HARLINGEN — Bass Pro Shops executives say they have a deal in place to buy out rival Sportsman’s Warehouse, the second major acquisition of a competitor in the last few years.
Bass Pro previously bought rival Cabela’s.
Sportsman’s Warehouse has 112 stores nationwide, although none are in Texas.
The deal is expected to close sometime in the coming year, although it will be subject to an antitrust review by the federal government.
Sportsman’s Warehouse has been one of the few businesses which have managed to prosper despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Sportsman’s CEO Jon Barker, from January through October sales were up 61 percent year-over-year.
Barker credited growing participation in hunting, camping, fishing and hiking for the increased sales, perhaps a customer response to social-distancing and lockdowns involving COVID-19.
The announcement of the deal comes three years after Bass Pro took over Cabela’s, merging two of the nation’s biggest outdoor retailers.
Bass Pro founder Johnny Morris, who now serves as chief executive of the group’s parent company, Great American Outdoors Group, said the takeover would “give our customers a best-of-the-best experience.”
