SCHEELS

SCHEELS is an American privately held sporting goods retailer founded by Frederick A. Scheel in 1902 in Minnesota, headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota. It sells sporting goods, outdoor gear, apparel, and is known for large stores and wide product selection.

Scheels began in 1902 as a hardware and general-merchandise store in Sabin, Minnesota. Its founder, Frederick A. Scheel, was a German immigrant who used approximately $300 earned from his first potato harvest as the down payment on the original store. The early business was not primarily a sporting-goods retailer; it served local customers with general merchandise and hardware. In 1954, Scheels began adding a small selection of sporting goods. This category expanded over time as the company opened stores in surrounding communities. Fargo, North Dakota, became the corporate center of the growing business and remains the location of the company headquarters. Scheels continued to operate a combination of traditional retail stores and increasingly specialized sporting-goods locations. A major format change occurred in 1989, when Scheels opened its first all-sports superstore in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The all-sports format broadened the company’s assortment and established the model that later became central to its identity. The Grand Forks store subsequently moved to Columbia Mall in 2014. Scheels’ stores increasingly emphasized breadth of inventory, knowledgeable associates and a destination-like shopping experience. The company’s large-format strategy became particularly visible in the 2010s. In 2012, Scheels announced plans for a major store at Corbin Park in Overland Park, Kansas. The two-story, approximately 222,000-square-foot building opened on June 27, 2015. Its planned and completed attractions included a 16,000-gallon aquarium, a 65-foot Ferris wheel with 16 cars, sport simulators and a display focused on U.S. presidents. These features positioned the store as both a retailer and an entertainment destination. Scheels continued expanding beyond its traditional Midwestern base. In 2020, it opened a two-story, 250,000-square-foot store at Eden Prairie Center in Minnesota. That same year, the company entered Texas with a store in The Colony measuring approximately 331,000 square feet. The cited reference describes that location as the company’s largest store and the world’s largest all-sports store at the time. In 2023, the company added its first Arizona location at Chandler Fashion Center, replacing a vacant Nordstrom site. The cited location list also includes stores in the Mountain West and other parts of the central United States. The reference material describes Scheels as operating 34 stores in 16 U.S. states, primarily across the Midwest, with additional locations in Montana, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Texas and Oklahoma. Its newest cited store opened in Tulsa on October 19, 2024. Scheels has also maintained a presence in Fargo through two stores, including an all-sports store and a home-and-hardware-oriented location in a former sports-store site. The company remains privately held and employee-owned and operated. Leadership continues to include members of the Scheel family: Steve M. Scheel, a great-grandson of the founder, is identified as chief executive officer, while his father, Steve D. Scheel, is chairman of the board. The cited reference states that the company employs more than 11,000 associates. In addition to retailing products from multiple sporting and outdoor categories, Scheels operates Scheels Outfitters, an exclusive premium line covering hunting, fishing and shooting gear. The reference further states that in May 2026 Scheels announced the planned closure of its last hardware store at the end of that year, indicating a continuing strategic focus on sporting goods and destination retail.

• 2024

  Tulsa store opens

  [1]Scheelsen.wikipedia.org

  Scheels opens a location in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on October 19.

• 2023

  First Arizona location

  [1]Scheelsen.wikipedia.org

  Scheels opens its first Arizona store at Chandler Fashion Center.

• 2020

  Large-format expansion in Minnesota and Texas

  [1]Scheelsen.wikipedia.org

  Scheels opens a 250,000-square-foot store in Eden Prairie and a 331,000-square-foot store in The Colony, Texas.

• 2015

  Overland Park flagship opens

  [1]Scheelsen.wikipedia.org

  The approximately 222,000-square-foot Overland Park flagship opens with major entertainment attractions.

• 2014

  Grand Forks store relocates

  [1]Scheelsen.wikipedia.org

  The original Grand Forks all-sports store relocates to Columbia Mall.

• 2012

  Overland Park flagship announced

  [1]Scheelsen.wikipedia.org

  Scheels announces a major destination store at Corbin Park in Overland Park, Kansas.

• 1989

  First all-sports superstore opens

  [1]Scheelsen.wikipedia.org

  Scheels opens its first all-sports superstore in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

• 1954

  Sporting goods added to the assortment

  [1]Scheelsen.wikipedia.org

  Scheels begins carrying a small selection of sporting goods, a category that later becomes central to the business.

• 1902

  First Scheels store opens in Sabin

  [1]Scheelsen.wikipedia.org

  Frederick A. Scheel establishes a hardware and general-merchandise store in Sabin, Minnesota.

