Sports Junkies

What Sports Junkies does

Sports Junkies is an independent, single-location sporting goods retailer founded in 1992 and operating from a two-story flagship at 102 West Broadway in Vancouver's Mt. Pleasant outdoors district, positioned between MEC and Sports Chek. The company sells new and used sporting equipment across nine primary categories — skis, snowboards, bikes, camping, water sports, footwear, outerwear, hockey, golf, and accessories — sourced through closeouts, clearance inventories, samples, and demos, with most items priced at up to 50% or more below MSRP. Its online store lists 181 products across these categories, supplementing the physical retail presence.

The business operates a multi-revenue model combining one-time retail sales of new and used gear, seasonal equipment rentals (daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal terms for skiing, snowboarding, camping, and outerwear), a gear buy-back program where customers sell used equipment for cash at an upstairs buying desk, and a service layer comprising a year-round bike service center and a winter ski/snowboard tuning shop. The customer base is exclusively consumer/B2C, segmented broadly into outdoor and sports enthusiasts, seasonal equipment renters, and used gear sellers, with no enterprise or named logo customers.

The company is privately held, founder-owned, and operates with 11-50 employees from a single British Columbia location. There is no evidence of institutional investment, M&A activity, leadership transitions, or geographic expansion. Technology is described as "not applicable," with no proprietary systems, APIs, integrations, or AI/ML capabilities disclosed; digital presence is limited to a WordPress-based e-commerce site, social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram, and an email newsletter.

Name

Sports Junkies

Legal name

Sports Junkies

Website

https://sportsjunkies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sports Junkies is a single-location Vancouver sporting goods retailer founded in 1992, selling discounted new and used outdoor and sports equipment (skis, bikes, camping, hockey, apparel) at up to 50% off MSRP, with complementary rental, gear buy-back, and repair services for individual consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sporting Goods Retail

NAICS

Sporting Goods Retailers (45911), Recreational Goods Rental (532284), Used Merchandise Retailers (4595)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Line Sporting Goods Superstores (CRAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ski & Snowboard Equipment Retail (Skis, Boards, Boots, Bindings, Poles) (CRAMAJAA), Sporting Goods & Outdoor Inventory-led Online Retailers (CRAFADAJ), Ski & Snowboard Service & Repair Shops (Tuning, Mounting, Boot Fitting) (CRAMAJAF)

Keywords

• Sporting goods retail
• Outdoor equipment sales
• Ski and snowboard shop
• Bike sales and service
• Used sports gear buyback

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales: One-time sales of new and used sporting goods including skis, snowboards, bikes, camping gear, hockey equipment, golf, footwear, outerwear, and accessories. Inventory includes closeouts, clearance items, samples, and demos.
2. Equipment Rentals: Summer and winter rental programs offering daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal rentals on camping gear, skis, snowboards, snowshoes, and outerwear.
3. Used Gear Purchasing: Store purchases used sporting equipment from customers at a buying desk, providing cash on the spot. Customers bring items to the upstairs buying department for evaluation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sports Junkies is a Vancouver-based sporting goods retailer selling new and used equipment across categories including skis, snowboards, bikes, camping gear, hockey, golf, water sports, outerwear, and footwear at discounted prices up to 50% or more below MSRP. The store also operates an equipment rental program (summer and winter), a year-round bike service center, a winter ski/snowboard tuning shop, and a used gear buy-back desk that pays cash for pre-owned equipment.

Product overview

Sports Junkies is a two-story retail sporting goods store in Vancouver, BC operating since 1992. The company offers both new and used sporting equipment across multiple categories including winter sports (skis, snowboards), cycling (bikes, parts, accessories), camping, water sports, footwear, outerwear, and team sports (hockey, soccer, golf). The business model emphasizes clearance inventory, closeouts, demos, and used gear sold at up to 50% below MSRP. Services include bike repair, ski/snowboard tuning, seasonal rentals (winter and summer), and a gear buy-back program. The product portfolio spans 181+ items across categories including skis (65+), bikes (42+), camping (16), accessories (28), water sports (9), footwear (12), outerwear (4), bags (2), and snowboards (4).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Skis and Ski Equipment

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sport Chek: Canada's largest sporting goods retailer, owned by Canadian Tire Corporation, with a store flanking Sports Junkies in the same Mt. Pleasant cluster. Competes across skis, bikes, hockey, outerwear, and team sports with much broader assortment and national marketing reach.
• Comor Sports: Western Canadian specialty running, cycling, and ski retailer with locations in BC and a curated, service-oriented multi-sport assortment. Comparable specialty sporting goods model with knowledgeable staff and deep category expertise in cycling and winter sports — direct overlap with Sports Junkies' bike and ski offerings.
• Atmosphere: Canadian outdoor and active lifestyle retailer, a subsidiary of Canadian Tire Corporation, operating across Canada with overlapping assortment in skis, bikes, camping, footwear, and outerwear. Directly comparable discount-leaning outdoor positioning with rental services in select locations.
• Mountain Equipment Company (MEC): Canadian outdoor co-op operating a large flagship store directly adjacent to Sports Junkies on West Broadway in Vancouver's Mt. Pleasant outdoors district. Overlaps heavily in skis, bikes, camping, and outerwear, and is the most direct local competitor referenced in Sports Junkies' own marketing materials.
• Decathlon: Global sporting goods retailer with growing Canadian presence, offering owned-brand products across all sports categories at value price points. Directly comparable discount-plus-broad-assortment model that competes with Sports Junkies in bikes, camping, water sports, and winter sports.
• Sail Outdoors: Quebec-based outdoor and sporting goods retailer expanding across Canada with broad assortment of bikes, skis, camping, hockey, and outerwear. Comparable value-oriented, multi-category sporting goods positioning targeting Canadian outdoor enthusiasts.
• Valhalla Pure: Western Canadian specialty retailer focused on outdoor and active lifestyle apparel, footwear, and gear with stores across BC and Alberta. Overlaps with Sports Junkies in outerwear, footwear, and outdoor equipment assortments targeting similar Pacific Northwest consumers.

Broad incumbents

• REI Co-op: US outdoor co-op and the largest specialty outdoor retailer in North America, offering extensive assortment across camping, cycling, skiing, and outerwear with strong used-gear and rental programs. Serves as a broader incumbent model for the kind of multi-service outdoor retailer Sports Junkies aspires to operate.
• Mountain Warehouse: UK-headquartered outdoor and outdoor-apparel retailer with North American presence, offering value-priced outdoor clothing, footwear, and equipment. Comparable value-positioning and broad outdoor assortment aimed at entry-level and budget-conscious consumers.
• Lululemon (trekking/outdoor adjacent): Vancouver-headquartered athletic apparel brand with growing presence in outdoor and training categories. Shares Vancouver home market and overlapping customer base interested in premium outdoor and athletic gear, including bike clothing carried by Sports Junkies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SportsJunkiesVan
• Instagraminstagram.com/sportsjunkiesyvr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sports-junkies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sports Junkies