We are active members of the communities in which we operate. Our long-time customers have grown up with the Academy brand over time and pass their passion for us on to the next generation, enabling us to benefit from strong customer loyalty and shopping frequency
in our embedded regional markets.
Our broad assortment appeals to all ages, incomes and aspirations, including beginning and advanced athletes, families enjoying outdoor recreation and enthusiasts pursuing their passion for sports and the outdoors. We enable our customers to enjoy a variety of sports and outdoors activities, whether they are trying out a new sport, tailgating for a sporting event or hosting a family barbecue. We enhance our customers’ shopping experience through our knowledgeable and passionate team members and value-added store services, making us a preferred, one-stop shopping destination. We carefully tailor our products and services to meet local needs and offer our customers memorable experiences that help us maintain lasting emotional connections with our loyal customer base and the communities
we serve.
We sell a range of sporting and outdoor recreation products. Our strong merchandise assortment is anchored by our broad offering of year-round items, such as fitness equipment and apparel, work and casual wear, folding chairs, wagons and tents, training and running shoes and coolers. We also carry a deep selection of seasonal items, such as sports equipment and apparel, seasonal wear and accessories, hunting and fishing equipment and apparel, patio furniture, trampolines, play sets, bicycles and severe weather supplies. We provide locally relevant offerings, such as crawfish boilers in Louisiana, licensed apparel for area sports fans, baits and lures for area fishing spots and beach towels in coastal markets. Our value-based assortment also includes exclusive products from our portfolio of 19 owned
brands. Nearly 20% of our 2020 sales were from our owned brands, such as Magellan Outdoors and BCG, which offer a distinct offering to our customers and approximately 56% of our customers purchased an owned brand item from us in 2020. Our merchandising creates a balanced sales mix throughout the year with no single season accounting for more than 28% of our annual sales.
Our stores deliver industry-leading unit sales and profitability, including 2020 net sales per store of $22.0 million, average total sales per square foot of $311, and average EBITDA per store of $2.3 million. Our customers love the Academy store shopping experience because they are able to easily find, learn about, feel, try on and walk out with their favorite items. Our one-stop, convenient store layout, together with our highly trained team
members offering value-added customer services, drive strong and consistent store foot traffic and transaction volume, with our average customers visiting our stores two to three times per year and our best customers visiting our stores nine times per year. The majority of our stores are located in high-traffic shopping centers, while none of the stores are located in, or anchored to, malls.
Our emerging, profitable e-commerce platform that leverages our strong BOPIS and shipping fulfillment capabilities has achieved year-over-year sales growth of 138% and 8% during 2020 and 2019, respectively. Our e-commerce sales represented 10.4% and 5.1% of our merchandise sales in 2020 and 2019, respectively. We are deepening our customer relationships, further integrating our e-commerce platform with our stores and driving
operating efficiencies by developing our omnichannel capabilities. Our BOPIS program, launched in 2019, allows customers to place an order on our
website and pick up their product at a desired location, either in-store or curbside. Our
website also serves as a platform for marketing and product education, enhancing our customer experience and driving traffic to our stores. Our
website is introducing new customers to the Academy brand, with approximately 39% of our e-commerce sales during 2020 coming from new households.
We
serve our communities by supporting events, programs and organizations that help make a positive impact, including the sponsorship of over 1,500 local sports teams. We promote and encourage safety and responsibility, so that everyone can feel confident and comfortable doing what they love, by offering products and information that enable our customers to be smart, responsible and safe. We have a long history of providing essential products for crisis preparedness and have helped our communities, customers and team members through various natural disasters and crises.
We finished 2020 with approximately $5.7 billion in sales, $308.8 million of net income and $607.0 million in Adjusted EBITDA. Although comparable sales were negative for 2017, 2018 and 2019, as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2020, we have
seen six consecutive quarters of positive comparable sales and Adjusted EBITDA growth. We earned net income of $308.8 million, $120.0 million and $21.4 million during 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. See “—Summary Historical Consolidated Financial and Other Data” for definitions of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Free Cash Flow and reconciliations of Adjusted EBITDA to net income and Adjusted Free Cash Flow to net cash provided by operating activities.