Private Equity Is Ruining a Beloved Fly-Fishing Brand, Retailers Say
Fly shops across the US are publicly dropping Simms after a private equity roll-up and broader turbulence in the outdoor industry.
Fly-fishing on the Animas River in Durango, Colorado.
Photographer: Will Warasila for Bloomberg Businessweek
Soon after opening his fly shop in Colorado in 1983, John Flick started stocking Simms Fishing Products. The brand was only a few years old, but its chest waders were already synonymous with quality. For decades, Flick and his co-owner watched as their store, Duranglers, which is blocks from the Animas River in Durango, grew alongside Simms as its waders, boots and accessories flew off their shelves.
But Flick’s loyalty was sharply tested by recent ownership and strategic changes at Simms that he says had eaten into his profit margins. In July he and his business partner made the tough decision to drop the brand from his store. “This is the direction we need to go to keep us healthy, but I didn’t want to because I felt so devoted,” Flick says. “But it got to a point where these people didn’t give a f—.”