I do some advertising with Sportsmans and have gotten to be friends with the manager of the Round Rock store and a couple of their corporate guys in Utah. After reading some of the the threads posted recently I picked some of their brain over the last couple of days.

Overall, SW is still doing very well as a company. Texas is probably over-saturated now with the number of SW's, Cabelas, Bass Pros, Gander, etc and of course all the standard sporting good shops like Academy and Oshman's and the local stores. Outside of gun sales, the internet is simply kicking everyone's ass and SW does not have a good internet sales presence as opposed to many others. Outsdoors types have grown very savvy in purchasing online and finding the best deals. Cabelas leads all in this category and it is a major obstacle to keeping the big stores open.

The Lewisville sportsmans is obviously closing but they are not abandoning the metroplex. They are actively looking for a new site where they can gain better visibility to traffic flow.

One of the SA locations is closing and the other will remain open and appears to be solvent.

the Round Rock store is struggling but is getting by just enough to keep the lights on. They are actively looking for better locations and considering the site of the closed HEB at 79/I35. The current store simply can't be seen from the freeway and they follow a marketing plan that the stores themselves are the biggest advertisement.


Overall, it looks for now that Round Rock will hold on, one SA store will hang in there and they will be back in the metroplex at some point. No word on a Houston location.

Just FYI.

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Oshman's

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Oshman's is still alive? Where?

I think there is one in Austin around 35/Parmer. Was just using it as an example.

Oshmans is now Sports Authority.

I had never heard of SW til the orginial thread... The way it sounds, I'm guessing they'll be out of bidness in a couple years... probably less.

Highly unlikely. Sportsmans has grown at incredible lengths in the short time they have been opened. They are much, much bigger in the big western states than here where they pretty much own the market for big retail hunting stores. There 17 stores in WA, OR and ID alone. Six in Utah, six in CO, four in AZ and four in TX and three each in AK, MT, MN and WI. 69 total stores. They'll be fine. texas is over-saturated and hard to gain ground in.

Academy will choke them all out.

Academy is a good chain but it's a shotgun scatter for the consumer.

Sportmans fullfills a niche market for hunters and fishermen that don't want to wade through aisles of cheap golf clubs and longhorn tshirts and who don't want the "overload" experience of a theme park store like Cabelas or Bass Pro.

Although I admit I like Cabelas

Urban, I agree about the internet. I work in Advertising and design websites for a living (among other things). They really need to have a good site. I'm amazed that Gander mountain has such a poor site. Cabelas and Bass Pro are the best.

BTW, if he needs a site, let me know. ;0

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The current store simply can't be seen from the freeway

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It was by sheer dumb luck that I found the RR store by seeing it from 35. I had never heard of the place before and went in to check it out.

Glad I did.

I basically quit going to the Lewisville store when they started opening at 11:00am. I got tired of stopping by there and they weren't open. You give Bass Pro, Cabelas a two to three hour head start and customers will forget about you.
I also think from a long term perspective by locking out local factory reps that they aren't as responsive or knowledegable to local preferences. Maybe that's why the monograms on the aTm Columbia shirts were the wrong color.
For the most part the big stores want to dictate what they are going to sell you. I want to buy what I want and that's why I purchase a lot on the internet. I made a weekend trip to the big stores looking for a Beard Buster. No luck, Internet no problem.

Urban Ag, who are you? I as well know Sarge, he does alot of stuff for DU.

wish they would open one in Corpus Christi! Academy sucks and its the only one around.

I'm amazed some to the regional sports stores have been able to grow as much as they have with the internet AND Cabelas, Bass Pro, Gander, etc really going national with bricks and mortar. Dick's and Scheel's as examples in the midwest seem to be everywhere now.

Some day, I guess I won't be shocked if I walk in Gander Mountain and they want to charge me an "entrance fee" to go look through their scopes, hold certain guns, etc. I'm guessing they have an idea that many of us go straight home and buy it on the internet somewhere.

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Urban Ag, who are you? I as well know Sarge, he does alot of stuff for DU.

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I am Urban Ag

Sarge is a great guy and is very willing to go out of his way to help local guides, ranches, taxidermists, etc grow their businesses. And you're right, he has done a lot to support DU, Delta Waterfowl, CCA and some other organizations. Sportsmans is pretty generous in that way.

I would imagine that the SW at Loop 1604 and US281 will be the one to remain, since it has better exposure and the higher income area of the county.

Gander Mountain in Tyler is WAY overpriced. I don't know if the prices here are a reflection of the rest of the stores around the nation.

I agree, as a consumer, I'm at the point that sitting in my living room shopping online with shipping to my door is more appealing to going into an overpriced store.

[This message has been edited by AGAF (edited 1/24/2008 7:19p).]

IMO Sportsman's is close to the best outdoor store out there. every time i go in there i find what i need and most likely more stuff that i "need". Academy is just not specific enough for me. they have a little of everything and just dont have a huge selection on many items. Gander has really disappointed me here in college station. it is overpriced, not stocked well at all, and many of their item don't even have a price on them. Cabelas and Bass Pro are good stores but they can also be a little expensive. I am happy to hear that SW is looking for another place in the DFW metroplex though. Now they just need location closer to b/cs!

"Celebrate we will, for life is short, but sweet for certain..."

I am disturbed that SW is not doing better than they are. I will start doing more buisness there and put out the word to my outdoor buddies to start doing the same.

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Academy will choke them all out.

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Academy is great if you need a sports bra, soccer ball, and water bottle!

...but there's more profit in a sports bra, a soccer ball and a water bottle than there is in a rifle.

.... but there is profit after you sell the baked potato (rifle). Make your money on the bacon (ammo), chives (sling), sour cream (hunting clothes), and butter (scope).

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Urban Ag, who are you?

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ever seen brokeback mountain?

Urban is the one on the bottom...

I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy.

I can't quit you Salt.....

lol

I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy.

The location in Round Rock is bad. You wouldn't know they are there if you didn't already know.

I hope they make it. They have been very generous to our DU Chapter and DU in particular.

Although, I never see anyone in there after hunting season....

SW is the best of the 4...maybe tied with Cabela's.

Gander mountain just sucks. Tell SW...College Station, please!

PP

I am amazed that there is not a sportsman's store outside of Tyler on I-20. There is a Gander south of Tyler and about 30 miles away, but there on I-20 you have all of the interstate traffic, not to mention all of the fishermen headed to Fork, and all of the sportsmen headed to the Dallas area, or Shreveport. It is a great spot, and it is filling up with restaurants, hotels, etc.

Urban Ag, any knowledge why the SW in RR was closed at 7:30PM tonight?

Sportsmans Warehouse Round Rock
* Store hours subject to change without notice.
Monday - Friday 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturdays 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sundays 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Unless the Lewisville store is hiding some stuff somewhere, it is CLEANED OUT! I mean, OUT!

Still some crocs, some bows, and some turkey and goose calls. Not much else. They packed and shipped most of the store out last week.

wadd - no idea. I know they were short staffed because they had employees helping close out the Lewisville store and one of the San Antonio stores. Maybe they just didn't have the adequate manpower to keep open later.

I guess they changed their hours without notice... I was in there today looking at shotguns... they were definitely open, but they closed at 7...

Go figure.

Apparently SW is not aware that the old HEB location in Round Rock at I-35/US79 is about to be torn down and redeveloped into mixed residental/commerical usage.

[This message has been edited by water turkey (edited 3/10/2009 10:43p).]