Online Gander Mountain?

[BassProAddict]

I've often wondered, why doesn't a super store like Gander Mountain have an online store? I think the huge success that Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's is significantly due to their online business.

Why doesn't Gander do this? They don't have to actually employ people coz its coursed through a call center that facilitates orders and customer service and warehousing this is actually not as hard as it sounds.

Any info why Gander doesn't do this yet?

[bassNspear]

I have always wondering the same thing. I have always wanted to go and look at there product online, but there is no reason for it when they dont have it there.

Maybe there just figuring that if you come to the store, you will buy more.

Never really figured it out!!

[Musky_Madness]

I believe they have a no compete clause on the internet because of the Reed's deal from Brainerd? I'm just going off of rumors. There is also rumors about no competes with Bass Pro and Cabelas, but that doesn't make any sense. Maybe Holiday doesn't have the money for a HSOforum for them yet and are still working their way out of bankruptcy?

[BassProAddict]

Well, if that's how they want it then they'll be left in the dirt.They're actually making their customers spend time and money to drive over to spend more money and Gander's gear is priced the same online or in other stores.

So what's up with that? Why have a HSOforum for a superstore but not sell online or even have a catalog?

[DTro]

There's been a long standing dispute with Cabelas that was finally resolved.

You'll find a catalog in the very near future.

This is from an article date Aug 2007:

***********************************

Mark Baker, chief executive officer at Gander, said the St. Paul, Minn.-based company will make an announcement this fall about a new direct-marketing initiative.

"We're back in the game," Baker said in an interview. He declined to specify whether the direct-marketing push would make use of the Internet, catalogs or both.

A catalog launch would step up Gander's competitive position against Cabela's. The two outdoor retailers have been locking antlers for three years in federal court on this issue, with Cabela's trying to stop Gander from doing it.

In a statement in July immediately after the court ruling, Cabela's said it was considering legal options, including an appeal.

The court battle is based on a legal agreement between Cabela's and Gander Mountain Inc., the Wisconsin-based forerunner company to the current Gander Mountain Co.

Gander was founded in Wilmot as an outdoor equipment catalog. The company later opened retail stores and ran into financial problems in the mid-1990s, unable to successfully operate both sides of the business.

Gander Mountain Inc., then a publicly traded company, filed for bankruptcy in 1996. Cabela's, a competing catalog business based in Sidney, Neb., bought the catalog portion of Gander that year in advance of the bankruptcy proceeding.

The transaction included an agreement by Gander not to compete with Cabela's in direct marketing for seven years. The agreement allowed Gander to continue to operate its retail stores but not to sell through catalogs or the Internet. Cabela's also bought the license to use Gander's trademarks in direct marketing for four years, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis in 2004.

Cabela's agreed that it would not actually use Gander's trademarks to market to consumers, but would instead use its rights under the license to keep others from using the trademark.

At around the same time, the bankrupt Wisconsin-based Gander sold its 17 retail stores to Holiday Companies of Bloomington, Minn.. Holiday later took Gander public, creating the business entity now known as Gander Mountain Co., which operates 105 retail stores in 22 states. There are 14 stores in Wisconsin, including a new Waukesha store that opens soon, replacing a store in Brookfield.

Over the past decade, Cabela's has opened retail stores that now compete with Gander stores. In Wisconsin, Cabela's opened a store last year in Richfield, and it has another in Prairie du Chien.

But Gander has been unable to fight back in the catalog and Internet arena because of the trademark dispute. The federal court ruling in July paves the way for Gander to market in both channels.

David Cumberland, an analyst with Robert W. Baird & Co. in Chicago, said a catalog/Internet launch by Gander Mountain would be of much greater importance to Gander than to Cabela's.

"It would be some new business for Gander, but it comes at the expense of many competitors," Cumberland said, noting that Gander will face a tremendous direct-marketing competitor in Cabela's.

In addition, Cumberland said it typically takes quite a while for any retailer to build a direct-marketing business.

[Musky_Madness]

I'm certainly not disagreeing with their stance...not a very wise business move!

