Canada’s Golf Town picks Mass. for 1st US stores
Golf Town Inc., a Canadian big-box retailer based in Markham, Ontario, will establish a group of golf superstores in Massachusetts this year as it expands into the United States for the first time. The company said it is making a $25 million investment and creating 200 jobs in the Boston area, with five stores opening next month and one more in the fall.
“New England has avid golfers who are very passionate about their game,’’ said Stephen Bebis, chief executive of Golf Town.
Bebis said the company’s suppliers approached Golf Town a couple of years ago to suggest expanding in Boston. “We started studying the Greater Boston area,’’ Bebis said. “We found that last year, it was the only market where golf rounds were up in the US. We found a very active and growing golf market.’’
The region’s flagship US store will open in Watertown’s Arsenal Mall on March 24, with stores opening simultaneously in Avon, Bellingham, Reading, and Seekonk. The sixth store, to open later in the year, will be located in Northborough. Each store will be about 20,000 square feet or larger. Golf Town has 55 stores in Canada, and more than 1,500 employees. At least about half of the US jobs will be full-time positions, Bebis said.
Bebis said the US stores will have interactive features that can’t be found at smaller retailers or stores that don’t specialize in golf. The Watertown location, for exam ple, will have a large putting green and six computer golf simulators that will allow customers to try out the products before they buy.
“The store is so much fun that it’s hard to leave without buying something,’’ Bebis said.
Mike Tesler, a retail analyst with Retail Concepts in Norwell, said he was skeptical about any golf retailer’s prospects in the current economy.
“Golf stores have been struggling,’’ Tesler said. “Golfers aren’t spending on equipment like they used to. If these people were coming in seven, eight years ago, I’d say things are happening, golf is hot, people are spending. But [now] it’s a shrinking market.’’
For a new entry in the market to succeed, Tesler said, it would have to either bring in products that no one else offers, or sell golf equipment at the best prices.
“If you talk about the 10 categories that got hit hardest by the recent economic events, I would say golf is in the top 10,’’ Tesler said. “Guys are laid off, or guys don’t get their raise — they’re not playing as much golf.’’
But Bebis said his stores, because of their size, will be competitive in price and selection, and will also carry a large array of apparel.
The area’s economy was actually a major reason for expanding here, he added. “New England did not have the mortgage crisis, has steady employment, and has lots of white-collar workers and blue-collar workers who like to play golf,’’ Bebis said.
The expansion is a homecoming of sorts for Bebis, who was born and raised in New Bedford.
“I visit New England a lot, visiting family,’’ he said. “Even my family members kept telling me, ‘Dad, when are you coming here?’ ’’
Globe correspondent Calvin Hennick can be reached at calvinhennick@yahoo.com. 
