Big 5 Sporting Goods in Pocatello to close for good
Published at | Updated at
UPDATE:
Since publishing this story, Braxton Gregory, a three-year sales associate from the Big 5 Store in Pocatello, reached out to EastIdahoNews.com.
“I’m not sure why the team wasn’t able to comment, because we have been telling customers the real reason for the closure,” Gregory said.
“After a strong summer where we surpassed last year’s sales almost every day, we had a slower-than-usual fall. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we were notified that the store would be closing due to a lease disagreement over cost,” he added.
While EastIdahoNew.com cannot confirm Gregory’s comments, he said that from the data he’s seen, the Pocatello location has been one of the top-performing stores in the district in both sales and E-Team signups, which is the store’s email coupon program.
Original story:
POCATELLO — Two gigantic “Store Closing – Everything Must Go” signs now hang outside the Big 5 Sporting Goods store on Quinn Road, signaling the end of the retailer’s more than decade-long run in Pocatello.
Local employees confirmed to EastIdahoNews.com that the store is expected to close permanently sometime in April. Store closing discounts have begun at 10% off the lowest marked prices.
Staff said they were not authorized to discuss the closure in any more detail and referred all further questions to Big 5’s corporate office. Multiple attempts by EastIdahoNews.com to reach the corporate headquarters for comment went unanswered.
Big 5 Sporting Goods is a national retailer known for offering affordable gear and apparel for outdoor recreation, athletics, and fitness. Its stores typically carry equipment for camping, hunting, fishing, team sports, water sports and winter activities, along with footwear, activewear and accessories.
Financial filings indicate the company has been facing ongoing sales declines. According to an SGB Media report published in February 2025, Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation recorded net sales of $181.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, down from $196.3 million during the same quarter the previous year. Same-store sales dropped 6.1% year-over-year for the quarter, and gross profit fell from $59.2 million to $51.2 million.
As of February 2025, Big 5 operated 414 stores nationwide, reflecting eight closures during the first quarter as part of what the company described as ongoing efforts to “optimize” its store base. The corporation projected an additional seven closures before the end of the fiscal year and does not plan to open any new locations in 2025.
Earlier this month, the Idaho Statesman reported the closure of the Big 5 store in Garden City. No formal statement accompanied that shutdown either. Staff at the Big 5 store in Idaho Falls told EastIdahoNews.com that as far as they knew, their location would remain open.
In October of this year, Big 5 announced the completion of a merger with a partnership involving Worldwide Golf and Capitol Hill Group, transitioning the retailer into a privately held subsidiary. It is unclear whether the restructuring or post-merger strategy influenced the decision to close the Pocatello store or other stores.
For now, the closing of stores appears to be a downsizing effort across the company as Big 5 continues to adjust its business strategy.