Scheels vs D. R. Horton

Side-by-side comparison of AI visibility scores, market position, and capabilities

D. R. Horton leads in AI visibility (76 vs 59)
Scheels logo

Scheels

ChallengerSporting Goods & Outdoor

Sporting Goods

Employee-owned Midwest sporting goods chain with 200K+ sq ft experiential superstores; Ferris wheels and aquariums drive destination retail competing with Dick's and Bass Pro.

AI VisibilityBeta
Overall Score
C59
Category Rank
#4 of 4
AI Consensus
56%
Trend
down
Per Platform
ChatGPT
69
Perplexity
50
Gemini
58

About

Scheels is a large-format American sporting goods and outdoor retail chain operating approximately 30 stores across the Midwest, Plains, and Mountain West regions, with stores averaging 200,000+ square feet and featuring experiential entertainment elements including Ferris wheels, aquariums, and wildlife displays that create destination shopping experiences. Founded in 1902 in Sabin, Minnesota as a hardware store, Scheels converted to a sporting goods focus and is 100% employee-owned through an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) — one of the largest employee-owned companies in the United States.\n\nScheels' stores carry an extensive assortment of sporting goods, outdoor equipment, hunting and fishing gear, athletic apparel and footwear, and lifestyle clothing across top brands (Nike, Under Armour, The North Face, Patagonia). The company operates in-store specialty shops (golf simulators, ski boot fitting, fishing departments) staffed by category specialists who provide genuine expertise. The experiential store format with entertainment attractions drives significant store traffic and browsing time versus typical category killers.\n\nIn 2025, Scheels competes with Dick's Sporting Goods, Bass Pro Shops/Cabela's, and REI for sporting goods and outdoor market share in its Midwest and Mountain West footprint. The company's employee-ownership model contributes to strong customer service culture and associate retention. Scheels' strategy of large-format experiential retail has proven more resilient than typical sporting goods chains against e-commerce pressure — customers visit for the experience and expert advice rather than pure price comparison. The 2025 strategy focuses on selective new store openings in underserved markets, enhancing its e-commerce capabilities, and expanding private label products.

Full profile
D. R. Horton logo

D. R. Horton

LeaderConsumer Retail

Enterprise

Nation's largest homebuilder; 89,690 homes FY2024; $36.8B revenue; Express Homes entry-level focus; Forestar vertical land integration; rate buydown strategy sustains demand vs 6%+ mortgages.

AI VisibilityBeta
Overall Score
B76
Category Rank
#5 of 290
AI Consensus
55%
Trend
stable
Per Platform
ChatGPT
68
Perplexity
70
Gemini
86

About

D.R. Horton is the nation's largest homebuilder by volume, founded in 1978 by Donald Ray Horton in Fort Worth, Texas and now headquartered in Arlington, Texas, trading on NYSE (DHI). The company delivered approximately 89,690 homes in fiscal year 2024 (ending September 30) and generated $36.8 billion in revenues under CEO Paul Romanowski, who succeeded longtime CEO David Auld in 2024. D.R. Horton operates across 118 markets in 33 states, targeting the broadest range of price points in the industry from entry-level starter homes under the Express Homes brand through core D.R. Horton family homes to luxury properties under Emerald Homes and Freedom Homes age-restricted communities. The company's scale and geographic diversification provide resilience against regional housing market downturns and allow efficient land acquisition across America's fastest-growing metropolitan markets.

Full profile

AI Visibility Head-to-Head

59
Overall Score
76
#4
Category Rank
#5
56
AI Consensus
55
down
Trend
stable
69
ChatGPT
68
50
Perplexity
70
58
Gemini
86
65
Claude
80
63
Grok
78

Capabilities & Ecosystem

Capabilities

Only Scheels
Sporting Goods

Integrations

Only D. R. Horton

Track AI Visibility in Real Time

Monitor how your brand performs across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, and Grok daily.