Bass Pro Shops becomes retail powerhouse

Evidence is in Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau data that nearly 65 percent of those visiting Springfield make a stop at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, known as “The Mecca” among company officials. Not only is it Springfield’s most visited destination, the destination retailer is said to attract more than 4 million people annually – the most by a single attraction in the state.

Founded in 1972, Bass Pro Shops has evolved from an 8-foot bait counter in a Brown Derby liquor store to a national retail dynamo. In 1974, Bass Pro debuted its catalog, which combined with its sale circulars now has distribution of more than 100 million.

In the late 1980s, Bass Pro’s fishing and hunting classics drew hoards to Springfield’s Outdoor World. The first year, the Fire Marshall restricted entry and Police were on site for crowd control. Witnesses described it as a circus.

Now, the bigger circus is Bass Pro’s cross-country tour. There are 27 stores in 17 states from Florida’s southern coast to Las Vegas. Last year, Bass Pro opened its first international store in Toronto.

The national expansion has been rapid, with no end in sight; 10 stores have opened in the last two years. A Columbia store opened this year and six more stores are on the 2005 calendar. Deals are in place for another nine openings through 2007.

“It’s been crazy here,” said Bass Pro spokesman Larry Whiteley.

So crazy that neither Morris nor company President Jim Hagale could arrange an interview for this story; they try to personally attend each new opening and are often out of town negotiating for new store sites, Whiteley said.

This nationwide trek hasn’t been without disruption, primarily because of opposition to the company’s tactic of leveraging tax dollars for new store construction, typically more than $20 million. Such efforts in Denham Springs, La., landed Bass Pro in federal court; a resident questioned the use of tax monies – $26 million worth – to develop a Bass Pro store. It eventually went to public vote and passed overwhelmingly. Bass Pro hasn’t been as fortunate in North Little Rock, Ark., where plans have stalled and a billboard sent the message, “We will welcome Bass Pro if they agree to pay.”

Bass Pro officials say the expansion strengthens the interest in Springfield’s store.

“Springfield is having one of the best years it’s ever had,” Whiteley said, predicting 2005 will end up as one of the store’s top three grossing years. “Everybody says it’s going to kill Springfield with all these stores – no, it just introduces more people to Bass Pro Shops, and they come to the mother ship.”

Bass Pro did $1.6 billion in 2003 sales, according to Hoover’s online. Sales have climbed steadily since the privately owned company topped $1 billion in 2001.

It’s also after new secondary revenue streams.

Bass Pro offers an Outdoor Rewards credit card through MBNA that nets purchasers money to spend at its stores and now has a private-label Bass Pro card. Bass Pro’s Islamorada Fish Co. restaurants are expanding, and officials are working on a barbecue restaurant concept.

Meanwhile, the Bass Pro logo has hit the big screen, with its Nascar sponsorship in “Herbie: Fully Loaded.” And the company has linked with another nationally recognized name, Starbucks, for a coffee kiosk in its Springfield Outdoor World.