Scheels hiring hundreds as it preps to take on Cabela's, Bass Pro Shops

Company will compete with Cabela's, Bass Pro Shops and many other big-box sporting goods stores

The much-anticipated Scheels sporting goods store at the 117-acre CedarView project is hiring 500 employees ahead of a planned fall opening.

The company plans to add the associates to its 378,000-square-foot store ahead of its debut in Cedar Park — slated for late August or early September — at 750 E. New Hope Drive, representatives said Jan. 22. Approximately 200 employees will be full-time.

The employee-owned, North Dakota-based chain was founded in 1902 as a small hardware store in Minnesota and has now grown to 34 locations across 16 states and more than 13,000 associates. It's known as a retail store and entertainment destination, and will give Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops a run for their money.

The Cedar Park store will include over 300,000 square feet of retail space with 75 specialty shops and 1 million products from hunting gear to home decor. Some of the jobs include a baseball shop manager, men's fashion clothing shop manager, master fitters in the golf shop and bike technicians in the service shop. It has opened a career center at 11044 Research Blvd., Building C, Suite 400, for interviews.

“We have a small Scheels team here already making our new home in the Cedar Park and Leander community, but the majority of our associates will be hired locally. We can’t wait to get to know the community members, and we look forward to welcoming many of them to the Scheels family," Cedar Park store leader Lucas Hachmeister said in a statement.

The announcement marks another milestone for the CedarView mixed-use project that is anchored by a Nebraska Furniture Mart and is located in Cedar Park, a city of 78,400 people about 20 miles northwest of Austin.

Developers are deep into construction on Scheels and the 1.5 million-square-foot NFM, which is slated to open by early 2027. Plans also call for at least 700,000 square feet of warehouse space and 250,000 square feet of retail, not counting the massive furniture store that appears to be the largest single store ever to hit the Austin area.

Indiana-based real estate firm Great Lakes Capital, in partnership with NFM and the city of Cedar Park, is also deep into construction on a hotel and convention center on the site. The full-service Marriott hotel will have 297 guest rooms, 30,000 square feet of event and meeting space, a parking garage, a full-service restaurant, breakfast cafe and expansive pool area. It's set to open in early 2027.

J. Alexander's, owned by Houston-based SPB Hospitality, is the first public retail tenant. It is gearing up to build an 8,500-square-foot restaurant space adjacent to the entrance of the project. It is planned to open in conjunction with NFM and Scheels, which are aiming to open by early 2027.

Photo: The CedarView shopping Center next to Cedar Park's H-E-B Center arena will be anchored by Nebraska Furniture Market, which will be roughly the size of Lakeline Mall. It's flanked by a Scheels sporting goods store, which itself will be big enough to have a ferris wheel inside.
ABJ