Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

"The wilderness-themed store Bass Pro Shops is buying Cabela's for $65.50 per share, or about $5.5 billion.. The outdoor-recreation retailers are expected to close the deal in the first half of 2017. "

I wonder how many Lowe boats Cabela's sells a year?

In our city, I see Gander Mountain in reorganization bankruptcy. They borrowed too much money without sufficient net worth or income to substantiate so much borrowing. Down the street, they're doubling the size of Dick's Sporting Goods--adding a Field and Stream division to an otherwise underperforming retail business--not very smart.
The crowning blow is the opening of a brand new Academy Sports--where the KMart store was just demolished.

I never have figured out how a city of 59,000 people can support three large sporting goods stores.

Everyone brags on Bass Pro Shop and how fast they're expanding. Such businesses are products of hedge fund ownership, even though I'm sure Johnny Morris is a stockholder. But they won't think about putting a store in your community unless someone gives'em land or tax diversions or other freebies from the city/county/state. Other retailers don't get such incentives.

The City of Memphis borrowed $105 million for construction to The Pyramid to get it ready for Bass Pro Shops to rent--and BPS put in more like $10-12 million in construction and inventories. Even though millions of visitors have been to BPS/Pyramid, retail sales are running only 50% of projections and the City of Memphis is stuck paying the debt on their investment without sales tax collections to pay it.

The sporting goods business remains like the boat business--it sucks. I don't know how they think buying out a big competitor will make'em successful in a market segment that's certainly not performing well.

Gander Mountains was not competitive because they were the highest priced around. Dicks Sporting Goods is marginal at best and by them opening a Field and Stream has been the best thing they could have done here in Hoover because by selling guns and ammo they are keeping the store afloat.

[quote="Bamaman"]
The crowning blow is the opening of a brand new Academy Sports--where the KMart store was just demolished.

[/quote]

same thing happened in our city..they tore down the Kmart, and put in academy..which we love,cause the nearest Cabelas, which is only a year or so old, is 30 minutes away.