The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Gander Outdoors sets grand opening
Diamond Centre location among 8 sites planned in Ohio
The rebirth of Gander Mountain as Gander Outdoors will be marked this weekend at four locations, including one in Mentor.
A grand opening is set for June 9 at 9620 Diamond Centre Drive. The 31,000-square-foot site, which is already open, is one of the retailer’s eight facilities coming to Ohio.
Similar openings are being held the same day elsewhere in the Midwest.
The Mentor store will employ 55 people and include outdoor retail, apparel, supply and service space.
Marcus Lemonis, star of CNBC’s reality TV series “The Profit,” bought Gander Mountain assets in bankruptcy court in May 2017 and is reopening many of the chain’s stores.
“It was important to me to bring Gander Outdoors back to the wonderful community of Mentor because the employees were top-notch and the store was a great performer serving the outdoor enthusiast community,” said Lemonis in January.
Lemonis, also chairman of Camping World Holdings, which now owns the chain, intends to operate 70 or more locations.
Mentor City leaders are committed to attracting and retaining business as well as jobs, Mentor Community Relations Administrator Ante Logarusic said.
“We are very pleased with Gander Outdoors’ decision to open this store,” he said. “Currently, there is nearly 7 million square feet of retail space in Mentor. It may surprise many people to learn that the occupancy rate sits at 95.9 percent, which is among the best in Northeast Ohio — all of which goes to show that the retail industry remains strong in the city of Mentor.”
The community is home to the sixth-largest retail center in Ohio in terms retail sales volume, according to the Retail Trade Report released by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2015.