Academy Sports + Outdoors Inc. promoted Matt McCabe to executive vice president and chief merchandising officer effective June 25, succeeding Steve Lawrence, who transitioned to CEO. McCabe will report directly to Lawrence.
McCabe has been Academy Sports + Outdoors senior vice president, general merchandise manager, Footwear since September 2017. He joined the company in December 2016 as vice president, divisional merchandise manager, Athletic and Licensed Apparel. Before joining Academy, McCabe was a vice president at Golfsmith International, leading the company’s apparel, footwear and soft consumables buying and private brand businesses. He has also held various merchant leadership roles at The Bon Ton Department Stores, Bachrach, Sears & Roebuck Co., and Mark Shale.
“I am proud to announce the promotion of Matt McCabe to chief merchandising officer,” said Lawrence. “He has been instrumental in growing the Footwear category during his tenure as GMM with the addition of several new brands, such as Hey Dude and Birkenstock, along with an improved shopping experience both in-store and online. The combination of his broad industry experience coupled with his knowledge of Academy should make his transition to chief merchandising officer seamless. I’m excited to partner with Matt and the entire merchant organization as we continue to deliver on our mission to provide fun for all by strengthening our merchandising through meaningful assortment, powerful brands and compelling value.”
As Executive vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer, McCabe will oversee merchandising, planning and allocation, visual merchandising, and private label product development and sourcing.
“I’m humbled and excited for the opportunity to lead our merchant organization into the future,” said McCabe. “Under Steve’s leadership, we established a clear market position with strong and localized assortments, value-based differentiation and refined our merchandising strategies and processes, and I am confident that we can continue to accelerate our growth and take market share in key categories as we help customers have fun out there.”
Photos courtesy Academy Sports + Outdoors
