North Dakota › Retail trade › 1,000 to 4,999 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
Scheels Employee Stock Ownership Plan
Sponsored by Scheels All Sports, Inc., Fargo, ND
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. Form 5500 contains no individual account balances. Look up the original filing at EFAST2.
Scheels Employee Stock Ownership Plan is an employee stock ownership plan sponsored by Scheels All Sports, Inc. of Fargo, North Dakota. For the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024 it reported 4,760 participants, 4,480 of them active, and net assets of $963M.
Net assets came to $202,304 per participant, well above the $50,295 median for defined contribution plans with 1,000 to 4,999 participants and well above the $36,708 median for defined contribution plans in retail trade. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
The employer contributed $9.5M during the year, or $2,121 per active participant against a same-size median of $2,045; participants contributed —. Benefits paid out totalled $119M.
Schedule C lists 1 service provider organisation paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $12K: $2.44 per participant, well below the same-size median of $82.08. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $12K. Schedule C does not capture every cost: fees netted from fund returns and fees the employer pays directly are outside it.
Across the filings on record, net assets went from $56.4M in 2009 to $963M in 2024 (up 1609%), and participants from 1,671 to 4,760 (up 185%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified).
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DC plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $202,304 | $50,295 | $36,708 | $53,102 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $2,121 | $2,045 | $999 | $2,175 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $2.44 | $82.08 | $121 | $123 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.00% | 0.17% | 0.36% | 0.26% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $2.44 | $82.20 | $114 | $116 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined contribution plans with 100 or more participants: 1,000 to 4,999 participants (10,207 plans), retail trade (3,794) and all US plans (63,460). Fee medians cover plans that report an amount.
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4,760 | $963M | $202,304 | $9.5M | — | $12K |
| 2023 | 4,238 | $838M | $197,666 | $8.8M | — | $121K |
| 2022 | 3,816 | $762M | $199,595 | $8.0M | — | $77K |
| 2021 | 3,407 | $647M | $189,923 | $6.5M | — | $58K |
| 2020 | 3,052 | $469M | $153,710 | $5.8M | — | $46K |
| 2019 | 2,890 | $302M | $104,621 | $5.3M | — | $55K |
| 2018 | 2,724 | $255M | $93,756 | $5.0M | — | $56K |
| 2017 | 2,745 | $221M | $80,388 | $4.8M | — | $57K |
| 2016 | 2,645 | $217M | $82,200 | $4.5M | — | $52K |
| 2015 | 2,421 | $209M | $86,449 | $4.5M | $0 | $47K |
| 2014 | 2,325 | $211M | $90,827 | $4.5M | — | $51K |
| 2013 | 2,209 | $211M | $95,477 | $4.0M | — | $47K |
| 2012 | 2,057 | $175M | $84,920 | $1.6M | — | $44K |
| 2011 | 1,886 | $116M | $61,382 | $1.4M | — | $37K |
| 2010 | 1,710 | $81.1M | $47,415 | $1.0M | — | $38K |
| 2009 | 1,671 | $56.4M | $33,724 | $1.0M | — | $31K |
Years in which the plan filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants, from 2009. Plan year is the year in which the plan year began.
Statement for the year
- Net assets, beginning of year$837,710,398
- Employer contributions$9,500,643
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$9,500,643
- Total income, including investment results$243,874,769
- Benefits paid$118,605,311
- Administrative expenses$11,615
- Total expenses$118,616,926
- Net income$125,257,843
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$962,968,241
Participants
- Active participants4,480
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits14
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits266
- Participants with account balances4,535
- Total participants, end of year4,760
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| SBT of Fargo | Trustee (bank, trust company, or similar financial institution) | $11,615 | $0 |
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. Individuals named on Schedule C (plan employees, individual trustees) are never shown and their compensation is excluded. Eligible indirect compensation disclosed by formula carries no dollar amount. See how to read Schedule C fees.
Administrative expenses on Schedule H
- Other administrative expenses$11,615
- Total administrative expenses$11,615
Investment structure
Assets at year end by Schedule H category. The form shows the kind of vehicle holding the money, not the funds on the menu.
- Employer securities$956M · 99.2%
- Common/collective trusts$6.9M · 0.7%
- Registered investment companies (mutual funds)$379K · 0.0%
- Receivables$65K · 0.0%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)No
- Accounting firmEide Bailly, LLP
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $1,000,000
- Blackout period during the yearNo
These are the plan administrator's own answers on Schedule H, Part IV. A reported late transmittal is the filer's disclosure of a timing lapse, usually corrected through the Department of Labor's voluntary program; the amount is the total involved, not a loss.
Plan characteristics
2OESOP other than a leveraged ESOP3IPlan requiring that all or part of employer contributions be invested and held in employer securities2IStock bonus
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 451110: Sporting Goods Stores.
Other plans of Scheels All Sports, Inc.
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| Scheels All Sports, Inc. 401(k) Plan | 8,453 | $33.5M |
Similar plans in North Dakota
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheels All Sports, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Scheels All Sports, Inc. | 8,453 | $33.5M | $3,957 |
| Titan Machinery Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | Titan Machinery, Inc. | 3,026 | $289M | $95,480 |
| TFC, Inc. 401(k) Plan | TFC, Inc. | 1,624 | $81.6M | $50,235 |
| Hugo's 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust | Valley Markets, Inc. | 865 | $21.4M | $24,727 |
| Eide Ford Lincoln Mercury, Inc. Salary Deferral 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | Eide Ford Lincoln Mercury, Inc. | 719 | $11.5M | $16,039 |
| Acme Tools 401(k) Plan | Acme Electric Motor, Inc. | 671 | $36.0M | $53,594 |
Defined contribution plans in retail trade closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Scheels Employee Stock Ownership Plan?
4,760 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 4,480 were active employees, with net assets of $962,968,241. Among defined contribution plans that places it in the 1,000 to 4,999 participants band, which held 10,207 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Scheels All Sports, Inc. contribute per participant?
The filing reports $9,500,643 in employer contributions for the year, which is $2,121 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $2,045 in plan year 2024. Form 5500 reports the total only. It does not state the match formula, and the per-participant figure is an average, not any one person's contribution.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports $11,615 in compensation to service provider organisations, $2.44 per participant or 0.00% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $82.08 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $11,615. Investment costs deducted inside mutual funds and other pooled vehicles are not itemised on Form 5500, so these figures are a floor rather than a full cost.
Who runs the plan?
The sponsor is Scheels All Sports, Inc.. Trustee or custodian: SBT of Fargo. The financial statements were audited by Eide Bailly, LLP. Form 5500 also names the plan administrator's signer and other individuals; this site publishes organisations only.
Was the audit opinion unqualified?
The filing reports an unmodified (unqualified) opinion. Unmodified (formerly "unqualified") is the standard clean opinion.
How current is this, and does it show my balance?
This is the Form 5500 for the plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024, received by the Department of Labor on 6 Oct 2025. Filings are due seven months after the plan year ends, or nine and a half with an extension, so the public record always runs a year or more behind. It contains plan-level totals only: no individual balances, contributions or names of participants exist in the data.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C) for plan years 2009 to 2025, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 45-0306649, plan 002, received 6 Oct 2025; an amended filing replaces it at the next build. Medians and percentiles are computed by this site; see the methodology. Report an error through corrections.