In episode 482 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Matt McCabe, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer at Academy Sports + Outdoors, one of the nation's largest sporting goods and outdoor stores. Listen in as McCabe discusses the addition of the Jordan Brand into 145 of its stores and its e-commerce site (1:40), identifying the initial stores to stock with Jordan merchandise (3:00), and how Academy Sports + Outdoors is creating awareness for the Jordan Brand (4:40). He touches on opening the business' 300th storefront and how brick-and-mortar ties into the retailer's strategy moving forward (7:20).

In addition, McCabe shares Academy Sports + Outdoors' localized product assortment (8:20), the internal collaboration needed to execute upon that strategy (10:50), and how the sports retailer is navigating the current uncertain macroeconomic environment (12:45). Lastly, he discusses the near- and long-term growth opportunities he's most excited about for Academy Sports + Outdoors (14:15) as well as serving both existing and new customer demographics (15:50).

Matt M. McCabe has served as the executive vice president and chief merchandising officer since June 2023. He joined the company in December 2016 as the vice president, DMM of athletic and licensed apparel and served as the senior vice president, GMM of footwear from September 2017 to June 2023. In this role, McCabe was responsible for setting the merchandising objectives and business strategy for the footwear division. Prior to joining the company, McCabe served as vice president at Golfsmith International, where he led the apparel, footwear and soft consumables buying and private brand businesses. He has more than 25 years of experience in men's and women's apparel and footwear, and held various leadership roles at The Bon Ton Department Stores, Bachrach, Sears & Roebuck Co., and Mark Shale. McCabe holds a Bachelor of Science from Miami University.