Pro Shops . The primary difference between these and the other specialty shops is location. Generally the shops are small and carry relatively few product lines. Rental Shops . These are another source of product sales for manufacturers.
Rental shops buy equipment to rent out and also sell accessory items.
These used to be the primary outlet for sporting goods. Competition from larger sporting goods stores and discounters have forced many of them to close. Regional Chains . Sometimes one-store operations grew into chains. Often regional chains were small.