Cabela's to build store in Missoula next year

 Cabela’s plans to add a second store in Western Montana next year.

The outdoor-gear retailer, which is opening a new store in Kalispell this fall, announced on Thursday it will build a similar store in Missoula next year.

Construction is scheduled to begin this fall and Cabela’s anticipates a summer 2014 opening for the 42,000-square-foot Cabela’s Outpost store in Missoula. It’s the same size as the Kalispell store being built near West Reserve Drive along U.S. 93.  

It will be the company’s third Montana store, joining the Billings location opened in 2009.

Cabela’s expects to employ approximately 90 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees in Missoula.

Cabela’s, founded in 1961, is one of the country’s best-known sellers of hunting, fishing and camping gear and related outdoor merchandise.

“Missoula has a proud tradition of outdoor recreation and is full of sportsmen and women who live the Cabela’s lifestyle,” Tommy Millner, Cabela’s chief executive officer, said in a news release. “The support from our loyal customers in Billings, along with the growing excitement around our recent announcement to open a store in Kalispell, made it an easy decision to extend the Cabela’s retail footprint to Missoula.”

Cabela’s will be located on Brooks Street in the southeast quadrant of South Reserve Street and U.S. 93, where the existing Kmart building will be razed as part of a growing retail development being called South Crossing. Woodbury Corporation of Salt Lake City, Utah, is the developer of the project.

In Kalispell, hiring of approximately 125 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees is underway for the new Cabela’s.

Applications must be submitted online. Anyone interested in applying should visit www.cabelas.jobs, click on “Apply Now,” then “United States Jobs.” Then follow instructions to log in and follow the application process.

Interviews will begin Aug. 7 and continue through Aug. 10. Applying does not guarantee an interview.

Most employees are expected to come from Kalispell and the surrounding area.

“We are looking for customer service-oriented employees who are passionate about the outdoors and want to share their expertise with our loyal customers across the region,” David Hayward, general manager of the new store, said recently.

The firm opened its first Cabela’s Outpost store in fall 2012 in Union Gap, Wash. In February, the company opened its second such location in Saginaw, Mich.

Cabela’s on Thursday also announced plans to open stores in Acworth, Ga.; Augusta, Ga.; and Barrie, Ontario, Canada. The company currently operates 45 stores across the United States and Canada and has announced plans to open 19 more over the next two years.

Cabela’s Inc. is headquartered in Sidney, Nebraska.