LV locations of Sportsman’s Warehouse, Weyerhaeuser to close

By Steve Green

Wednesday, March 11, 2009 | 9:42 a.m.

More Southern Nevadans are losing their jobs, with Sportsman's Warehouse and Weyerhaeuser separately announcing plans to close operations in the Las Vegas area.

Sportsman's Warehouse Holdings of Midvale, Utah, on Tuesday announced plans to close 23 stores around the country in order to reduce debt. Both stores in the Las Vegas area are on the closure list. They are at 5647 Centennial Center Parkway in northwest Las Vegas and at 390 W. Lake Mead Parkway in Henderson in the new shopping center near Water Street. Officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment on how many jobs would be lost locally.

The company also plans to sell 15 stores in other states to UFA Co-operative Ltd. of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. UFA in November had reached a deal to buy a majority interest in privately owned Sportsman's Warehouse, which had 67 U.S. stores selling hunting, fishing and other outdoor gear and annual revenue of about $800 million -- but that deal appears to have been scaled back.

"It is hoped that these actions will enable the firm to go forward as a viable entity with approximately 2,300 employees," Stuart Utgaard, Sportsman's Warehouse chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.

Separately, woods product giant Weyerhaeuser Co. of Federal Way, Wash., said the slow homebuilding market prompted it to indefinitely close wood mills in Evergreen, Ala.; Dodson and Simsboro, La.; and Chavies, Ky.; and service centers in Albuquerque; Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; Las Vegas and Reno.

The announcement affects about 480 employees at the nine locations, including four Las Vegas employees.

"Demand for wood products continues to decline due to a slowdown in the housing market, and virtually all of our operating facilities are experiencing reduced operations," said Tom Gideon, an executive vice president. "As a result of these challenging market conditions, the four manufacturing mills will close for an indefinite period of time to balance supply with our demand."

The company will continue to operate its 26 other building materials distribution sites and will service Las Vegas from the Fontana, Calif., center. These service centers sell products including lumber, plywood, oriented strand board, engineered wood products, exterior siding, cedar and appearance wood products, insulation and other specialty building products to dealers and home improvement retailers.