Bass Pro buys Cabelas

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Aim1

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Damn. I hope they don't convert to Bass Pro stores. Cabelas always had great clothing while Bass Pros clothes suck in quality. Just heard this on the radio.
 
I agree on the clothing. Cabelas has great clothing- and stuff that fits my ogre/orangutan body.
 
Plus Bass Pro does NOT have good pricing on firearms or ammo. They tend to be 20-30% higher than LGS and the net. There are hardly any deals like Cabelas, I never see coupon codes from them either. Less competition = everyone pays more.
 
Wonder what will happen in markets where both have stores, like where I live. I haven't been to Bass Pro in years but I spend a fair bit of time and money in Cabela's.
 
Cabela's has higher prices than Bass Pro.

In the tackle department it's crazy. Cablea's will want $9.99 for a lure, Bass Pro wants $8.99 and Academy wants $7.99.

Gun prices at Cabela's are crazy high too.

I go to Cabela's to shop the Bargain Cave.

I do wonder how it will pay out here in DFW. We've got two of each.
 
Cabela's is upper social tier. Bass Pro started out at the bubba level and has been working up.

Consolidation is the trend in business. It's less about what will happen as these two merge, more about the vendors when one is selected over the other and the typically smaller guy loses his national exposure in that chain. It forces less choices on the consumer and shrinks the number of vendors overall.

With all the left over execs and staff that will get downsized, it might be a good time for Gander Mountain to start growing again.
 
Meh...
The Cablea's in KCK has been going downhill for a couple of years. I still might have to use up what points I have before they consolidate but, to be honest, I have enough "stuff" to last me longer than I'll need it.
 
Damn, that sucks... The closest Cabelas are about a 2 hour drive away (one may be 1 1/2 if traffic is perfect), the closest Bass Pro Shops is 15-20min away (10 when traffic is perfect and I pass right by it on my way home from work). I might do more window shopping at BPS, but I actually go to Cabelas to buy more often. Better quality clothing, name brand Kayaks (instead of BPS store brand, and way too heavy, kayaks), better quality and broader selection of store brand tents and camping equipment, better ammo selection and prices, and better selection on just about everything.

If someone had to buy someone out, I'd have been thrilled if BPS was bought by Cabelas (though my wallet may have been unhappy with me), I'm not too pleased with this.
 
The Bass Pro in Columbia, Mo is competitive on firearm prices with the LGS. I haven't been to the Bass Pro in St. Charles, Mo in quite sometime. The Cabelas in Hazelwood, Mo (few miles from Bass Pro in St Charles) is usually higher on prices. I went to the Gander Mountain store in Fenton, Mo (with in 15 minutes of the other two) and the prices on everything was outrageous.
 
chaim said:
If someone had to buy someone out, I'd have been thrilled if BPS was bought by Cabelas (though my wallet may have been unhappy with me), I'm not too pleased with this.
Click to expand...

Cabelas has no money; their stores are losing money hand over fist. The only thing keeping them afloat are their credit card and promotion fees, and even that line of business had to be restated (after they were fined a million dollars for accounting irregularities).
 
Have used both many times in the past. Bass Pro is ok. For my money, Cabela`s was a better fit.

Kind of a moot point now though.
 
I'm much more of a hunter/shooter than a fisherman, I can get all of my fishing gear at Walmart and be happy. Bass Pro's hunting gear and boots etc. are at best equal to Walmart quality. Which is OK at times, but if looking for gear designed for hard core use, bad weather, etc. Cabelas does offer some quality stuff. Prices ain't cheap, but good stuff never is. That option just isn't available at BPS. They don't carry a single pair of hunting boots that I find acceptable. And some of the optics offered at Cabelas are very good.

I hope that they will maintain separate identities and just have the same ownership. They have opened a new Cabelas and BPS within a couple of miles of each other just south of Chattanooga recently. I can't see them converting the new Cabelas into another BPS that close; or closing it.

To be honest, for mid-grade clothing, gear or even firearms, Academy offers a lot of value. They still don't carry any boots that don't suck, but their other gear is decent.
 
Both fought a battle by over building to the point of saturation. I think I enjoyed both when they had destination stores and mail order catalogs.
This is the first I've heard of any buy out lately but it's been rumored for years.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
Here in Denver Metro, Cabelas has a far greater selection of ammo and quality used firearms. The local Bass Pro recently closed their "Fine Gun Room" and went back to hawking overpriced 870 Expresses with junky camo paint jobs.

Hopefully, the buyout will be transparent to customers and the stores will retain their separate identities.

I am not a big fan of "Redhead" brand.
 
