[1] Modell's Sporting Goods grew rapidly after World War I by stocking up on leftover army surplus and selling it at low prices.
[1] His expansion strategy for the company involved buying locations from faltering rivals in the sporting goods business.
For example, under Modell the company paid $2.5 million for fifteen locations from bankrupt rival, Herman's World of Sporting Goods in 1996.
[1] In 2008, the company operated 136 retail locations across eight states, with a 2007 annual revenue of approximately $635 million.
William Modell died in Manhattan on February 14, 2008, of complications from prostate cancer at the age of 86.