careers at Academy can visit careers.academy.com to apply for open positions.

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 more than 300 stores across 21 states and counting. 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. Forward-looking statements may incorporate words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "forward," "ahead," "opportunities," "plans," "priorities," "goals," "future," "short/long term," "will," "should," or the negative version of these words or other comparable words. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations due to changes in global, regional, or local economic, business, competitive, market, regulatory and other factors, many of which are beyond Academy's control. These and other 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 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including Academy's Annual Report on Form 10-K under the caption "Part 1A.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 Contact: Brooke Fendley, Sr. Specialist External Communications, publicrelations@academy.com

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SOURCE Academy Sports + Outdoors