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BPS has apparently bought the Cabelas stores for $5B. I'd post a link from the Fidelity web site, but the format here doesn't lend itself to Cut/Paste for some reason.
I always liked Cabelas, maybe since they were the first Big Box I ever saw. Plus, Johnny Morris bought my favorite King Salmon camp in BC and closed it to he public.
Here's the story from USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...tion/91459212/
FWIW, I buy at least 90% of my fly gear from BPS or Cabela's.
this could be the reason why the plan to open a Cabela's in Middletown NY this year never happened. Rumor also had it that a Bass Pro Shop was going to be opened in Rutherford NJ, also which didn't happen.
The question now is, in those markets that contain both stores, then which BP or Cabela's will close, and secondarily, then who, if anyone (hopefully), take advantage of the closed site?
I have both a BPS and a Cabela's about twenty minutes away. Both parking lots are full whenever I go, so I don't know why they'd close either one.Quote:
Originally Posted by bowfin47
Well, well. We stop at a Cabela's in Maine on our way home and it is actually better than the highway rest area for lunch! I wonder if they will stay separate or merge into "Bassbela's"?
I always look at the fly supplies on my pas through. I must order that kayak seat for my NuCanoe NOW!!
Mike
We have both in this market, and have historically had little or nothing in the way of local fly shops. This sale has been rumored for a while, and was something I had hoped wouldn't come true. These two retailers sell a great deal more that I shop for than just fly fishing gear, and to me Cabelas has always been light years better than BP. The notion that they might close the Cabelas store and/or turn the brand into a clone of BP represents a huge loss as far as I'm concerned.
Being a sentimentalist and having experienced Cabela's at their original warehouse site in "downtown" Sidney Nebraska a "few" years ago, I'm not sure of just how I feel about the transaction. I do feel it will benefit Cabela's in Hoffman Estates, Cook County IL where the 10 % sales tax and the STUPID/NAIVE $. 05 cents per cartridge tax on ammunition ( lowered the DEATH BY GUN RATE by 2 in Chicago) has cut their sales by 50% in 5 years. They or BPS can now close the store, take a business tax loss of many millions , and build a new store about 1000 feet North where business environment is MUCH more favorable/ sensible.
Mark
PS:That being said, I'd rather be and am now in Wyoming
The Biz Ops folks always told me that an acquisition couldn't be profitable unless prices went up. If Cabelas is losing $$ every quarter for 3 years or something now, the only way you can justify buying them is to eventually increase the prices they charge. Probably higher at BPS too, since a major competitor will be gone.
Marco - I too went to the Sydney store back about 1990. That was an experience for me. Think I spent over $300 that day, mostly in the Bargain Cave, like a kid in a candy store. BPS has never impressed me the same way somehow.
The Cabelas in Kalispell met a lot of resistance from locals because they were afraid it would hurt the valley flyshops/sporting goods stores. They needn't have worried - mediocre selection/indifferent to non-existent customer service. A BPS would look a bit out of place in NW Montana.
Regards,
Scott
An employee at Cabelas last week told me that a directive had come down from on high that they HAD to reduce merchandise selection by 40% across the board. That didn't make sense then but it does now. They were my local source for Mustad hooks but that was one of the things that hit the chopping block
I hope the basic character of Cabeles remains with respect to the products they carry but I wouldn't be surprised to see some changes under both labels.
I have shopped both from catalog and later Internet. And I stop in the stores if I my travels take me near one , along with local fly shops
I have always thought Cabeles better served fly anglers in terms of product selection. And I thought Cabelas had better clothing - at least for me. I preferred Bass Pro selection for conventional saltwater gear and about even for conventional freshwater gear.
About an hour away, they just opened Cabela's about 6 months ago and Bass Pro Shops, about 15 minutes away from the Cabela's, has been open about 7 years. The BPS store is far bigger and while I'd hate to see the new Cabela's store close, the BPS is the better store, IMHO, of the two Richmond, VA stores. Now, my family and I were vacationing in Amish country last year and we took a detour to see the Cabela's near there (Hamburg, PA) and it put the Richmond BPS to shame, not that we'd go there often or even anytime soon, but I'd hate to see the Hamburg Cabela's store close.
It's not entirely a surprise, though. There was a rumor a couple of years ago (I think it was around the time they announced they were going to build the Richmond store) that BPS was going to buy Cabela's. But I agree that it removes the competition and is a disservice to the marketplace, IMHO.
