Fishing sales up 6% at major US retailer

Sales of fishing tackle rose by 6% at one of North America’s leading suppliers of gear for the sport in the first quarter of its financial year.

Sportsman’s Warehouse said that the performance was driven by seasonal demand as customers prepared for the spring fishing season. Its result was only bettered by sales of hunting and shooting equipment, which rose 7.4%, as the group reported a 2.8% increase to $256.1m ($249.1m) in revenue in the 13 weeks ended May 2. Other categories declined, reflecting continued pressure on the US consumer.

Paul Stone, President and CEO of Sportsman’s Warehouse, said: “I am pleased with our first quarter performance as same store sales increased 2.1% compared to last year despite continued consumer economic pressure and higher fuel prices. Our e-commerce business also delivered strong results with sales increasing by over 6%.

“As part of our 2026 strategy, we continue to enhance the online shopping and website experience and are encouraged by early results. Looking ahead, we remain focused on driving profitable growth, maintaining disciplined inventory management and generating positive free cash flow to further strengthen the balance sheet through debt reduction.”

For 2026 Sportsman’s Warehouse is predicting same store sales to be in the range of down 1% to 2% and adjusted EBITDA (profit before tax)  to be in the range of $30 to $36m.

Based in West Jordan, Utah, the group has 148 stores in 32 states.