Gander Mountain was recently purchased by Camping World Holdings (aka “Camping World) at auction. The CEO, Marcus Lemonis, is not only going to re-brand the remaining stores as “Gander Outdoors,” but he is soliciting Twitter for a new logo.
.@GanderMtn is going to be renamed #ganderoutdoors. I'm looking for all of you to help me design the new logo. The winner will receive 25k
— Marcus Lemonis (@marcuslemonis) May 11, 2017
The vocal CEO is giving daily updates on Twitter as to which stores are going to be staying and which ones are getting the axe!
A fairly young CEO at 43 years old, Marcus Lemonis may be a dearly needed injection of youth and vitality that Gander Outdoors needs to survive. The retail firearms market has gotten significantly softer and weaker following Donald Trump’s election as president. Many large companies have fallen by the wayside due to an inability to be agile to the market’s demands.
Some people have questioned Marcus Lemonis as to why he would change the name of Gander Mountain in the first place?…
@Big_Daddy_Jay79 @marcuslemonis @GanderMtn I don't think the branding was the key attribute of under performing stores. I was curious if any research showed a need to update/change.
— zorigitano (@zorigitano) May 13, 2017
He had a pretty blunt response as to why he is re-branding the company.
The bankruptcy filing was good enough for me. https://t.co/Ke4WnCqs7X
— Marcus Lemonis (@marcuslemonis) May 13, 2017
The fact that Gander Mountain went bankrupt is pretty compelling for changes to be made; name included.
For now, Marcus Lemonis is taking the acquisition of the company, and his decision as to what stores he will retain, day-by-day. Mainly, he is ironing out contracts and details with the landlords of current stores. Deciding what is reasonable, feasible and profitable for Camping World to keep open.