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Fleet Farm Sold

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wi_buff_farmer

Member
Looks like the good ol days of fleet farm are gone! THey have sold a majority interest to a new york private equity firm. I have noticed a change the last 10 years or so.. They have got into other areas like groceries, hunting, and fishing. I have heard many liked the southern wi family spin-off blains farm and fleet better?
 
It is surely an eerie feeling for all the employees. The local news in Nebraska said that Cabela's is going to be to announcing a decision this week about the future of the Sidney, NE company. What hurt Cabela's was issuing public stock and to generate all that money to build all those stores in recent years. Same store sales are down drastically. People used to drive hundreds of miles to visit one of the Cabela's. Now they have stores that are closer and the old stores aren't selling near the amount they used to. I haven't heard how their catolog sales are doing? I remember when Cabela's was in an old school in downtown Sidney. Now it's by the interstate and gigantic. Through the years they sold small log cabins that they had displayed on their lot, bicycles with Cabela's stamped on them and recently got into the tractor sales business. Some company that is putting up another new motel by the Cabela's there has stopped construction on the motel pending the upcoming annoucement.(As if they even needed another new motel out there.)
 
My first thought was similar to yours--"I wonder how long it will take for the bean counters to screw up the place?"

Our local FF just opened up here last year. I've been in it a few times. But we've also got a local place here, C & S Supply. I really like them and still go there, because I don't want them to get driven out of business by the big box place.

Menards is another place that has really changed. Used to be strictly a building center, now they also have groceries, automotive, you name it.
 
(quoted from post at 08:31:30 01/05/16) Looks like the good ol days of fleet farm are gone! THey have sold a majority interest to a new york private equity firm. I have noticed a change the last 10 years or so.. They have got into other areas like groceries, hunting, and fishing. I have heard many liked the southern wi family spin-off blains farm and fleet better?
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Growing up in MN I loved going to Fleet Farm. Recently visited the super mega Fleet Farm in Ankeny, IA and the store was so big and had so much stuff that it was overwhelming. I won't go back. When it takes you 20 minutes to walk from one corner of the store to the other it's too much. When I go to a farm store I have a very specific purpose and need, I don't want to walk 20 minutes to get to farm section only to find they no longer carry what I came to get.

We have a Blain's Farm and Fleet nearby. They just built a new store 3-4x larger than the old one, I think the new one carries less stuff (more clothes and housewares). I'll still stick with my TSC or Farm King.
 
I can remember going to central tractor about 30 miles away and they had a lot of parts and could get used parts. Not sure what happened to them. There was a local store called Big Blue that was the best farm store after they closed it turned to orschlens but not near as good. Now I drive to Rural King in next town.
 
We have a Fleet Farm nearby in Clintonville, WI. I'd guess one of the first and smallest stores they have. People complain the store doesn't have what they want and would need to travel to the Appleton store. You've maybe heard the saying "if fleet farm don't have it you don't need it". I'd really miss my local store if it were closed up.
 
I've always liked FF. Remember going to the original store in Brainerd MN as a kid.
I still buy all my oils, lynch pins, tractor mufflers, batteries and the like at FF.
Also usually buy my hunting and fishing licences
there. And peanuts, bag candy, trail mix and other gedunk too.
 
They are closing the Target store in town the end of the month. Was here 15 years. Target hasn't figured out its place in the retail market, they are leaving any sort of rural area and working on big city metro area, more high end items. Oh well, sad to see them go but they kinda abandoned our rural type of products so e time ago trying to save themselves I get it.

Kmart left years ago.

There is rumor the few year old Menards local store is on thin ice, might close if things don't pick up this summer. One of their most bipusiness stores is only 30 miles away, they built ours to take the pressure off that store as it was just too busy.....

Walmart came about the time Kmart closed of course. They have never been open 24 hours in this town, just odd for a Walmart? Hear they really aren't doing well, tho with Target closing in sure they will be fine. I've never heard a good thing about their grocery section.

Both long time grocery stores in town have been 24 hour for decades, and seem to be doing well. Hyvee and Cashwise.

Strangely, we still have a Sears tool and appliance, and a Radio Shack in town. Go figure!