[RiverBassGuy]

There's definately not a no compete clause between Bass Pro and Cabela's. In fact they are each other's main competitors.

[Musky_Madness]

I meant with Bass Pro/Cabelas vs Gander Mtn. Sorry about the confusion there. Yeah...they both (Cabelas/Bass Pro) have tremendous websites.

[Traxxx]

I just ordered from Bass Pro and if the order is under $25, shipping is $4.95. With the prices of gas I actually save miles on the truck,time and money on gas. Its still fun to shop in the stores but its like christmas when you get it to your door.

[BassProAddict]

Precisely.I think Gander is missing out on the big picture here.

[Central Bassman]

The rumor that i was told was.....If i remember right everything is or was in court. Gander was fighting to get there rights to open an online store. I would hope that is true because in this day of age you have to have an online store. That company needs a lot of help with a lot of stuff but an online store might help their stock for ones.

[ptkane]

They can't, legally. dtro explained it in his post.

[MuleShack]

 Originally Posted By: dtro

But Gander has been unable to fight back in the catalog and Internet arena because of the trademark dispute. The federal court ruling in July paves the way for Gander to market in both channels.

According to this statement, it looks as if they can do it now.

I was told by one of the stores managers last fall that the company was in the process of creating an retail HSOforum like cabelas and bass pro. Havent heard lately what the status of it is.

[BassProAddict]

I hope Gander does a mega huge sale to promote their new HSOforum and steal some online shoppers from the two giants

Imagine: "Sale at Gander Mountain all Daiwa Steez reels at 70% off" haha!

[jwhjr]

If they do have the green light for an online store, it appears that they are taking there time to do it right. If they rushed it out too quickly, I'm sure the quality would suffer and they would lose customers that way. What would be nice is if they would post an "Online Store Coming Soon" or something of that nature with an ETA. Then again, they may not have an ETA.

[JP Z]

Gander wasn't able too because of a NON-compete I believe with Cabelas from long ago. The as Dtro explained they got it back, I think from the Reed's deal. So in the next coming months Gander will have a catalog and online store.........done.

[sicheneder]

i find this kind of funny. i usually don't go to gander because i cant find what i want there. so i can't imagine what online store has.

[TroyMcClure]

Gander Mountain closed it's Maplewood, MN store and has turned it into a hub/distribution center for its catalog/internet business. It hasn't launched yet, but that was definitely the plan. Got some sweet deals at that place before they closed the doors.

This occured immediately after the ruling last year. They are moving in the right direction.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

The Maplewood location is gone for good. No warehouse...

[BobbyK]

Speaking of Gander,

This posted on The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

April 300, 2008

Gander Mountain Co. said Wednesday that it has re-established itself as a direct retailer with the release of its first catalog since 1996, when the firm moved its headquarters from Wisconsin to Minnesota.

The move represents a return to its roots. Gander Mountain was founded in Wilmot as a catalog retailer with one retail shop in 1960 by Bob Sturgis, a former field and stream buyer for Marshall Fields & Co. in Chicago. Sturgis named the company after Wisconsin's Gander Mountain, one of his favorite outdoor spots.

Gander Mountain sold its catalog business in April of 1996. The retail operations were simultaneously sold to current owner Holiday Cos., in Bloomington, Minn., which owns Holiday gas stations. Gander Mountain went public in 2004.

The re-entry into the direct merchant business follows Gander Mountain 's acquisition of Greenville, N.C.-based Overton's Inc., a seller of water-sports equipment, from Cleveland-based private-equity firm Linsalata Capital Partners for $70 million in cash in December. The company said Wednesday that it mailed out two million catalogs featuring merchandise from Overton's, Gander Mountain and other vendors, such as fishing and camping equipment.

St. Paul, Minn.-based Gander Mountain (NASDAQ: GMTN) has four Milwaukee-area stores.

Their homepage is off line right now but just 2 days ago there was a front page box about "give us your email and we will keep you advised about our new catalog/internet business".

Sounds like it is either soon or now.

Bob K