Is there a future for luxury sporting goods in Toronto? Sporting Life hopes so

Sporting Life, Ontario’s luxury sporting goods store (and $2,300 parka emporium), is considering a search for private investors and may even go public in an effort to keep up with growing competition. The retailer, which recently added 40 per cent more floor space to its Toronto flagship, has flourished alongside successful brands like Canada Goose, Salomon and North Face. Those same brands are now being offered by rivals like Holt Renfrew and Harry Rosen, and some have even opened stores of their own. Sporting Life is also under pressure from Sport Chek and could soon clash with U.S. retailers like Nordstrom that are considering forays north. Still, the upscale store isn’t out yet: its 2008 e-commerce launch gave it a name outside Ontario, and hey, the wealthy always have cash to spare, even in tough times. Read the entire story [The Globe and Mail]  »