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Reed's selling Baxter Store


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From Reeds:

To Our Friends and Family of Reeds,

We have just completed a very exciting deal that we wanted you to hear about directly from us . . . Gander Mountain is purchasing the Reeds Baxter Store! We are excited about this unexpected sale because it expands our future opportunities and positions Reeds in coming years to explore additional retail locations and further develop its growing catalog business. Accompanying this letter, you will receive a press release announcing the news to the public. It describes the basics of the transaction, but since Gander Mountain is a publicly-traded company, its notices cannot be very detailed. We are writing this letter to share with you our excitement and additional details.

We were surprised when top Gander Mountain officials made a serious offer to purchase the Reeds Baxter store. It was never the intention of Reeds to build, develop and sell the Baxter Reeds store. Since its opening in 2004, Reeds Baxter store showed continuous sales growth year after year. Reeds Baxter store gained much success with great service and customer care. We are proud of our sales performance and what the Reeds Family of employees established as a strong, loyal following of friends and customers.

We are proud of the support that we provided to countless community organizations, fundraisers, conservation groups and non-profit organizations. Moreover, we believe that it is a landmark accomplishment to create a business from scratch in a new community that in just three years is regarded highly enough by a publicly-traded national competitor that they wanted to purchase it. The sale is also rewarding to us because of the uncertainty and skepticism from those that questioned Reeds initiative to create the Baxter Reeds store, especially in a location where there was just a heavily-forested undeveloped section of Baxter, which now bustles with business, growth and development.

The Brainerd Lakes area and surrounding communities have been very good to Reeds and our Baxter store has been very successful. So, obviously, much soul-searching, prayer, thought and good business sense went into the decision to sell the Baxter business segment of Reeds. The Brainerd Lakes area community is our home and we do not intend on leaving the Brainerd area. We will continue to reside in the Brainerd area, but just work out of the Reeds in Walker until new locations are established in the coming years. Reeds will continue to serve all our friends and customers at our hometown Walker store and through our nation-wide shipping business

From a business perspective, the purchase offers great opportunities and puts the Reeds company in a position where it has additional resources to focus on further growth of its catalog sales and more retail stores in coming years as opportunities develop. For example, we now plan to commence with our Walker store expansion and remodeling plans. We have wanted to remodel the Reeds’ Walker Store for some time and now we have a great chance to do so. We will begin working on plans for a huge remodeling and expansion project that will be completed in the Spring of 2008 to make the legendary Walker Reeds Store even more of a destination.

Reeds’ Baxter Store will continue with its typical merchandising and marketing in place until it closes on Labor Day. We will hold our annual Fall Classic Sale on August 18-26, which will feature factory semi-trailer truckload sales and amazing deals storewide. As a grand finale, Reeds will host what will be billed as the Greatest Customer Appreciation Sale ever over its last three days of operation in Baxter on Labor Day Weekend, August 31-September 2. Reeds Baxter store will close permanently at 5 p.m. on Sunday, September 2, on Labor Day weekend.

We are very grateful for you and all of our customers, staff, friends, business peers, and to the communities in the Brainerd Lakes area. We look forward to continuing to see you and our other friends in our Walker store. We hope you have time in the coming months to stop in and visit us in the Baxter store before September. Thank you.

Our very best regards,

The Reeds Family

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and bring back the good old days of summer and fall sales at the Walker store that were more than 5% off!

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Did some more reading and found out they're moving the Reeds inventory to the GM store, but didn't say what the plans with the Reeds store were. Must have just bought out the competition, plain and simple. Easy way to not have to compete!

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Quote:

Sad news! Please build a store in Alexandria!


Yeah, I do like Christophersons, one of the few businesses left in town that is good to go to. Their selection, on some main items, like line, leaves something to be desired though.

I managed to make it to Reeds Baxter/Brainerd store once, and I wasn't impressed. The plus was the selection was pretty good, the negative was sticker shock. Most everything was full retail. While I wasn't expecting dirt cheap pricing, I didn't expect to see the same prices as Cabela's and the other big, full retail stores.

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I wish Reeds would of bought out Gander, I would much rather shop at Reeds than Gander. blush.gif

Either way, Barinerd Lakes area us loosing one heck of a nice Sporting Goods store. frown.gif

Hopefully they will rebuild soon!

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Wow, bummer. All I know is Gander Mtn is up to something. I just read that Gander Mtn just won their Federal Mn Court Appeal this week against Cabela's for it's "No-Compete Claus" which now allows them to start their New E-Commerce Online Sales program which I'm sure we will all see soon here on the Web.

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Quote:

I wish Reeds would of bought out Gander, I would much rather shop at Reeds than Gander.
blush.gif


Me too I find nothing at Ganders even remotely as good as Reeds from customer service to inventory.

I wonder if this has anything to do with the Gander not being able to sell anything online do to their agreement "bail out" with Cabelas........Looophole?

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i think gander had to do something because reeds was making a killing compared to them. not to mention they know what they were talking about. Very sad to hear this. i would drive up there from st.cloud just to buy big items. I hope they open one up in St. Cloud. They would take over every other store around here. all of them do not have good customer service compared to reeds. They would take out sportsmans warehouse in a day and the gander is already going down. All they have left is scheels and mills for competition. Just my two cents.

