Archery Industry Price Fixing Class-Action Lawsuit

Anyone who has purchased archery equipment from:

• Bowtech, LLC
• Mathews Archery, Inc.
• Precision Shooting Equipment, Inc.
• BPS Direct, LLC D/B/A Bass Pro Shops
• Cabela’s LLC
• Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc.
• Jay’s Sporting Goods, Inc. D/B/A Jay’s Sporting Goods
• Kinsey’s Outdoors, Inc.
• Lancaster Archery Supply, Inc.
• Archery Trade Association, Inc.
• Tradestreet, Inc
• Neuintel LLC D/B/A Pricespider Holdings, LLC, F/K/A Pris Intelligence.

A proposed class-action lawsuit accuses key players in the archery industry of engaging in illegal price fixing. The suit claims that manufacturers, distributors, and retailers — including Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, Bowtech, and Mathews Archery — conspired to inflate prices through the use of Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policies.

These policies, which prevent retailers from advertising products below a set price, were allegedly enforced to eliminate competition and drive prices higher. The Archery Trade Association (ATA) is accused of facilitating this scheme, in violation of federal antitrust laws, causing consumers to pay more than they should have.

Core allegations:

• Price Fixing via MAP Policies: The lawsuit centers on the ATA and its members’ adoption and enforcement of MAP policies.
• Collusion: The defendants allegedly worked together to establish a price floor for archery equipment, suppressing price competition.
• Harm to Consumers: The alleged conspiracy led to artificially inflated prices for archery products.

ATA’s Role: The ATA is portrayed as an active organizer of the scheme, encouraging and rewarding compliance with MAP restrictions.

Legal Consequences: Plaintiffs seek to hold the companies liable for antitrust violations and recover damages for overcharges.

For example, retailers engaged in the following conduct:

In 2014, the ATA allegedly added major retailers, including Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops, to its board of directors, after which industry-wide MAP enforcement increased. The suit claims these policies effectively set minimum retail prices, not just minimum advertised prices.

Statements from industry insiders allegedly confirm that MAP rules are used to inflate prices and limit competition.

About NastLaw Antitrust Attorneys

Our attorneys, on behalf of our clients, are seeking to recover damages from years of overcharging as a result of the unlawful group boycotts and other anticompetitive practices.

Call us at 215-923-9300