What began as a fly-fishing equipment store nearly 175-years ago, Orvis announced they have decided to downsize quite a bit and close 31 stores and five outlets. That will be nearly half of their retail stores and that is a huge bite out of the brick and mortar retail landscape.
That may also take a retail bite out of Grand Rapids because we actually have two of those 70 stores. Scary, huh? What about us?
The Orvis stores, USAToday reports, have expanded “into sportswear, fine gifts, home furnishings, luggage and travel accessories,” over the years, but see this move as a move to become more focused on their original image, “fly fishing and wing shooting.”
The Orvis folks have said they won’t simply dump the lifestyle and apparel portion of their business, but just try to refocus on their original core business. “The emphasis will shift decisively toward gear and outdoor products directly related to fly fishing and hunting rather than general lifestyle merchandise,” Rolling Out.com says.
👇 BELOW: CHECK OUT AN INCREDIBLE FLY FISHING COMPOUND! 👇…