Big Rock Sports joins the ranks of major sporting goods brands struggling to survive.
and, According to the Wall Street JournalBig Rock recently took the step of filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. While some may not be familiar with the name, Big Rock has some history and once had an extensive catalog while specializing in guns and gun accessories as well as fishing gear and other outdoor items.
The Wall Street Journal notes that the retailer’s website is now down, but when it was operational, it explained that the brand had more than 200,000 product SKUs “serving more than 20,000 fishing, shooting, camping, taxidermy and marine retailers in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and eight other countries.”
The outlet reports that Big Rock’s website notes that its roots date back to the founding of All-Sports Supply 71 years ago.
Big Rock has liquidated its Canadian operations and the company now has “$2.57 million in direct borrowings and $17.7 million in secured debt,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
The sporting goods and outdoor retail space has struggled to grow recently.
Just last year, 169-year-old The Orvis Company announced plans to close 31 stores and five directly operated stores.
Orvis president Simon Perkins told Fox the move would start a “new chapter” for the business and would result in a “more focused portfolio of retail stores”.
Orvis’ roots date back to 1856, when it still maintained its headquarters in Sunderland, Vermont, Fox said. The channel stated that Orvis has more than 550 independent dealers and multiple national outdoor retailers in the country.
“Like much of the retail industry, Orvis’s business model faces a dramatic shift with the introduction of an unprecedented tariff landscape,” Perkins told Fox.
He told Fox that in order for Orvis to “ensure an enduring brand and model for decades to come, we are focusing on our core strengths and making the difficult but necessary decisions to resize the business by tightening our assortment and reducing our corporate store footprint.”
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