169-year-old outdoor store chain to shutter half its stores by next year, citing tariffs

[mahatmakanejeeves]

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169-year-old outdoor store chain to shutter half its stores by next year, citing tariffs

Updated: Nov. 03, 2025, 1:01 p.m.|Published: Nov. 03, 2025, 11:45 a.m.

By Veronica Nocera | The Oregonian/OregonLive

A 169-year-old outdoor and sporting goods chain will cut its retail footprint in half by next year.

Vermont-based Orvis announced last month it would close three dozen locations — 31 stores and five outlets — by early 2026. Founded in 1856, the outdoor retailer currently operates about 70 retail locations nationwide, including in Oregon.

Orvis’ business model has been forced to shift in response to what company president Simon Perkins called an “unprecedented tariff landscape.” … “To ensure a durable brand and model for decades to come, we are focusing on our core strengths and making the difficult but necessary decision to rescale the business by tightening our assortment and reducing our corporate store footprint,” Perkins said in an October statement shared with VTDigger.

The 169-year-old chain will also shift focus back to fly fishing and wingshooting, he said, two areas that gave the retailer its start. … Orvis has not provided details on which locations are slated to close.

[Botany]

1. Trump's Tariffs .... how many outdoor people voted for Trump?

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Independent store brands have not done well

The factory outlet space essentially. Bass, and I believe Nike and the like exited the business. As the big mega malls were overloaded, independent outlet factory outlets opened. There were bus tours that docked at these places. So the internet and now tariffs destroyed that shopping too! All of life will be spent at a keyboard clicking your mouse for Jeff Bezos and Walmart.