craigdailypress.com

On Saturday Hibbett Sports became the second business in as many weeks to open in the Tebo Center in the Walmart subdivision.

Based in Birmingham, Ala., Hibbett Sports specializes in athletic footwear, team apparel and team athletic equipment.

The new location in Craig, 1870 W. Victory Way, marks Hibbett Sports’ sixth Colorado location.

The retailer also has stores in Canon City, Cortez, Delta, Trinidad and Fort Morgan.

“This convenient new location is a win-win for our company and the Craig community,” said Jeff Rosenthal, president and CEO of Hibbett Sporting Goods, Inc., in a news release. “We are very excited to be serving the customers in this area.”

Hibbett Sports plans to hire eight to 10 full and part-time employees to staff its Tebo Center location, the release states.

Though there are corporate managers currently assisting with the store’s initial opening, district training manager Nolan Chun said all of the new hires so far have been local.

One of those is Flint Dillon, who was born and raised in Craig.

Dillon has been hired as the Craig store manager.

“It’s been going really good, really busy,” Dillon said. “The community has been telling me how excited they are that they don’t have to drive to (Grand) Junction or Denver to shop (for sporting goods) anymore.

“We’re a small town specialty store, so we’re going to have the shoes that you need and the name brands like Nike and Adidas in stock.”

Like many other retailers, Hibbett Sports offers a points-based loyalty program to its customers.

Local residents may sign up for the Hibbett Sports MVP Rewards Program online at www.hibbett.com to begin earning points with their first purchase, the release states.

Hibbett Sporting Goods, Inc. was founded in 1945 and currently operates over 800 sporting goods stores in small to mid-sized markets, predominantly in the Sunbelt, Mid-Atlantic and the Lower Midwest.

The company’s primary store format is a 5,000 square-foot store located in dominant strip centers and enclosed malls. Each store typically lies within 150 miles of another store location.

“We research the markets we enter to learn what the customers of that area want from a sporting goods store,” Rosenthal said in the release. “We constantly update our merchandise assortment to offer the latest in product technology, performance and fashion so that we can meet the diverse needs of our customer’s active lifestyles.”

Joe Moylan can be reached at 875-1794 or jmoylan@craigdailypress.com.