Though Dick's is speeding up its expansion, the company is notgoing to beef up its West Coast presence any time soon, saidWilliam Colombo, its president and chief operating officer, duringthe retailer's quarterly conference call. "We don't feel a rush tobe coast to coast," he says. The company's 255 stores are in 34states, mainly in the eastern half of the US.

Part of Dick's expansion strategy is the opening of moretwo-level stores. Last year the company opened six of those unitsand six more are planned this year. Executives say they expectoverall expansion to come from new store openings but did not ruleout another acquisition.

Commenting on the recent purchase of competitor the SportsAuthority by a group of private equity firms for $1.3 billion,Edward Stack, Dick's chairman and chief executive officer, says itis too early to tell how it will impact his firm. "I think we needto wait and see what happens from the competitive standpoint goingforward," he says. "We like our position in the marketplace alot."