Photo by Audrey Hall
Vista Outdoor recently announced its intention to sell Revelyst, the parent company of Simms Fishing Products and others, to Strategic Value Partners (SVP) for $1.125 billion, which is set to bring changes to the iconic fly fishing brand. As Simms moves under new ownership, the deal could provide the company with additional resources to enhance its operations and expand its presence in the fishing world. SVP’s investment focus aligns with helping brands scale, which could mean exciting growth opportunities for Simms as it continues to innovate its high-performance gear.
For anglers, this transition could lead to even better product offerings and broader availability of Simms’ renowned gear. This comes at a time when Simms is already a leader in our industry, and new ownership may accelerate its ability to meet the needs of passionate anglers around the globe. The deal is expected to close by early 2025, signaling the start of a new chapter for Simms Fishing Products.
Learn more in the Vista Press Release here!
Remember Toys R Us? Goodbye Simms! You were once so great. You were the star of fly shops all over the world, their exclusive brand. But you decided to give it all up and cash out to the highest bidder. Now you’re being flipped. Once you decided to betray your vendors by supplying the big boxes to make yourself a more attractive seller, we knew the game was up. Your quality went down. Your culture was destroyed. Too bad, so sad. But monetizing the fly fishing game is what it’s all about these days, huh?
When simms sold out some years back the new CEO at that time was a climate change denier who supported all climate change denying politicians. Not exactly on the side of the people who care about the climate and everything in it. Now he’s the head guy at FERC and they are all about the 1% which I unfortunately am not one of. A few years back the felt came off my new G4 boots and they wanted me to send them during guide season for a warranty repair instead of sending me felt. Bought Korkers the next day without regret and they’ve been a nice boot. My new Grunden waders will be here soon so goodbye simms.
Private equity will own all these specialty retailers. How they manage the brands remains to be seen. Stuff was already overpriced.