Kaufman’s next major retail addition could put fishing rods, team jerseys and backyard grills on the same shopping trip. The Academy Sports Kaufman project calls for a 55,374-square-foot store at 750 W. Kings Fort Parkway, bringing the Texas-born sporting-goods retailer into a district that has grown from a Walmart anchor into a much broader shopping destination.
Academy appears poised to open its first store in Kaufman proper: the company’s official Texas directory currently lists no location in the city. The proposed store would join Kings Fort Market Center, where Lowe’s and surrounding retail have added to a development story more than a decade in the making.
What the Academy Sports Kaufman Filing Shows
The state construction filing, TABS2027002534, describes a new, single-story tilt-up concrete retail building with an estimated $6 million construction cost. Its scope is limited to the building, so that figure does not establish the full cost of land, site work or surrounding infrastructure.
The filed construction window runs from November 30, 2026, through July 30, 2027. Those are estimated building dates, not a confirmed grand opening. JWS Land Ltd. is listed as owner, with Kelly Cannell as its contact; Richard L. Bowen & Associates Inc. of Cleveland is the design firm.
A Familiar Footprint for Academy’s Expansion
Kaufman’s proposed store closely matches the roughly 55,000-square-foot footprint appearing across several Academy expansion projects. TCM’s Cleburne store coverage details a 55,015-square-foot building with the same $6 million estimated construction cost. The planned Tyler location is listed at 55,000 square feet.
Together, those projects show a recurring building size. They do not establish an officially named Academy prototype, but they place Kaufman within a recognizable pattern of new-store construction.
The company reported 327 stores at the end of fiscal second-quarter 2026 in its September earnings release. Its previously announced fiscal 2026 plan called for 20–25 openings; the September update outlined eleven third-quarter openings, followed by remaining locations in the fourth quarter.
Academy’s 2026 investor presentation identifies midsize markets within established states, including Texas, as an expansion opportunity. The Academy Sports Kaufman project fits that broader direction, although the company has not identified the specific reasons behind this site selection in the sources reviewed.
Texas Roots, From Tires to Team Sports
Academy began with a different kind of shopping list. According to its official history, Max Gochman opened Academy Tire Shop in San Antonio in 1938 and added military surplus the next year. Fishing, camping and sporting goods arrived in 1980, athletic brands followed in 1984, and the business adopted the Academy Sports + Outdoors name in 1995.
Today, the Katy-based retailer serves shoppers looking for apparel, footwear, sports equipment and outdoor recreation gear. For Kaufman families, that could mean cleats for a new season, supplies for a camping trip or something for a weekend cookout. The exact local assortment remains to be announced.
Kings Fort’s Growth Goes Back More Than a Decade
Walmart opened in Kaufman in 2014, according to the city’s 2024 annual financial report. That report credits Walmart and continued retail openings along the Kings Fort corridor with helping city sales-tax revenue. The store remains at 300 Kings Fort Parkway, while Lowe’s now operates at 600 Kings Fort Parkway.
The Academy Sports Kaufman proposal would add another large retailer to that established district. Kaufman EDC describes Kings Fort as a retail hub serving the city and south-central Kaufman County, anchored by Walmart and Lowe’s. Its development overview also identifies additional shop space, commercial pads, a Hampton Inn pipeline and more than 400 planned multifamily units. Those plans do not establish that every project has started or opened.
Smaller buildings helped fill the space between major anchors. A 2020 Shops at Kings Fort filing listed JWS Land as owner of a 4,200-square-foot shell building, with construction scheduled into 2021. That earlier project connects the current Academy owner to the district’s ongoing retail buildout.
The Infrastructure Behind the Storefronts
Kings Fort’s growth also reflects years of public improvements. Kaufman EDC’s February 2015 minutes discuss a city-EDC partnership dating to 2012 and reimbursement of eligible infrastructure costs. Later city records describe a 2017 agreement with JWS Land supporting the Kings Fort Parkway extension, including water, sewer and drainage work.
Those investments help explain how a district can keep adding stores, restaurants and housing over time. Academy’s building proposal is the latest piece of that longer development story: another place to shop in a part of Kaufman designed to serve customers well beyond a single neighborhood.