Bass Pro Shops founder and CEO Johnny Morris said despite inflation, the hunting, fishing and outdoor sports brand will continue to focus on affordability heading into boating and fishing season.
Inflation has fallen from a peak of 9.1% in June 2022 but remains elevated at 3.4%, above the Fed’s 2% target.
“Inflation is happening. It’s a reality,” Morris said in a video interview with Fox Business.
Energy prices rose for the third consecutive month in April, with gasoline prices increasing 2.8%, according to the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Though Bass Pro Shops is ending its inflation-fighting savings program in the second half of 2023, the brand remains committed to working with consumers to offer savings opportunities to combat rising inflation that is putting a hole in Americans’ wallets.
“We worked hard, and we still focus on affordability,” Morris said of his days starting Bass Pro decades ago.
Bass Pro Shops offers consumers payment plans as low as $5 or $10 per day, making the dream of boat ownership possible for almost anyone.
“My dad was passionate about providing value to his customers,” Morris says. “One of the things he would say to me every day was, ‘Johnny, what you have on your shelves isn’t worth as much as what your competitors have.'”
“I’m a big fan of Bass Pro Shops,” said Morris, a Missouri native, proudly displaying a framed advertisement for the Bass Tracker, an original Bass Pro Shops boat that retails for $2,995, hanging behind him.
“We’ve been successful by offering great value to fishermen and anglers,” he said, “that’s what we focus on. We build our boats here in the Ozarks and sell most of them direct, and we also have a few great, well-selected dealers.”
The company was founded by Morris in 1972, when gasoline cost 36 cents a gallon, or $2.53 today when adjusted for inflation.
“I asked my dad to get me some fishing equipment from the liquor store on the way to the lake,” Morris said. “We called it Bass Pro. Every penny we made went into this equipment.”
A committed conservationist, Morris credits Walmart founders his father, John A. Morris, Sam Walton, former President Theodore Roosevelt and naturalist John James Audubon for their commitment to consumer-driven business strategies as well as their ability to protect a healthy, common-sense harvest of “God-given natural resources.”
On Saturday, Morris unveiled Thunder Ridge Nature Arena, an outdoor amphitheater built on 1,200 acres near Table Rock Lake outside Branson, Missouri.
The grand opening was attended by thousands and featured a performance by country music A-lister Morgan Wallen.
The venue is set to host other big names including Chris Stapleton and Luke Bryan later this summer.
In July, the Rolling Stones will end their summer tour in Thunder Ridge.
Aimed at celebrating the natural beauty of the Ozarks, Thunder Ridge has partnered with Live Nation and ASM Global to run the day-to-day operations of the space, which will seat between 18,000 and 20,000 people.
“Here in the Ozarks, I think you can expect to get value for your money,” Morris said, “and in this area, you can expect honest, friendly service.”
Morris is a vocal advocate for environmental conservation and designed the amphitheater oasis to highlight the Ozarks’ rich history and unparalleled scenery.
“Despite the current economic situation, I think you can expect good value here,” Morris said.
