Camping World to build huge facility at BB site

With the recent acquisition by Camping World of major retail outfitter Gander Mountain, a planned RV retail and service center north of I-10 in Breaux Bridge will grow from 35,000 to 60,000 square feet.
If all goes according to plan, the Breaux Bridge center will include a Gander Mountain retail store. Gander Mountain is a St. Paul, Minnesota-based outfitter that declared bankruptcy in March. The company brand, intellectual property, and their 3 million hunter/fisherman customer list was purchased by Camping World for $38 million.
Camping World operates the largest national network of RV-centered retail and service centers. The Good Sam franchise is one of its properties. Gander is heavily oriented to hunting, fishing and camping.
In places where the company sees good market conditions, large combined retail/service locations will be built. Lemonis believes those conditions exist in the Acadiana area.
The boating-oriented Overton’s brand is also part of Gander Mountain’s holdings that will now be part of Camping World. As with its RV business, the combined operation will concentrate as much on aftermarket product sales and service as initial RV, boat and gun sales. A gunsmithing shop and ammunition sales will be a large part of the new center’s program.
The company believes it will be the go-to retailer for Acadiana hunters. Lemonis writes that, with the advantages offered by the Gander Mountain purchase, “We will be way below market prices on guns and ammunition.”
According to Camping World literature, the planned Breaux Bridge store will be a comparatively large one. While the company considers 30-40,000 sq. ft. the ideal size in most markets, the Breaux Bridge location will enclose 60,000 sq. ft.