Midway There
Posted by Pete Robbins on Jun 22nd 2020
At a time when some larger retailers seem to be having trouble on the fishing side (non-big-box store Tackle Warehouse being an obvious exception), Midway USA seems to be taking the opposite approach. They’re diving headfirst into our space. As someone who doesn’t buy a lot of guns or ammunition, I don’t have a lot of history with Midway, and their slogan remains “Just about everything for shooting, hunting and the outdoors,” but based on recent ads and a quick perusal of their website, it seems that this is more than a lark.
Like fellow sporting goods magnate Johnny Morris, Midway’s founder Larry Potterfield hails from Missouri and has been feted with numerous awards and honors related to outdoor sports and conservation. He founded the business in 1977, but unlike Morris who started with fishing and quickly expanded into other realms, Potterfield only lately seems to be entering the fishing space after decades of building other lineups. Of course that creates advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, he doesn’t have the longstanding relationships with the fishing industry that might provide a certain amount of goodwill and pricing strength. On the other hand, he can learn from the mistakes made by others, and already has a substantial online presence and mail-order strategy in place – without the overhead of “destination” storefronts.
Is this a strategic entry based on some 2020-specific market condition? Is it just a test balloon? Or is it part of a long-held plan just coming to fruition?
I’m guessing it’s far from accidental. An article several years back about Potterfield’s obsession with management excellence quoted part of the company’s application for the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award (“a kind of decathlon gold medal for organizational excellence”). Among other factors, they addressed Midway’s ability to “be ready for anything” when there are substantial changes in market conditions, and the company’s assessment of the competition on all relevant factors. While Potterfield and his team might not have foreseen the rise of COVID-19 and the resulting conditions, there’s no question that the company had a game plan in place for a major market shift.
I have no inside scoop, and without a long history of Midway purchases I may not be fully qualified to comment as to whether they’ll succeed in this arena – however, as a frequent and excessive purchaser of fishing tackle, I’ve seen and experienced enough to know that our space has room for another hungry entrant. While I sincerely hope that the addition of another powerful player doesn’t squeeze out the small and local retailers completely, I’m also wise enough to know that consumers do best when there’s ample competition. I welcome all challengers to the space, and promise to do my part if you offer the right combination of selection, pricing and, most importantly, service.