A broad-assortment, employee-owned sporting-goods retailer differentiated by very large destination stores, knowledgeable associates, specialty outdoor merchandise and integrated entertainment attractions.

• Sporting goods · 1989

  All-sports merchandise

  Scheels’ core assortment spans equipment, apparel, footwear and accessories for multiple sports and activities. The all-sports format is intended to serve team sports, fitness, recreation and general athletic use in one large retail destination rather than focusing on a single discipline.

• Outdoor equipment

  Scheels Outfitters

  Scheels Outfitters is Scheels’ exclusive premium outdoor brand. Its merchandise focuses on hunting, fishing and shooting, with products described as being designed for field experts by Scheels specialists and associates.

• Sports apparel

  Athletic apparel and footwear

  The chain carries sportswear, athletic clothing, footwear and related accessories for training, competition, outdoor activity and everyday use. Specific third-party brands and assortment depth vary by store and category.

• Outdoor recreation

  Hunting, fishing and shooting gear

  Outdoor departments provide equipment and accessories for hunting, fishing and shooting. These categories are also central to the Scheels Outfitters private brand and help distinguish the retailer from general sporting-goods stores.

• 2026

  Concentrate the business on sporting goodsStrategy

  Background

  Scheels retained historical links to hardware and general merchandise but had evolved into a sporting-goods-led retailer.

  Action taken

  The cited reference says Scheels announced that its last hardware store would close at the end of 2026.

  Source

• 2020

  Accelerate large-format geographic expansionStrategy

  Background

  Scheels continued expanding beyond its Midwestern base while favoring unusually large stores.

  Action taken

  The company opened large stores in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and The Colony, Texas.

  Aftermath

  The Texas store became the company’s largest cited location and extended the destination-store model into a new regional market.

  Source

• 2012

  Develop an experiential flagship in Overland ParkStrategy

  Background

  Scheels sought to extend its large-format retail model with a destination store rather than a conventional sporting-goods outlet.

  Action taken

  The company announced a two-story store at Corbin Park with an aquarium, Ferris wheel, sport simulators and other attractions.

  Aftermath

  The flagship opened in 2015 and reinforced Scheels’ positioning as a combination sporting-goods retailer and entertainment destination.

  Source

• 1989

  Adopt the all-sports superstore formatStrategy

  Background

  Scheels had expanded from its hardware and general-merchandise origins while gradually increasing its sporting-goods assortment.

  Action taken

  The company opened its first all-sports superstore in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

  Aftermath

  The format became the foundation for later large-scale stores and the company’s contemporary sporting-goods identity.

  Source

• 2026

  Scheels announces closure of its last hardware store[1]Scheelsen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The cited reference says Scheels announced in May 2026 that its last hardware store would close at the end of that year, further concentrating the business on sporting goods and related retail.

• 2024

  Scheels opens Tulsa location[1]Scheelsen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The company’s cited reference identifies October 19, 2024, as the opening date for its newest location in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

• 2020

  Scheels expands to The Colony, Texas[1]Scheelsen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Scheels opened a 331,000-square-foot store in The Colony, Texas, its first Texas location and, according to the cited reference, its largest store and the largest all-sports store in the world at that time.

• 2020

  Scheels opens Eden Prairie destination store[1]Scheelsen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The company opened a two-story, 250,000-square-foot store at Eden Prairie Center in Minnesota on July 11.

• 2015

  Overland Park flagship opens[1]Scheelsen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Scheels opened its large destination-format flagship in Overland Park, Kansas, on June 27, with entertainment attractions integrated into the retail environment.

• 2012

  Scheels announces Overland Park flagship[1]Scheelsen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Scheels announced plans for a large flagship store in Corbin Park, Overland Park, Kansas, featuring an aquarium, Ferris wheel, sport simulators and other experiential elements.

• 1989

  Scheels opens first all-sports superstore in Grand Forks[1]Scheelsen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The company opened its first all-sports superstore in Grand Forks, North Dakota, marking a major transition from its earlier hardware and general-merchandise format toward large-scale sporting-goods retail.

1. 1Scheelsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Scheels official websitescheels.com
3. 3Scheels opens new store in Missoula with grand opening eventktvh.com
4. 4The Barber Shop Marketing: Mountain Time Ski Expo Announces Partnership with SCHEELS for Multi-day Event at North Texas's Grandscape from November 12-14, 2021finanznachrichten.de