Mills Fleet Farm just opened up a year ago 30 miles away. Will be disappointed when the management team from a big city guts them and they stop selling rural stuff any more. We just get them near, and they change. Sigh. And we all know, they will change. Selfie sticks are big markups, a tractor battery is not.....

Runnings is in town, they have been a good rural supply store. A little high priced, but they have stuff. They took over the old Kmart building a couple years ago, glad to see them remain active, expanding, and more or less family owned yet.

Cabelas, they have always been so high priced. Neat to visit, make a day trip of it, but hard to do any sort of weekly shopping there. Just so high priced. They should have remained a treat, a few widely spaced stores. When they try to be in every metro area they get lost in the background, just too high priced to be an everyplace store. Bass Pro will have to gut them to make it all work..... Won't ever be what it was when they were just a few special stores.

Best Buy was in big trouble years ago, they seem to have figured out how to do online and retail at the same time, and are on solid ground for now. They are 30 miles away.

So it goes.

The irony of all this is Sears. They -were- the big online store - known as catalog sales back then. They controlled the retail sales in the USA at one time. Now, they struggle to survive, probably will have to bankrupt to get to the other side some year. And so, now they are the ones beaten by online sales, such as Amazon. The new king. What goes around comes around.

Paul
 
It always amazes me how so many companies do things bass ackwards. Instead of servicing the cusomers they already have, they change the buisness plan to go after new customers. The new customers numbers end up being way less than projected, and now the base customers are alienated so they do their shopping somewhere else out of spite.

The company tanks and the CEO that dreamed up the crap gets a huge contract buyout and lives happily ever after.
 
we live in central wis. there is 2 fleet farms one in Wausau and one in Marshfield about 25 miles away,what happened that the farm and fleet stores are so similar was it a spin off from the original fleet farm, none are close one is by Chippewa falls however we get flyers they seem so similar.
 
Cabela's bought out the old Rockwell International building here in Kearney years ago. They made it into a pretty decent Cabela's. When it first opened I can remember Union Pacific trains stopping on the tracks and the train crews running across Highway 30 to go to the store....truckers would stop their semis on the side of the highway to run in the store. As of late, they have pulled out most of the wildlife displays and the big fish tanks. It has the feel of a surplus/warehouse place now.
Tom
 
I think it's all a indication of what business is like in the US. Being good at what you do and making a reasonable profit isn't good enough anymore it's all about growth. Issue stock and it's all abuot growth not dividends (profits).I remember hearing about the Coleman company the camping equipment folks, the ended up becoming part of Sunbeam (appliances). Coleman was profitable but it had no prospect of growth as they had pretty good market share in the markets they were in. The only way they could grow the company was to grow the market, diversify or merge into a company that was growing. Funny part was the guy running Sunbeam was playing fast and loose with the rules and stockholders of Coleman ended up trading their Coleman shares for Sunbeam shares that were virtually worthless in about a year
 
Rich, I'm about 6 miles from C&S. You are right about trying to keep them going. I buy everything I can from them. Parking spaces are about 10 steps from front door. Plenty of help walking around
although they are not to knowledgeable. I frequent it enough that I about know where everything is.
 
Down in Atlantic City they have a very big- national store- discount come buy stuff- mobbed in the summer- several blocks big area. Bas Pro started building a big one block square area with parking store last summer. They opened it up about the end of summer this year. The place is mostly always Packed. Near Christmas there were ten or fifteen cars on the shoulder down the street waiting to get a parking spot! I have not bothered to go there yet but several of the surf fishing crowd just love the place. Biggest store I have ever seen is up in NY. Seneca Falls Has a huge pile of boats and trailers that looks like a giant car lot and a really big store too. Summer time up there things are really hopping!
 
That's too bad cause the old Fleet stores sure beat any other store around. The Farm and Fleet we have around here is better than TSC or Farmking but I would have put Fleet and Farm above all of them.
 
Lol,
I knew there would be some here who understood that term.
Fleet Farm doesn't have that much stuff for fleets and farms anymore but they do have a lot of good gedunk.
Do you guys remember comshaw too?
 
