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cheapbag214s · Posted: Tue 6:28, 03 Sep 2013 Post subject: Change afoot at Gander Mountain

Change afoot at Gander Mountain
Last winter's unusually warm temperatures prompted some soul-searching at Gander Mountain Co.'s headquarters in St. Paul,DUVETICA Piumini Italy Vendita Duvetica Online Duvetica Sale Duvetica Coats Shop.
The balmy weather didn't exactly encourage shoppers to buy winter-oriented sporting goods. "We thought,Duvetica Coats, 'Oh, now that wasn't a great winter. What can we do to weatherproof our business?'" said Steve Uline, executive vice president of marketing for the outdoor specialty retailer.
Gander Mountain is revamping more than half of its 115 stores to create a more friendly environment for shoe shoppers. The privately held company also is adding 20 new performance footwear brands -- ranging from Keen Utility to Asics. Uline wouldn't disclose the financial numbers behind the initiative,roger vivier outlet online shopping, but called it a "major investment."
Expanding Gander Mountain's footwear business involves hiring 400 more sales associates nationwide to support the effort. Employees attend a three-day "Footwear University" course to ensure strong customer support -- a big shift in strategy, as Gander Mountain's footwear department was previously self-serve.
All told,Duvetica Down Jackets Women for sale, Gander Mountain stores now feature 65 shoe brands encompassing 550 styles for hiking,デュベティカアウトレット, hunting and outdoor shoes, as well as boots, sandals and athletic styles.
"Everybody is doing more outside than ever before," Uline said. "We figured we could remain true to the core of who we are -- an outdoor retailer for people into hunting,cheap soccer cleats store, fishing and camping, but those people weren't buying shoes from us. By doing this,デュベチカ専売店, it's not like we're cannibalizing our own business."
Gander Mountain's new shoe fetish isn't entirely unprecedented in the $13 billion athletic shoe industry, which grew 4.5 percent last year,Discount Soccer Shoes sale, according to a report the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. While sales of running shoes rose 7.6 percent to $3.9 billion,Parajumpers Jackets On Sale Parajumpers Parka Coat Online Store, the outdoor/adventure category also ended strongly as sales increased 6.1 percent to $640 million.
Piper Jaffray Co. senior research analyst Sean Naughton says publicly traded competitors Cabela's, Dick's and even Kohl's have been adding more footwear to the mix to meet strong consumer demand. Part of that demand is spurred by increasing desire by the masses to become more physically active.
In addition, athletic and active footwear have become more innovative, as evidenced by the growing popularity of lighter-weight shoes, Naughton said. This was prompted in part by the popularity of the lightweight Vibram five-finger sports shoes, and related copycat products.
Footwear manufacturers are also featuring athletic shoes of varying colors.
"You saw a lot of neon colors at the Olympics,[b]Woolrich Arctic Parka