Paul
I am just sorry for all the employees who will end up without employment. Many people will be released because of a situation like this and good jobs are not that easy to find.
Larry ---sagefisher---
I've shopped both, but always favored Cabela's - liked rooting around in their "bargain cave".
My nearest Cabela's has reduced its flyfishing section substantially over the last year. I no longer go there for anything flyfishing related.
Chuck
My personal experience has always been that Cabela's privately labeled fishing gear is HIGHLY superior to Bass Pros, including White River brand. If they move to the inferior (IMHO) Bass Pro quality to increase profit margin, I will no longer shop at either. Sad, indeed.
Mike
Sadly, the brand new Cabela's that opened in Avon, Ohio has zero fly tying supplies and only 2 tiny shelves with any fly gear. I was there about a week after the opening and was disappointed. I have always liked Cabela's and was excited to have one less than an hour away, now not so much.
Soon to be seen will be professional fly fishing tournaments with participants in logo emblazened shirts , rods and other equipment. I can hardly wait...............NOT! Oh, and I almost forgot, spray scents .
Hopefully none of this comes to be pass .But I WILL miss "Cabela's"
Mark
I remember when Herter's went out of business [for all practical purposes] and the Cabela's started up....I thought no way can they make if Herter's can't.....WRONG!
As far as fly fishing, I think the Cabelas / Bass Pro comparison would change each time by looking at different locations.
On my way to Montana, I made it a point to stop in Sydney, NE and do some shopping at the Cabela's store there. Since Sydney, NE is where Cabelas has their headquarters, I reasoned it should offer a wide selection of everything. Boy, was I disappointed. I've been to other big Cabelas locations and the selection was far superior. Sometimes it's tough to make that comparison.
I worked in the Fly Shop in the local BPS when it opened here. At first, the local shops were worried about their business, but it soon became apparent that BPS is no threat to the local stores, especially in the area of fly fishing. BPS here is overloaded with trout related gear, and no matter how hard I tried, they wouldn't budge to move to more bass and saltwater gear. I got so frustrated with them that I walked out. When I did that, one of the local shop owners asked me to go back because I sent them so many customers asking for things that BPS didn't have.... LOL
No Cabelas in my state to compare them to, but one of the complaints I used to hear quite often was how high BPS prices are compared to the local shops.
I've never cared for Bass Pro; it always seemed to be more "bass tournament/NASCAR/bubba" oriented (no offence intended). Nothing wrong with that; just not my thing. Cabela's on the other hand I've always liked, and back when Jim and Dick were still involved it was a great company. Not so much now, but I'm still glad there's one near me and I sure hope it stays. The fly shop, while not great, has most of what you need and is a good complement to the one real fly shop in town, and since I'm a bird hunter too I appreciate that aspect as well.
A lot of the merchandise in those two stores is the same stuff, with different labels. Clothing especially (which is where they make money). I used to buy a lot of stuff at Cabelas, but that has gone down over the years. The retail locations offer poor selection and mediocre customer service (nine people will ask you to get a credit card but two will actually help you if you need it). Prices in the retail stores are higher than catalog prices usually, so that I buy stuff online (almost always on sale, and with a coupon) and either get free shipping when offered, or ship to store for free and then pick it up next time I am in town. They also steal a lot of ideas from people, sell cheap store versions of other people's products, and the quality has gone down immensely in the past 25 years. I tend not to buy Cabelas rods, for instance, because I have had to take back almost every one for worn out guides or reel seats or some other cheap component issue. Every reel of theirs I have used has failed at some point.
Bass pro not so much, I still use and like their Hobbs Creek reels, and haven't had a failure yet.
Will wait and see what happens. If they drop merchandise selection by 40% as noted above, it will pretty much kill the retail outlets in my opinion.
I don't like either. Their fly fishing/fly tying is very limited. I much prefer brick and mortar retail and internet retail "shops" that are strictly for fly tying/fly fishing materials and equipment.
My personal favorite is Blue Ribbon Flies in W. Yellowstone. They ship your order the same or next day. Very good selection and customer service. You can call them and describe the particular hair (for example) you want and they will go to the bins and select a patch that meets your needs and then ship it out to you.
There are other such outlets, of course, but much better than those big chains that do not cater to the fly fishers....in my opinion