Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp. will become a private company any day now.
The company held a special meeting of stockholders last Friday for a vote on the planned acquisition of the firm by WSG Merger LLC, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Worldwide Golf Group. Shareholders approved of the transaction, and now the deal is expected to be completed as soon as Tuesday. Once the deal closes, shares of Big 5 will no longer be listed on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange.
The sporting goods retailer said on June 30 that it planned to be acquired by a partnership of Worldwide Golf, a nationwide retailers of golf shoes, apparel and equipment, and Capitol Hill Group, a private investment firm, in an all-cash deal valued at $112.7 million. The transaction value includes the assumption of $71.4 million in credit line borrowings as of June 29, 2025.
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Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, shareholders will receive $1.45 per share in cash.
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As of Friday, the retailer operates 410 stores under the Big 5 Sporting Goods name in the western U.S. The full-line big-box stores average 12,000 square feet. Its product mix includes athletic shoes, apparel and accessories, as well as a selection of outdoor and athletic equipment.
The go-private deal follows the two others earlier this year: department store retailer Nordstrom was taken private in May 2025 by members of the founding Nordstrom family and Mexican retailer El Puerto de Liverpool, and Skechers’ $9 billion go-private deal with 3G Capital, the biggest footwear buyout deal in history, closed earlier this month.
The mergers front has been particularly active in footwear this year. In addition to the go-private deals, Dick’s Sporting Goods’ move to buy Foot Locker for $2.4 billion closed earlier this month, although all eyes will be on Dick’s to see how it plans to incorporate its former rival into its operations. And last month saw the completion of Caleres’ purchase of shoe brand Stuart Weitzman for $105 million.