Dick's to open new House of Sport concept at Tampa's International Plaza
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Oct 5, 2023

The former Life Time Fitness box at International Plaza will be home to a new concept from Dick's Sporting Goods.

Dick's, based in western Pennsylvania, is converting the former gym space into its House of Sport, a space that combines its traditional retail merchandise with experiences like rock climbing, golf simulation bays and multisport cages where customers can try out gear for baseball, softball, lacrosse and soccer.

The House of Sport label is included on documents filed with the city for building permits. The Tampa Bay Business Journal first reported that Dick's was in talks with the ownership of International Plaza in April to relocate its store from WestShore Plaza. Life Time closed at International Plaza to open its country club concept at the former Harbour Island Athletic Club.

Building records peg the cost of the renovation at $8.9 million. A separate permit for interior demolition shows pegs the cost of that project at $750,000.

The executive leadership team at Dick's, which is publicly traded, has been touting the financial leverage of the House of Sport concept as well as the retailer's new 50,000-square-foot concept. The company plans to open 75 to 100 House of Sport stores by 2027.

"We haven't seen growth opportunities like these since we went public in the early 2000s," Ed Stack, Dick's executive chairman, said when the company reported quarterly earnings results in August.

A spokesperson for WPG Inc., which owns WestShore Plaza, referred a request for comment to Dick's. Representatives from Dick's and Taubman Centers, which owns International Plaza, were not immediately available for comment Thursday.

WPG owns Dick's real estate at WestShore Plaza. Dick's opened there in 2014, backfilling an anchor box left vacant by Saks Fifth Avenue. Its departure from WestShore Plaza could be a double-edged sword for WPG, which is planning to redevelop the mall.

As WPG moves forward with redevelopment plans — it recently filed a new rezoning request to allow it to add medical uses to the property and give it the flexibility to demolish the enclosed mall — Dick's move would give the mall owner complete control over the southwest corner of the property.

But it could cause short-term issues, particularly if Dick's (NYSE: DKS) closes before WPG is ready to begin construction on the redevelopment. Most interior mall tenants have clauses in their leases that allow them to pay lower rents if an anchor leaves the mall.