Cabela’s is in negotiations to build an approximately 185,000-square-foot destination/entertainment outdoor gear store in Rogers, Minnesota. The superstore, which would be the largest outdoor sports store in the state, is planned for opening late this fall or early in the spring of 2006.
The store, which would be built on approximately 40 acres of a 55-acre site about 10 miles northwest of Minneapolis near the intersection of Interstate 94 and Minnesota Highway 101, would be Cabela’s third store in Minnesota. Cabela’s opened a 159,000-square-foot store in Owatonna in 1998 and a 59,000-square-foot store in East Grand Forks in 1999.
“Our comprehensive market research showed that Rogers is an ideal location and such a great opportunity for Cabela’s that it just makes sense for us to add a third store in the state,” said Cabela’s President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Highby, a native Minnesotan. “With the success of our Owatonna and East Grand Forks stores, Minnesota continues to be a large and growing market for us. This is an opportunity for us to offer more of our world-famous products and customer service to our great customers who live in Minnesota, as well as to the thousands of hunters and anglers who travel to and through Minnesota each year.”
This store would be in the midst of a concentration of Cabela’s customers and adjacent to the well-traveled I-94/Highway 101 intersection, which serves as the gateway to the huge expanse of sporting opportunities in the middle and upper regions of the state – including Mille Lacs and the entire Minnesota lake country famous for its hunting, fishing, water sports, resorts and summer homes, as well as ice-fishing and winter sports when the weather turns cold, Highby said. And that’s not to mention the thousands of people who pass through, traveling to the Canadian Shield, with its expanse of lakes, woods and fishing and hunting opportunities, he said.
To operate the new store, Cabela’s would employ as many as 350 to 400 people who will join the Cabela’s family of more than 9,300 employees. Employees are expected to come from Rogers and the surrounding area to join Cabela’s family of staff members famous for their outdoor lifestyle and intimate knowledge of outdoor products.
“We know from experience that Minnesotans are hardworking, loyal and dependable employees,” Highby said. “They have a solid work ethic and, with their knowledge of and passion for the outdoors, they make a great addition to the Cabela’s family.”
“We have been welcomed warmly in Minnesota and feel we are already a part of the state and its culture,” Highby said. “We are confident this store will be a huge economic boon to Rogers and the surrounding area.”
Though the site has been identified and a real estate contract inked, there are still several details to work out before the store can become a reality, Highby said. If an agreement is reached, construction is expected to begin as soon as possible.
The new store will complement the Owatonna and East Grand Forks stores. The Owatonna store continues to grow, serving the southern part of the state as well as those traveling from the Midwest to the Twin Cities and points north. The East Grand Forks store similarly serves its own customer base in western Minnesota, the Dakotas and Canada – as well as those traveling to those areas.
“Even though the Rogers store will be 90 miles north of our Owatonna store, which is the second largest tourist attraction in Minnesota, our customers have been urging and encouraging us to build a store on the north side of Minneapolis so they can have even more access to Minnesota’s largest selection of outdoor equipment and our world-famous customer service,” said Mike Callahan, Cabela’s Senior Vice President of Retail Operations and Marketing.
Cabela’s currently has 10 retail locations. The newest, a 176,000-square-foot facility in Wheeling, W.Va., opened in August of 2004. Currently under construction are a 230,000-square-foot store in Fort Worth, Texas; a 185,000-square-foot store in Buda, Texas; and a 150,000-square-foot store in Lehi, Utah. Cabela’s has also announced plans to build a store in Wheat Ridge, Colo., in 2006, and another in East Rutherford, N.J., in 2007.
