AgProgrammer said:
REI seems to have a closer draw to like what Gander Mountain had. I know Gander Mountain's closing was more of a national corporate issue, but I don't think the CS location was doing very well while it was open. I definitely think our market is missing a store like that, but not sure how different the results would be than Gander had.
REI is actually quite a bit different than Gander. Gander had a heavy focus on hunting/fishing, while REI has more of a focus on camping, hiking, climbing, cycling, canoeing/kayaking, etc. Much of Gander's struggles were brough on due to overexpansion, and in Academy's territory, they had quite a bit of product overlap (though Gander's selection tended towards the higher end). Meanwhile, REI's market is largely underserved for brick and mortar retail in BCS, as Academy's product selection often tends towards either entry level or mid range. During my time at A&M, quite a few friends would trek to the Austin REI for their sales.