Gander Mountain
Encyclopedia
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
, marine, and other outdoor recreation products and services. There are currently 119 Gander Mountain stores in 23 states.
Gander Mountain offers a wide array of sportswear for men, women, and children, camouflage and field wear, kayaks and canoes.
Gander Mountain began as a catalog-based retailer in Wilmot, Wisconsin
Wilmot, Wisconsin
Wilmot is an unincorporated census-designated place and residential and business community in the town of Salem in southwestern Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population is 442...
. Wilmot is located near Gander Mountain, the highest point in Lake County, Illinois
Lake County, Illinois
Lake County is a county in the northeastern corner of the state of Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 703,462, which is an increase of 9.2% from 644,356 in 2000. Its county seat is Waukegan. The county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area...
a short distance across the state line.
Gander Mountain sold its mail order business to Cabela's
Cabela's
Cabela's is a direct marketer and specialty retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor recreation merchandise, based in Sidney, Nebraska. It also has "Trophy Properties LLC , "Outdoor Adventures" , and the "Gun Library"...
in 1999 with a no-compete clause. In 2007 it won a lawsuit brought by Cabela's
Cabela's
Cabela's is a direct marketer and specialty retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor recreation merchandise, based in Sidney, Nebraska. It also has "Trophy Properties LLC , "Outdoor Adventures" , and the "Gun Library"...
to resume online sales. On December 6, 2007, the company announced it purchased boating and watersports catalog company Overton's for $70 million from a private-equity firm. The purchase of Overton's, based in Greenville, North Carolina
Greenville, North Carolina
Greenville is the county seat of Pitt County and principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area. Greenville is the health, entertainment, and educational hub of North Carolina's Tidewater and Coastal Plain and in 2008 was listed as the Tenth Largest City in North Carolina...
, helped Gander Mountain's transition back into direct marketing.
Gander Mountain was formerly traded on NASDAQ but was turned into a private company under the majority ownership of David Pratt and the Erickson family, which own Holiday gas stations.
The Gander Mountain slogans are "We Live Outdoors" and simply "Hunt. Fish. Camp."
Stores & Locations
As of March 2010 the company had 116 stores operating in 23 states 6600000 square feet (613,160.1 m²) of retail space in the continental United States.Gander Mountain's "large-format" stores range in size from 50,000-120,000 square feet and offer customers a unique experience. Physically, and visually, the stores are met with wider shopping aisles, high-joist ceilings, brick and stone accents, log-wrapped columns, and other wilderness related decorations.
| State | # of Stores | Market |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 2 | Northern |
| Illinois | 4 | Northern |
| Indiana | 6 | Northern |
| Iowa | 2 | Northern |
| Maryland | 1 | Northern |
| Michigan | 14 | Northern |
| Minnesota | 13 | Northern |
| New York | 9 | Northern |
| North Dakota | 1 | Northern |
| Ohio | 9 | Northern |
| Pennsylvania | 11 | Northern |
| Wisconsin | 14 | Northern |
| Alabama | 1 | Southern |
| Arkansas | 1 | Southern |
| Florida | 5 | Southern |
| Kansas | 1 | Southern |
| Kentucky | 2 | Southern |
| Mississippi | 1 | Southern |
| North Carolina | 3 | Southern |
| Tennessee | 2 | Southern |
| Texas | 11 | Southern |
| Virginia | 4 | Southern |
| West Virginia | 1 | Southern |
| Totals: 23 States |
118 | Northern=86 Southern=32 |
Gander Mountain online store officially opened in August 2008.