Outdoor giant Bass Pro to acquire rival Cabela's for $4.5B

Posted: Oct 03, 2016 9:41 AM EDT
Bass Pro and Cabela's are combining in a $4.5 billion deal. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)


By JOSH FUNK
AP Business Writer
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Outdoor gear giant Bass Pro is snapping up rival Cabela's in a $4.5 billion deal announced Monday.

Bass Pro is paying Cabela's shareholders $65.50 cash per share, a 19 percent premium to Friday's closing price. The deal combines two companies known for their giant destination superstores.

It also creates uncertainty about jobs in Cabela's home state of Nebraska. The combined companies plan to keep some operations in Sidney and Lincoln, Nebraska, but it's not immediately clear how many jobs might be lost.

Cabela's employs about 2,000 people in the western Nebraska town of Sidney, which has about 7,000 residents. State Sen. Ken Schilz, who represents the area, said the news is concerning because of the duplication between the two companies' headquarters that will be eliminated.

"We'll just have to wait and see what Bass Pro does. I'm sure most folks in Sidney are pretty nervous this morning," Schilz said.

Activist investment firm Elliott Management began pushing for significant changes at Cabela's last fall. Elliott owns 7.4 percent of Cabela's shares and holds options to buy another 3.8 percent.

Bass Pro founder and CEO Johnny Morris said he hopes to continue growing the Cabela's brand alongside his privately-held Springfield, Missouri, based chain.

"The story of each of these companies could only have happened in America, made possible by our uniquely American free enterprise system," Morris said. "We have enormous admiration for Cabela's, its founders and outfitters, and its loyal base of customers."

Capital One will take over running Cabela's credit card unit as part of the deal, which is backed by $1.8 billion in financing from Goldman Sachs and another $600 million from private equity fund Pamplona Capital.

Cabela's was founded in 1961 when Dick Cabela started selling fishing flies through the mail from his kitchen table with his wife, Mary, and brother, Jim.

Bass Pro got its start in 1971 when Morris began selling high-quality fishing tackle in his dad's liquor store in Springfield, Missouri.

Morris developed a following in the Ozarks region - its lakes and rich streams a haven for anglers - created the Bass Pro Shop Catalog in 1974 and opened the first of his now 99 stores in Springfield seven years later.

Morris also introduced the Bass Tracker fishing boat in 1978 that was designed specifically for fishermen. That led to the creation of the White River Marine Group.

Cabela's shares climbed $8.01, or 14.6 percent, to $62.94 in morning trading Monday.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 
This would be a "buy" signal if you were putting off any "unique-to-Cabelas" item purchase.

I would buy footwear from Cabelas USA because Cabelas Canada online doesn't carry my very large foot size... Ditto for tall sizing.
 
I have been a regular of Cabelas because they will price match any brick and mortar store within 100 miles. I do not care for the local gun stores here, bad service, bad attitudes, bad staffing. Cabelas also has more ammo in stock compared to any of my other options. For the past couple of years I have lived in apartments and don't particularly care for the management (moving into a house hopefully this month) and ordering ammo has not been an option. I hope that with BPS buying them out they don't decline.
 
They just opened a new Cabela's here in April . It's about 17 miles from the Bass Pro store . I like the Bass Pro store better ( alligator and a beer ) but I buy most of my hunting clothes from Cabela's .

I just bought 2 870 express shotguns from BP for $226 each after rebate . They would have been over $300 at Cabela's .
 
Upon closing of the deal, Bass Pro Shops will enter into a multiyear partnership with Capital One Financial Corp. COF, +0.75% to originate and service Cabela's co-branded credit card, with all Cabela's CLUB points being unaffected.
Click to expand...

So I guess my Cabelas points are safe for now... Unless they change all Cabelas to Basspro overnight.
 
I don't shop at either for firearms related items. There are many many better sources. But this certainly explains why we had a ton of hype locally over the new Bass Pro shop that was going to be built across the highway from Cabalas, and suddenly, all talk of the new store dried up over this past winter. This buyout must have been a long time in the planning.
 
I remember ordering a Shakespeare Super Necedah from Cabela's along with two dozen Cedar arrows back in '68 I believe. I ordered them from a small black and white pamphlet I sent in for from the back of one of my Dad's Field and Stream magazines. Took my first buck with a bow with it. Sad day to see them go.
 
I've been to Bass Pro two or three times and always promise myself I'll never go back.
Click to expand...

I made that same promise in 2011 after being a customer since 1996. I've never been back again. The local store worried a lot about concealed carry and the firearms department had very inexperienced people behind the counters.

It had become an unpleasant experience over all. There are better places to spend my $'s.
 
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