Things won't change much im sure. I moved up close to the cities a few months ago and the biggest disappointment to me has been Mills Fleet Farm. If you want nuts and snacks for your next party then its a great place, but if you actually need a quality tool or hardware look somewhere else. I guess if you are in yuppieville then you need to cater to the yuppie!!
 

Went to school with him, not sure why they needed to sell the company, had plenty of money. Guess never enough. Sorry for all the employees...
 
It looks like KKR will operate them - they already operate some other retail that are nice places (like Academy Sports, for one). They may not operate every store though - those that don't perform will probably eventually go, but maybe not immediately. Of course if a store is not performing is SHOULD go.
 
What the story was/is with Mills Fleet Farm is the sale was done because the company felt it needed outside help to grow even bigger. A better warehousing and distribution system plus the capital to build more stores. Been shopping Fleet Farm sense 71. I'll keep going till they change too much.

The reason they spread everything out so much is impulse buying. You wouldn't believe how much extra stuff they sell because you have departments broken up by other departments.

On a side note through the ammo shortages they have not been price gouging. They may limit how much you buy but they ain't ripping people off.

Rick
 
Central Tractor got bought up by Quality Farm Stores and went belly up not long after. The used/rebuilt parts branched off and became nnalert. I don't think they have anything used anymore. Not that great of selection of new/rebuilt stuff either unless it's N series Ford anymore.
 
I have been going to Blain's Farm & Fleet all my life. Story I have heard is Blains and Mill were in WWII together, one helped other, when they got out the started store together, then split. That is why there is no overlap in stores, Mills is northern WI, MN, Dakotas, Blains south WI, IL, IA. Blains is getting more like a Walmart all the time, but the farm population has really dwindled. They still have real good tool selection, good quality too. I buy most of my clothes there along with car supplies, pet food, hardware, repair supplies, pretty much most of my stuff. I hope Blains doesn't go that route.
 
Heard that also . Hope not, dont care for Bass Pro . I remember when Cabelas, and Gander Mt were mail order only . Of couse that grand daddy of mail order Herters! which I think got bought out or name taken over by Northern Tool .
 
Blains Farm and Fleet regular here too near Morton, IL.
Local Big R is similar but do stop at TSC sometimes.
 
(quoted from post at 15:42:31 01/05/16)
(quoted from post at 16:10:03 01/05/16) You and Rich's Toys must be in the Mankato area. Right?
Click to expand...
Yep! I'm about 20 miles away.
Click to expand...

Does that house right on 14 still have the creepy doll looking out from the attic window?
 
(quoted from post at 22:48:18 01/05/16)
Does that house right on 14 still have the creepy doll looking out from the attic window?
Click to expand...

If so, I am going to have to go down there and see that sometime. I have some good friends in Janesville and Eagle Lake.

I'm somewhat located between 3 Fleet Farms. Chaska, Lakeville and Mankato. I don't shop there that often, but they still send a lot of ads in the mail.
 
(quoted from post at 17:37:32 01/05/16) I am a big fan of Bomgaars Supply.
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I had my first visit to Bomgaars while attending the Forest City, IA show this past September. Very awesome store! I sure wish we had one up here in our part of Minnesota.
 
(quoted from post at 22:48:18 01/05/16)

Does that house right on 14 still have the creepy doll looking out from the attic window?
Click to expand...

No. The guy passed away several years ago and everything was sold at auction. I believe the doll was donated somewhere--either to the local library or the Historical Society or someplace. It's part of the local folklore here.
 

Is this the doll?


31602.jpg
 
Yes, that is the doll. Nice picture. Hope you don't mind that I saved it. But as I had mentioned, it is no longer up there, and the house is standing empty.
 
(quoted from post at 00:55:23 01/06/16)
(quoted from post at 22:48:18 01/05/16)

Does that house right on 14 still have the creepy doll looking out from the attic window?
Click to expand...

No. The guy passed away several years ago and everything was sold at auction. I believe the doll was donated somewhere--either to the local library or the Historical Society or someplace. It's part of the local folklore here.
Click to expand...

My friend in Janseville confirmed it's at the library. There is even a short movie about the doll on YouTube named The Janesville Doll <-click on title to view video.
 
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