Academy Sports + Outdoors plans three second-quarter openings, pairing footprint growth with local donations, new jobs and a broad sports and outdoor assortment.
Academy Sports + Outdoors, also referred to as Academy, reported on May 19, 2026 that it plans to open three new stores in the second quarter. The locations are Altoona, Pennsylvania, North Knoxville, Tennessee, and Morristown, Tennessee. The announcement extends a store-opening programme that included two new locations in the first quarter, while keeping the retailer’s stated focus on local communities and everyday value.
The Altoona opening would be Academy’s third store in Pennsylvania, while the other two locations will expand its presence in Tennessee. The company said the three stores are expected to create nearly 200 total new jobs in their local communities. That combination of geographic expansion and local hiring places the announcement within Academy’s broader effort to grow its physical retail footprint while maintaining a community-based proposition.
Academy said each new store will be supported by a $15,000 donation benefiting more than 60 children through local non-profit organisations. The named groups include Big Brothers Big Sisters of Blair County, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley and Boys & Girls Club of Morristown. Each location is also planned to hold a grand-opening weekend with deals, giveaways and a ribbon-cutting ceremony; the Altoona event is expected to include a meet-and-greet with collegiate quarterback Rocco Becht.
The stores are intended to offer apparel, footwear, sports equipment, hiking and camping gear, hunting and fishing products, outdoor cooking items and other merchandise. Academy also highlights free services including grill and bike assembly, scope mounting, bore sighting, line winding and spooling, and propane exchange. Its assortment combines national brands such as Nike, adidas, Carhartt, YETI and Owala with private-label ranges including Magellan Outdoors, Freely, R.O.W., BCG, H2OX, Redfield and Mosaic.
The planned openings follow Academy’s reported addition of 24 stores across 16 states in 2025, including its first locations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The company said it had more than 300 stores across 21 states at the time of the release, with store growth supported by investments in its myAcademy Rewards programme and Mastercard. The second-quarter plan therefore presents expansion not simply as additional selling space, but as a continued effort to combine national scale with locally tailored retail destinations.
