The new store, which will be situated on a 32-acresite between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, is expectedto be open by early 2006. It would be the largestoutdoor sports store in the state, according toCabela's.

The Sidney, NE-based retailer is completingnegotiations with the City of Gonzales to finalize anincentive package that would allow it to be reimbursedfor public infrastructure improvements in the areausing sales tax revenues generated by the store. Themeasure must be approved by a vote, and constructionon the store could begin in just a couple of months,the retailer says.

According to Cabela's President & CEO Dennis Highby,Louisiana is "a sportsman's paradise and its residentsare the embodiment of the Cabela's lifestyle." Infact, research indicates that Gonzales sits in themiddle of large concentration of Cabela's customers.

Like many of Cabela's other stores, the Gonzaleslocation is near freshwater and coastal saltwaterfishing. Moreover, the site will offer what theretailer describes as "legendary bayou country huntingfor waterfowl and other game species."

The new store will employ roughly 400 people fromGonzales and the surrounding area. Like other stores,the Gonzales store will offer products related tohunting, fishing, camping, hiking, boating andwildlife watching gear.

In conjunction with the new store, motels, restaurantsand other travel-related services are expected to bedeveloped, according to Cabela's.

Currently, Cabela's has three stores underdevelopment: a 230,000-sf unit in Fort Worth, TX; a185,000-sf store in Buda, TX; and a 150,000-sf unitin Lehi, UT. The retailer also has announced that itplans to build stores in Rogers, MN; Wheat Ridge, CO;and East Rutherford, NJ.