Sportsman's Guide Returns To American Ownership

If you are like most of us, you either get the Sportsman's Guide catalog or you used to get it. It is full of stuff from military surplus to ammo to some really weird trinkets. I know I've ordered everything from shoes to surplus to ammo from them and their prices tend to be pretty decent.

What most people don't know is that they have been owned by the French catalog company Redcats. No longer.

According to a story published yesterday in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, the South St. Paul based Sportsman's Guide is being sold by Redcats to Northern Tool + Equipment Co. along with the Golf Warehouse for $215 million.

Pending regulatory approvals, the acquisitions will give Northern Tool approximately $1.5 billion in annual sales.

Northern Tool said both companies will be integrated into its existing operations to take advantage of economies of scale, but they will continue to operate as stand-alone brands to "take advantage of their considerable brand equity."

Northern Tool does not plan to cut any jobs at those businesses, and it may add positions as the operations merge.

"We are very bullish about this milestone acquisition — it builds on our operational strength and synergies,"Northern Tool President Chuck Albrecht said in a statement. "Furthermore, we were drawn to both companies being family-run institutions with strong management."

I'm glad to see Sportsman's Guide be American-owned again. I just hope they still will have all the interesting European military surplus. I mean where else can you find both East German splinter camo coats and Czech-made glass urinals for field hospital use (among other things).