Bass Pro plans fifth Georgia store

Bass Pro Shops has laid out plans to build an Outpost store in Columbia County near Augusta, Ga.

The 50,000-square-foot store would be built along Interstate 20, according to a July 24 news release. The company operates three stores in Georgia and has another planned in the Peach State at Emerson.

“This joint venture between Bass Pro Shops, McKnight Properties and the county is a wonderful example of a public/private partnership,” Columbia County Commission Chairman Ron Cross said in the release. “The addition of Bass Pro Shops greatly coincides with Columbia County’s efforts to provide more shopping opportunities for our citizens and the region."

The store, which would employ up to 250 people, is slated for construction in the fourth quarter with a late 2014 or spring 2015 opening, according to a report from The Augusta Chronicle. The report noted Bass Pro would only pay taxes on six of eight acres, and the county would build and maintain a public parking lot.

Bass Pro's publicly traded rival, Sidney, Neb.-based Cabela's Inc. (NYSE: CAB), announced this morning it too would build an Augusta store. According to a release, the 42,000-square-foot store - which also carries the Outpost name - would employ 90 when it opens in spring 2014.

Cabela's also announced today second-quarter net income of $44.5 million, a 31.5 percent bump compared to $33.9 million in the same quarter a year ago. Company revenue increased 20.7 percent to $756.8 million from $627.3 million.

Bass Pro reportedly earns $2.6 billion in annual sales, according to Springfield Business Journal archives. Bass Pro operates 58 stores, while Cabela's has 45 stores, according to the company websites.