Academy Sports + Outdoors is planning to build a $6 million, 55,000-square-foot store at 14018 US 290 in Manor, according to a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing, marking the retailer's first location in the fast-growing Central Texas town. Construction is set to begin November 3, with completion targeted for March 2, 2027.
A Booming Suburb Draws a Sporting Goods Giant
The store will be Manor's first Academy location, part of a broader push by the Katy, Texas-based chain that operates more than 230 stores across 16 states, including 120 in Texas, according to a photo caption cited by MySA. Academy spokesperson Kelley Jones confirmed the new Manor store, telling the outlet that the company is “excited to be opening a new store in Manor” and that “more fun is coming to your local community.” Manor's population has climbed past 24,000 residents, per World Population Review data cited in the same report.
The Academy store is one piece of a larger build-to-suit retail project from real estate investment trust Broadstone Net Lease, which also includes an adjacent Hobby Lobby. While the TDLR filing pegs the Academy facility's construction cost at $6 million, Broadstone's own financial disclosures show a total estimated project investment of $12.437 million for the store, structured under a 15-year lease with 0.4% annual rent escalations and a 7.1% estimated cash capitalization rate, according to Connect CRE. The outlet reports that Broadstone is separately investing $10.339 million in the neighboring 55,000-square-foot Hobby Lobby, pushing the developer's combined off-market build-to-suit investment on US Highway 290 to nearly $23 million, with a target delivery of June 2027.
Part of a Nationwide Expansion Strategy
The Manor store fits into Academy's aggressive national growth plan. The company operates 331 stores across 21 states and plans to open 20 to 25 new locations during fiscal year 2026, following 24 openings in fiscal year 2025, according to KHOU-TV. CEO Steve Lawrence has said physical store expansion is the retailer's primary growth priority. Since launching an aggressive expansion push in 2022, Academy has opened more than 60 new locations, including entries into new state markets like Maryland and Pennsylvania in 2025, per a release distributed by PR Newswire.
Beyond selling sports apparel and gear, Academy stores are designed to draw repeat foot traffic through services like free assembly for grills and bicycles, scope mounting, bore sighting, and state hunting and fishing licensing, according to the Retail Insight Network. The Manor location will be one of three Academy stores in the greater Austin area.
Manor's Population Explosion Fuels the Retail Race
The Academy and Hobby Lobby project lands in a town undergoing rapid transformation. Manor's population reached 23,070 residents in 2025, a 68.7% jump from the 13,674 counted in the 2020 census, according to Realty News Report, ranking the city among the 20 fastest-growing in the country over that span. That growth is being driven in part by Manor's spot within East Austin's high-tech industrial corridor, anchored by employers like Tesla's Giga Texas campus and Samsung's semiconductor manufacturing facilities nearby, the outlet reports.
Residential development is keeping pace with the commercial rush. Real estate firms Foxgate Capital and Cole Klein Builders acquired 458 acres in Manor in August to build Eastwood, a $1 billion master-planned community that will add 1,335 home lots and 97 acres of commercial space along Blake Manor Road, per the same account. New restaurants have already followed the population boom, with Waffle House opening in Manor in 2025 and Bojangles arriving in 2026.
Competition Heats Up Along US 290
Academy and Hobby Lobby aren't the only retailers betting on Manor. Walmart filed plans this year for a $2.6 million renovation and 6,122-square-foot expansion of its Manor Supercenter, with construction scheduled between January and May 2027, as Hoodline previously reported. Manor also welcomed its first H-E-B in 2025, a $26.1 million, 101,000-square-foot store anchoring the 63-acre Manor Crossing development alongside Home Depot, T.J. Maxx, Planet Fitness, and Ulta Beauty.
The influx of national chains reflects Manor's shift from a rural bedroom community into a self-contained retail hub, where residents no longer need to drive to Austin or Pflugerville for major shopping and grocery needs. With Broadstone's dual-anchor project, Walmart's expansion, and Eastwood's massive residential build-out all converging along the same corridor, Manor's transportation and utility infrastructure faces a growing test to keep pace with the development racing to meet its booming population.
