Hibbett Sports is continuing its aggressive push into the local market with the opening Saturday of a new location at 3145 College Dr. in a strip center anchored by Hobby Lobby.
The planned opening comes as the Birmingham, Alabama-based sporting goods retailer is completing construction on another new location at 6180 Airline Hwy.
The two new stores will bring to 12 the number of Hibbett locations in the nine-parish Capital Region, and will bring the number of stores in the state to nearly 60.
District manager Cole Causey says while there is a lot of competition among both local and national sports apparel retailers in the local market, there is plenty of demand for Hibbett’s product offering.
“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t see opportunity,” he says.
The College Drive shopping center is a prime location for the new Hibbett’s store, says Causey, who describes the area as “the center of Baton Rouge.”
The 4,000-square-foot space has been vacant since early 2014, when Casa Maria Mexican Bar and Grill closed. Previously announced plans to open a New Orleans-style breakfast café in the space fell through early this year.
