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Sporting goods retailer not coming to Akron despite sales-tax rebate
By Rick Armon Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Friday, Nov 02, 2007
Forget about Bass Pro Shops opening a store in Akron anytime soon.
The outdoor sporting goods company, based in Springfield, Mo., has decided not to invest here, Summit County Executive Russ Pry said Thursday.
''It's nothing against the area,'' he said. ''They were re-strategizing where their development would be.''
Bass Pro had submitted an application to the county in April for a $50 million project that would have included a 150,000- to 180,000-square-foot store and restaurant. The facility would have employed about 250 people and have been located along Interstate 76 near the interchange with Interstate 77.
Summit County Council had approved a potential $1.5 million sales-tax rebate for the company and had been awaiting word about whether Bass Pro would move forward.
Bass Pro spokesman Larry Whiteley said the area didn't meet the company's needs. He declined to comment further.
The outdoor sporting goods company would have been part of a larger project in East Akron that includes a new worldwide headquarters for the Goodyear Please see Bass Pro, A4
Continued from Page A1
Tire & Rubber Co.
Bass Pro stores are seen as tourist attractions because of their size and amenities, which include huge aquariums, archery ranges and museum-quality taxidermy displays. The company says its 44 stores in the United States and Canada attract more than 90 million visitors each year.
''Quite a few people will be disappointed,'' said Lloyd Phillips, 66, a Suffield Township resident and trustee with the Goodyear Fishing & Hunting Club.
Phillips recently visited a Bass Pro store in Fort Myers, Fla., and was impressed with the selection. The prices, though, weren't much different than in other sporting goods stores, he said.
''I'd like to see us get something,'' he added. ''It'd be nice to have a nice big store with a lot more selection.''
The news is disheartening, Pry said, but developers ''are very optimistic'' about other opportunities. He could not name other potential investors, and developer Stu Lichter could not be reached for comment.
Mayor Don Plusquellic, who is traveling in Germany, issued a statement saying discussion about Bass Pro was premature, and there was no firm agreement with the company. A state law that allowed the sales-tax rebate was expiring earlier this year and Bass Pro had to submit an application ''by the deadline or there was no chance to attract them,'' he said.
''We have confidence that the developer will be able to attract other major companies to this redeveloped area,'' he said. ''But the major focus has always been keeping Goodyear, not getting any one specific retailer.''
Bass Pro officials had been tight-lipped about the possibility of opening a store in Akron and would not even confirm their interest earlier this year. The Beacon Journal had obtained the company's application, which detailed the proposal, through a public records request.
In August, Bass Pro broke ground on a $50 million store in northern Wood County in the Toledo area. It is set to open in June. The company also has a store in Cincinnati.
One of Bass Pro's competitors, Cabela's, has expressed an interest in building a superstore in Brunswick in Medina County.
For more details about Bass Pro, go online to http://www.basspro.com.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.
Forget about Bass Pro Shops opening a store in Akron anytime soon.
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