Blain’s Farm & Fleet to expand by adding stores in Michigan

Blain’s Farm & Fleet said Tuesday it plans to expand into Michigan this year.

The Janesville-based retailer said the new stores will open in Jackson and Portage in the fall. The first two Michigan locations will bring the total number of Blain’s Farm & Fleet stores to 40.

Blain’s Farm & Fleet operates in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa.

Jane Blain Gilbertson, owner and president, said entering the Michigan market is “the next step” in an expansion and reinvestment plan announced several years ago.

The planned expansion into Michigan follows consideration of other markets in the Midwest, the company said. The company said it received requests to open a store in Michigan, but the popularity of the farmandfleet.com website in Michigan also played a part in the decision to expand there.

“Our online e-commerce business is booming with strong sales throughout the U.S.,” Kristin Stewart, chief marketing officer, said in a statement. “Michigan is one of our best e-commerce states. Opening local stores will allow us to better serve these customers with two-hour pick-up of online orders and our innovative drive-through service.”

All Blain’s Farm & Fleet locations offer pick-up of online orders in two hours or less and drive-through service, through which customers can pull up and buy products like pet food, water softener salt and mulch without an advance order, similar to a fast-food drive-through, the company said.