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Play It Again Sports history
Play It Again Sports company history timeline
The chain had been started by local retailers Dennis and Lynn Blum in 1985.
Financial success and customer feedback told Morris the idea could work elsewhere, so in mid-1988 she went to a franchise development consulting firm for help.
Olson was left to run the day-to-day business of the consulting firm, while Dahlberg reconciled with his father and returned to lead the hearing-aid business in 1988.
By the end of 1991, 134 Play It Again Sports franchise stores were open in 41 states and Canada.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune for March 8, 1992, Dick Youngblood wrote, "Her instincts were bull's-eye accurate.
McCartney, Jim, "Play It Again Sports Franchiser Expands," St Paul Pioneer Press , May 6, 1993.
Also in 1993, the company purchased assets of Hi Tech Consignments, a musical instrument and audio equipment retailer (renamed Music Go Round) and Computer Renaissance, Inc., a retailer of close-out and used computers.
During 1994, the company began individualizing concept support and leadership.
By year-end 1995, a total of 1,311 franchises had been awarded: 965 stores were open, including 57 stores in Canada, eight in Europe, and one in Australia.
In 1998, a new franchise concept, ReTool, was launched.
A former partner in Winthrop Leasing, Morgan had sold his company and retired in 1999.
In 2001, Grow Biz was renamed Winmark Corporation.
With the closing of stores that were not performing, the company saw a profit of $3.2 million in 2001.
Daniel, Fran, "Greensboro, N.C., Couple Finds Success in Retail-Resale Chains," Winston-Salem Journal (Winston-Salem, North Carolina), August 21, 2002.
By early 2004, Winmark owned nearly 20 percent of the company's stock.
The rapidly growing company began with Play It Again Sports, which is ranked among the largest sporting-goods chains in the United States, with 410 stores in 2005.
By 2005, there were over 130 Plato's Closet stores in operation.
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Play It Again Sports competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build-A-Bear Workshop | 1997 | $338.5M | 5,643 | 83 |
| Great Outdoor Provision Co. | 1972 | $4.6M | 100 | - |
| Overland Sheepskin Co. | 1973 | $16.0M | 125 | - |
| Pro Image Sports | 1985 | $2.3M | 25 | - |
| Reeds Jewelers | 1946 | $4.2M | 61 | 233 |
| Learning Express Toys | 1987 | $1.1M | 15 | - |
| City Sports | 1983 | $120,000 | 750 | - |
| Jocks Nitch Sporting Goods | - | $8.8M | 50 | - |
| Dooney & Bourke | 1975 | $40.0M | 300 | - |
| Reebok | 1979 | $2.3B | 9,102 | 44 |
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Play It Again Sports, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Play It Again Sports. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Play It Again Sports. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Play It Again Sports. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Play It Again Sports and its employees or that of Zippia.
Play It Again Sports may also be known as or be related to Play It Again Sports, Play It Again Sports And Fitness and Play It Again Sports and Fitness.