Cabela's is the world's largest retailer of outdoors merchandise. The sporting goods outfitter sells hunting, fishing and camping equipment and apparel. Cabela's operates 28 retail stores in the United States and Canada as well as major direct-to-consumer operations through its catalog and over the Internet. In 2007, Cabela's expanded into the Canadian retail market by acqiring S.I.R. Warehouse Sports Store, ending the year with one location in Winnipeg, Manitoba.^[1] The company also opened 8 new stores in the U.S. during 2007, and at year end Cabela's retail square footage had grown to 4.0 million.^[2]

Cabela's total revenue increased 14% in 2007 to over $2.3 billion.^[3] Comparable store sales fell 1.2% as tough economic conditions (U.S. real GDP grew only 2.2% during the year) discouraged customers from traveling to Cabela's.^[4][5] This trend has continued through the first quarter of fiscal 2008 as comparable store sales fell 8.4% in the quarter as real GDP grew at a 1.0% annual rate in the first quarter; however Cabela's managed to increase total revenue and operating income during the quarter despite falling same store sales.^[6][7]

(Read more at Wikinvest )