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There is some sort of fishing hall of fame and kids pond at Reed's too isn't there??? I would bet that Gander moves to Reeds spot. I have to believe being on the east side of the road helps sell more as people head north?? I am 10 times more likely to stop on the way up and not the way home.

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Quote:

Quote:

I wish Reeds would of bought out Gander, I would much rather shop at Reeds than Gander.
blush.gif


Me too I find nothing at Ganders even remotely as good as Reeds from customer service to inventory.

I wonder if this has anything to do with the Gander not being able to sell anything online do to their agreement "bail out" with Cabelas........Looophole?


I agree 100% with both of you. I have never been to the Baxter store but I go to the Walker quite a bit. What I like is I am not there all that often but there are a couple salesman that always recognize me and that helps me to come back.

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This is a touchey subject with all the staff (my old lady works there) but some will go to walker and gander is interviewing the reeds staff today reeds made an agreement that if they hire any reeds staff they get the same pay. On the gander moving subject they did not buy the building just what is in the store and reeds rights to have a store in crow wing county for so many years. Any way I think it is bull s-h-i-t !!! Have ben a reeds customer for 20 years or so and will be regadless of how far I need to drive.

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Oh yeah the hall of fame was moving any way. I just hope daves pizza finds a new location in brainerd

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I do not live in the area but visit from time to time. I would much rather go to Reeds than Gander. I never set foot in them here either! A difference of 5 miles and I can be a Cabelas and you know that is where I go! I would rather go to the sporting section of Fleet Farm than Gander. Too bad that had to happen. Have a good one././Jimbo

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Reed's confirmed yesterday that the store is NOT part of the sale. They will remain the owners of the store which they assume will eventually be sold. Gander is just buying the 'inventory', but has admitted it was done to reduce competition in the Brainard area.

Good Luck!

Ken

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Quote:

i think gander had to do something because reeds was making a killing compared to them. not to mention they know what they were talking about. Very sad to hear this. i would drive up there from st.cloud just to buy big items. I hope they open one up in St. Cloud. They would take over every other store around here. all of them do not have good customer service compared to reeds.


I would have to agree, I drive up to Reed's in Baxter as well from the St.Cloud area. The staff was always super friendly and a pleasure to work with. They also always made it "worth the drive" as they would "make" a deal.

I quit shopping anywhere else after I bought a rod and reel at Reed's and the rod broke and I did not have my receipt, I mentioned it to the staff there and they said "don't worry about, your shopping at Reed's". Best service ever.

However I will give the Gander in Baxter credit as there staff is always friendly and knowledgable. I will not step foot in the St.cloud store though as they are the exact opposite.

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I think that the point of purchase is to get catolog rights.

several years ago i believe gander did some kind of do not compete on catolog and intrnet stuff.

as time is now coming to end on that ,they can simply come in as reeds catolog is and has always been a staple for its out of town customers.

good luck to them both.

they also have the Leech Lake marina and boat dealership they lease out now ,at walker up on market.

hopefully these both sell and they get what they want.

we can always go back to Walker and do our buisness there.

Good luck

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Gander Mt is more than likely getting back into the catalog business & online retail business but it sure doesn't sound like this is the way they intend on doing it.

Sounds like they didn't "buy" Reed's, the just bought the store inventory and closed the store down if Reed's still owns the building. Interesting... I'm sure Gander paid Reed's off handsomely to do this. I probably would have done the same thing if the money was right.

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Correct Hanson, the 7 year agreement "bailout" with Cabalas which does not allow Gander to sell anything online is or will be expiring.

Quote:

Reed's confirmed yesterday that the store is NOT part of the sale. They will remain the owners of the store which they assume will eventually be sold. Gander is just buying the 'inventory', but has admitted it was done to reduce competition in the Brainard area.

Good Luck!

Ken


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someone from Gander phoned me and stated that Gander has won a lawsuit to hasten the right to its internet sales,

They also offerred they won the suit and expect a hasty appeal to be filed by Cabellas.

I havent talked to Reeds but have always liked the way they operate.

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Hopefully Gander Mountain hires the person from Reeds responsible for ordering the fishing department.....Gander is out of at least 1 item I need every time I shop there for fishing items.

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From what I understand, the Gander in Maplewood is going to close at the end of August and re-open as a catalog store only. You will not be able to browse the store, just the catalog. Sounds like its going to be a order and pick-up store and they will probably use that space as an internet sales depot as well. Sure did not take long for Gander to move after the judge ruled in their favor. Look for big sales at that Gander, but some have already started and much of their stock has already been moved to other stores.

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Hopefully Gander Mountain hires the person from Reeds responsible for ordering the fishing department.....Gander is out of at least 1 item I need every time I shop there for fishing items.


That's the downside of being part of a large corporation like Gander. When you're a small retailer such as Reeds you can have much more control over what gets ordered. Large retailers are much more dependent on corporate. Still some things you can do at the store level. But Gander and Reeds are in two different worlds as far as what they are currently able to do as far as their in-stocks. It shouldn't be as difficult as Gander makes it. But you have to go over, around and through a lot of different obstacles when getting product in the stores.

My point is, no one that's currently at Reeds will be able to change the in-stock issues at Gander. If it were that simple it would have been taken care of already. Knowing most of the staff at the Baxter Gander Mountain, I know they have beat their head against a wall many times trying to get product in the store.

Aaron

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