Shane Cantrill recently closed his Summer Street sports store and has taken over the franchise for the Sportsman’s Warehouse in both Orange and Bathurst.

* Have your say in the comments section below.

Shane Cantrill Sportscene Bathurst will also trade under the Sportsman’s Warehouse banner.

While it was a tough decision to close his eponymous stores, Mr Cantrill said operating under the Sportsman’s Warehouse banner was about protecting his future.

“I think it will be fantastic, and a great challenge,” he said.

“It will be a whole new concept in retailing with new fit-outs and new ways to display merchandise.”

The 800sq m Orange outlet will feature a help desk in the middle of the store and provide information about the stock as well as various sporting clubs and community events the shop has an association with.

“They’ve been working on the design for the last 12 months so it’s a fantastic opportunity for Orange,” Mr Cantrill said.

He said it was a bonus to be located so close to Office Works and Odeon 5 Cinemas.

Mr Cantrill says the store will continue to stock a wide range of well-known brands including shoes from Asics, Adidas and New Balance.

Cherry Sherlock will be operations manager at the Orange store and Ian Williams will be sales manager.

Mr Cantrill is in talks with 23 staff at the Orange and Bathurst stores about future employment.

Sportsman’s Warehouse franchise development manager Justin Smedley said the new store will set a benchmark for sports stores in Australia.

“We’ve been working on the development of a business model for Sportsman’s Warehouse for some time and it’s great to see those plans, including a new store layout and a refreshed brand, first come to fruition in Orange,” he said.

“I couldn’t think of a better fit for our business than Shane to be leading our new franchise partnerships in the Central West.”