Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.Outdoor enthusiasts living in smaller towns soon might have options beyond ordering from Cabela's online or from its catalog.
The Sidney, Neb.-based outfitter of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear announced this week a new initiative to introduce the Cabela's retail experience to customers in underserved markets in the United States and Canada.
The first Cabela's Outpost Store is expected to open in the fall in Union Gap, Wash., a suburb of Yakima.
The Outpost Stores, at about 40,000 square feet, will open in markets with fewer than 250,000 people. The Cabela's store in La Vista is nearly 130,000 square feet.
"This is an entirely new concept for us, and that is what is so exciting," said Cabela's CEO Tommy Millner. He said these will be "true Cabela's stores," offering the same customer service and access to all products.
"They will extend our footprint into smaller markets and increase the range in which the Cabela's retail experience reaches our loyal customers," he said.
Millner said the Outpost Stores will be perfectly suited to the western United States and Canada. More stores are already in the planning stages, but locations haven't been announced yet.
Some amenities at the Outpost Stores include access to all Cabela's merchandise via online order kiosks and free shipping to the Outpost Stores with an in-store pickup program. The stores will be designed to have a flexible floor plan to allow for displays to be changed seasonally.
The new stores will complement, not replace, Cabela's next-generation stores, which generally are 80,000 to 100,000 square feet.
Five next-generation stores are scheduled to open this year in Wichita, Kan.; Tulalip, Wash.; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada; Charleston, W.Va.; and Rogers, Ark.
Cabela's also will open three next-generation stores in 2013 in Columbus, Ohio; Grandville, Mich.; and Louisville, Ky.
Cabela's is creating roughly 200 new jobs in each of those markets.
Also in 2013, Cabela's Winnipeg, Manitoba, store will move from a 44,000-square-foot location to a new 70,000-square-foot structure, creating an additional 110 full- and part-time positions.
Currently, Cabela's operates 34 retail stores in the United States and Canada.
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