More than 30 Gander Mountain catalogs dating back to the mid-1960s now are trading on e-Bay, a phenomenon that's not lost on company executives. Gander CEO Mark Baker spoke Tuesday of a "return to the company's roots in direct sales" as the outdoor retailer announced it had launched a long-awaited website and would follow with a catalog this fall.
Gander sold its rights to direct sales to Cabela's in 1996 to avoid bankruptcy. But a judge's ruling last summer finally freed St. Paul-based Gander to sell to customers online or through catalogs, giving the impression that the chain of 115 stores was late to the online party.
Baker declined to estimate how the website and forthcoming catalog would affect the company's bottom line, but he noted that when Gander "exited the catalog business" more than a decade ago, it was doing about $200 million in sales.
Gander quietly flipped the switch to its website (www.gandermtn.com) on Sunday after it was tested internally by employees for the past month. Baker said he hired a small team for a separate service center and diverted some resources from stores with slower sales.
Eventually, customers will be able to order items that normally would be special ordered in stores -- such as size 16 boots or a firearm accessory, Baker said. Some marine products by Overton's, which the company bought in December, will be available at Gander's site just as some of Gander's kayaks and other goods are for sale at Overtons.com. The process should be seamless to online shoppers, Baker said, though sales figures will be kept separately.
JACKIE CROSBY
