Gander Mountain's in Town, will Others Fall Down?
Gander Mountain opens Store #407 in Beaumont, Texas. What impact will this have on the local hunting and fishing stores?
(PRWEB) May 19, 2005 -- Grand Opening of the Beaumont, Texas Gander Mountain
Store #407 on May 14th, 2005 at 6:00pm.
On a recent weekend joy ride with
my 2 oldest sons, Gavin and Adam we stopped by Gander Mountain before the
official opening and enjoyed the ATV's, the Spitfire Fun Machines (resembles a
big go-cart) and one of the several boats displayed outside.
Standing
outside watching my boys having fun, admiring the concept of this new building
and what it has to offer, I could not help but wonder what kind of impact it
would have on the local business community large and small.
The local
Wal-Mart has a wide variety of hunting and fishing equipment, but over the years
I have noticed that the fishing tackle and gear has been for the most part,
scarce.
Academy located directly across the highway may take the biggest
blow from this Hunting and Fishing Smorgasbord Giant. Offering shoppers a quick
choice to be lured in for a glance at all the new and exciting products while
not having to drive far or deal to much with busy traffic during the holiday
season. Best Buy recently opened it's new store directly next door to Gander
Mountain, making it even more appealing.
The only store in this area that
comes close to having comparable products is Bass Pro Shops, but it's a 2 hour
drive. Many Southeast Texans have traveled and shopped at Bass Pro Shops in Katy
(Houston), and I have to admit, it's "One of the Best Hunting and Fishing Stores
in the World!"
If only Bass Pro Shops stocked groceries and diapers,
there would be no need to shop anywhere else. You may think I'm kidding, but ask
that question to any South East Texan, you would be surprised with the response.
Needless to say, spending a half day round trip drive through Houston is
something we do not look forward to doing on the weekend.
Gander Mountain
and Bass Pro Shops are very similar in my opinion. Some differences I have
noticed include brands and quantity.
"Bass Pro Shops stocks many name
brand items, but it appears to offer more of it's own brand names and a bunch of
it, too."
While browsing through Gander Mountain after the grand opening
I noticed many quality name brand items including Columbia Sportswear, Woolrich,
Mossy Oak, Pella, Walls, Carhartt, LaCrosse, Rocky, Vasque, Wrangler, and many
more all at reasonable prices.
I have a feeling after this Christmas,
many smaller and medium sized hunting and fishing stores in Southeast Texas will
feel the presence of this new and very wanted store.
Gander Mountain's in
Town, will others Fall Down?
I guess we'll find out in time.
When
asked "What does Gander Mountain offer Southeast Texans that competitors do
not?"
Shannon H. Burns, the Director of Gander Mountain Investor
Relations response was:
"We are all about the outdoors; we are a fishing,
hunting and camping specialty retailer, not a general sports retailer.
We
employ local experts (all but three of our team are from Beaumont) who have
first-hand knowledge of the freshwater and saltwater fishing around Beaumont,
from the Gulf coast through the local lakes and all the way up to Sam Rayburn
and Toledo Bend, as well as the hunting. In Beaumont, we had close to 750
applicants for about 80 jobs, so we were able to pick highly qualified
associates. We actually test applicants on their expertise to make sure our
customers will get advice from knowledgeable associates.
We localize the
assortment in each of our stores to meet the conditions and needs of the
particular market. In fact, we have a special fishing buyer based in Texas just
to make sure we fully understand the Texas markets."
- Shannon H. Burns,
Director of Investor Relations - Gander Mountain Company
View Online:
http://www.usabassfishing.com/gander-mountain.html
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb241565.htm
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