Ralph Castner

Cabela's is leaving something behind as it begins its journey to become a truly omnichannel retailer: its paper catalogs. The retailer's initial steps will focus on a print-to-digital transformation, tests of targeted shipping offers, and new mobile and digital efforts for the holiday season, according to CEO Thomas Millner. "Late last year, we began to develop a multiyear approach to reverse the four-year downtrend in our direct segment and transform our 51-year-old legacy catalog business into an omnichannel enterprise supporting transformation for digital, e-commerce and mobile while optimizing the customer experience with our growing retail footprint."

Outdoor gear retailer Cabelas profit soared in its fiscal first quarter, rising 62 percent, but it was an 8 percent decline in Internet and catalog sales the area of the business that generates what the company calls its direct revenue that caught the attention of investors. Cabelas of Sidney, Neb., which operates a store in Lacey, earned a fiscal first-quarter profit of $28.8 million, or 40 cents a share, compared to net income of $17.8 million, or 25 cents a share in the same year-ago period.Revenue increased across most of the companys business segments, except for direct revenue, which