Big 5 was founded in September 1955 by Maurie I. Liff, Harry A. Liff and Robert W. Miller.[4] The name Big 5 is derived from the first five Army surplus stores that were opened in California.[5] Sportswest and Sportsland were acquired in May 1988 from Pay 'n Save.
In 1990, the company was fined $125,000 for selling discounted brand-name shoes that were actually poorly manufactured by those brands to be distributed only in Big 5 stores. For example, some New Balance models sold in Big 5 stores used a cardboard heel cup instead of a plastic heel cup. The investigation started when long-distance runner Gary Tuttle reported the oddly poor quality of the name-brand shoes he had purchased at Big 5 stores.[6]
In 1997, Robert W. Miller and his son Steven G. Miller bought Big 5 back from Leonard Green & Partners, owners since 1992, by acquiring a majority stake. By then, the company was making $400 million in revenue with 202 stores in 9 states.[7]
In 2016, the company posted net sales of $1.02 billion with 432 stores in 11 States.[8]
Description
Big 5 stores are smaller than big-box competitors, with an average size of 11,000 square feet, giving it an access to smaller malls and towns. The stores sell name-brand products and Big 5 products.[5]
Big 5 stores sell firearms, but face ever-stricter local regulations regarding the secure sale of firearms.[9]
1 2 Dow Jones Client Solutions (September 5, 2010). "Investor Relations Home". Big 5 Sporting Goods. Big 5 Sporting Goods, Inc. Archived from the original on 6 September 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2010. Big 5 is the leading sporting goods retailer in western United States, operating stores in 12 states.
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US$795.4 million(2024) [2] 
