News

Cabela's opening in Columbus to be 'Disneyland of retail'

March 1, 2013

When Cabela's opens the doors to its new Columbus, Ohio location, shoppers will be greeted by the woodsy sounds of deer grunts and turkey calls. According to an article in the Columbus Dispatch, the themed sounds will couple with sights of the outdoors to create "the Disneyland of retail," said Jim Daugherty, the new location's general manager.

The store has an indoor "mountain" populated with a taxidermy display of animals such as polar bears, elk and coyotes; a large gun section including antique and collectible rifles and pistols; an indoor archery range where customers can try out some of the long bow and crossbow selection; a large aquarium stocked with local fish; and a deli featuring smoked bison, smoked elk and wild boar sandwiches as well as about 40 flavors of fudge, the article reported.

At 80,000 square feet of space, the store is smaller than most of its sister locations. The smaller "next generation" Cabela's is part of a growing trend among big-box retailers, several analysts said in the article.

"It's about money," said Pete Fantine, vice president and account director at SBC Advertising. "Best Buy is the one most notable lately. They said they were going to save $800 million just by opening smaller boxes. They spend less on real estate, the building, the staffing. This way they can open more stores."

Read more about store design and layout.