Saskatoon to welcome Play It Again Sports

By: Dulce Abela

Athletes’ love for their favourite sports may never fade – but they can definitely outgrow their gear.

This summer, Sutherland will welcome the first Play It Again Sports location in the city. It’s a sports and fitness retailer that buys and sells both new and used equipment.

Chris and Jocelyn Malcolm, the store’s owners, said they aim to promote physical activity by making sports equipment affordable and accessible to everyone.

“We’re going through a challenging economic time here that everybody can attest to.” Chris said.

He said the business also wishes to contribute to the reduction of waste in landfills.

“We found that our landfills are becoming more and more filled every day with products and we wanted … to bring a solution to our city and community.” Chris said.

The owners said they hope to begin purchasing secondhand equipment in mid-to-late June or early July, with the grand opening at Sutherland in August.

Anyone is welcome to bring their equipment in at any time, and no appointments are necessary. The staff will check the gear and make an offer. If the customer accepts the offer, the store will immediately pay in cash. Customers can also trade in their equipment for any secondhand or new items in the store.

The store will be open seven days a week, and Chris said they will also have an online store to ensure that the options are convenient for customers.

“We know that buying habits have changed a little bit,” Chris said.

“We want to make sure we’re accommodating to everybody… as much as we can.”

He said special deals for the big launch will be disclosed as the date approaches.

Play It Again Sports was founded in 1983, and promptly became the major franchise brand of Winmark Corporation, an American franchiser that focuses on recycling used gear.

They recycled more than 150 million items last year, and over 1.5 billion items since 2010.