ULTA vs DKS Comparison

Ulta Beauty is the largest specialized beauty retailer in the US with about 1,500 freestanding stores. The firm offers cosmetics (39% of 2024 sales), fragrances (13%), skin care (23%), and hair care products (19%). It also has salon services, including hair, makeup, skin, and brow, that account for about 4% of its revenue and drive traffic. Outside of the US, Ulta acquired premium beauty retailer Space NK and its 83 stores in the UK and Ireland in 2025, is opening franchised stores in Mexico, and has formed a joint venture to expand into the Middle East. In addition, Ulta collects royalties through its Target partnership (set to end in 2026) and credit card revenue. Ulta was founded in 1990 and is based in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

Dick's Sporting Goods is a retailer that offers sports and outdoor apparel, footwear, and equipment online and in physical stores. The company's legacy business includes more than 700 stores under its own name, more than 100 Golf Galaxy golf specialty stores, and about 50 outlet stores. In September 2025, Dick's acquired multinational retailer Foot Locker. With this move, Dick's added more than 2,300 stores under the Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, atmos, and WSS nameplates in North America, the Asia-Pacific, and EMEA—Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Based in the Pittsburgh area, Dick's was founded in 1948 by the father of current executive chair and controlling shareholder Edward Stack.