Ain't No Mountain High Enough

Gander Mountain Co. (Minneapolis), the outdoors sporting goods retailer, has signed leases for eight new outdoor lifestyle specialty stores to open in the spring. The move is in line with the company’s previously announced plans to open a total of 18 – 22 new stores in 2005.

The new stores are scheduled to open in April and May. Three are in Texas (one in Beaumont, two in the Houston area); plus Dayton, Ohio; Duluth, Minn.; Terre Haute, Ind.; Kingston, N.Y.; and Thornton, Colo.

All of the stores are at least 55,000 square feet plus outside selling space and will include ATV sales and service, an in-store professional gunsmith, a full-service archery shop with shooting lanes and a Gander Lodge meeting space available to local organizations free of charge.

“These new stores reinforce our presence in markets where we are already helping customers create outdoor memories,” said president and ceo Mark Baker. “The stores in Texas and Colorado build on our early success in those markets, which we entered in 2004 and are home to a tremendous number of outdoor enthusiasts. The Duluth store replaces a smaller store in response to strong customer demand for our products and services.”