FROM STAFF REPORTS

HOOVER – Academy Sports + Outdoors has announced that its Lee Branch store will close in March.

“As retail continues to be more competitive than ever, Academy continues to evaluate its store portfolio,” read a statement from the company. “After the expiration of the lease and negotiations with the landlord, Academy made the difficult decision not to renew the lease of our store located in the Lee Branch shopping center. As a result, this store will close by the end of March 2019. Decisions to close stores are never made lightly. This decision is in no way a reflection of our commitment to our team members or to the Birmingham market. We do not have plans to close any other stores.”

The closure of Academy’s only store in Shelby County means customers’ next closest options would be locations off John Hawkins Parkway in Hoover and Trussville, Tuscaloosa and Prattville.