Cabela’s files for initial public offering

Nebraska-based outdoor specialty store Cabela’s Inc. has filed for an initial public offering of its common stock.

Founded in 1961 by Dick Cabela and his wife, Mary, the family-owned business has grown from selling Japanese fishing lures by mail order to the nation’s largest direct marketer and a leading specialty retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor gear.

Based in Sidney, Neb., Cabela’s has nine stores, which feature big-game trophies, indoor waterfalls and aquariums. There are two stores in Nebraska, two in Minnesota, and one each in South Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Kansas and Pennsylvania. A 10th store is set to open later this year in Wheeling, W.Va. The Kansas store is located near the Kansas Speedway in Wyandotte County.

The company said Tuesday that an IPO registration statement had been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission but it had not become effective.

Company spokesman Joe Arterburn said he could not discuss the IPO until the SEC had accepted it.

Cabela’s is a major employer in Sidney, a town of 6,200, with more than 1,600 employees at its headquarters and store. Cabela’s employs more than 8,000 people around the country.