Sportsman’s Warehouse is refining the timing of its inventory flows as part of a broader effort to improve productivity, increase product turns and maintain tighter control over working capital.
Speaking during the company’s March 31 earnings call, chief financial officer Jennifer Fall Jung said spring inventory is now scheduled to arrive later, a move intended to improve turns while still keeping stock levels strong enough to support the company’s sales targets.
She said Sportsman’s expects to run with lower average inventory throughout 2026 than it did last year, while still maintaining enough stock to achieve the upper end of its plan.
Management said disciplined inventory control remains a central part of the retailer’s supply chain strategy. President and chief executive Paul Stone said the business will continue to refine assortments, remove lower-productivity SKUs and align product categories more closely with its core activities.
Jung said the company ended 2025 in a healthier inventory position after working through most of its seasonal product. Total inventory at year-end was down $29.1 million, or 8.5%, compared with the previous year.
Stone added that in-stock levels improved within the core 20% of products that generate 80% of the business. That not only accelerated turns but also supported SKU reductions and better seasonal alignment.
Looking ahead, Jung said the company intends to follow a similar approach to the one it adopted in the third and fourth quarters of its fiscal year, including taking markdowns before the season ends while demand is still present.
She said that strategy was a key reason inventory improved late in the year and why the company finished with a leaner position despite a difficult first six weeks of the quarter.
Inventory discipline has been a long-term focus for the retailer. In 2024, Sportsman’s Warehouse partnered with Blue Yonder to develop tools aimed at improving in-stock visibility, seasonal regional auto-replenishment and other inventory management capabilities.
The company has also been aggressively rationalising its range. In 2024, it removed 40% of its fishing-category SKUs and cut 30% of vendors in that segment. Last year, it also worked with suppliers to frontload $20 million worth of spring and summer inventory as a hedge against potential U.S. tariffs.
