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Company type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Retail |
Founded | 1992; 33 years ago (1992) |
Founders |
|
Defunct | 2024; 1 year ago (2024) |
Fate | acquired byDick's Sporting Goods and merged with Public Lands |
Headquarters | Madison Heights, Michigan, U.S. |
Number of locations | 0 |
Key people | Eoin Comerford (CEO) |
Products | Outdoor gear |
Number of employees | About 350 (2017)[1] |
Parent | Dick's Sporting Goods (2023–present) |
Website | moosejaw |
Moosejaw.com is a defunct online andbrick and mortar retailer that specialized inoutdoor recreation apparel and gear forsnowboarding,rock climbing,hiking, andcamping. The company was founded in 1992 by Robert Wolfe and David Jaffe, two longtime friends who chose to sell camping equipment instead of becoming wilderness guides.[2] Moosejaw was known for its nonsensical marketing called "Moosejaw Madness".
Parallel Investment Partners, aprivate equity firm based in Dallas, acquired a majority stake in Moosejaw in 2007 on undisclosed terms.[3] Glencoe Capital, a private equity firm, acquired a stake in Moosejaw in 2009 on undisclosed terms.[4] W Capital Partners, a private equity firm, acquired a stake in Moosejaw in 2013 on undisclosed terms.[5] On February 15, 2017, retailerWalmart acquired Moosejaw for $51 million in cash.[2][6] In February 2023,Dick's Sporting Goods agreed to buy Moosejaw from Walmart for an undisclosed amount.[7][6]
In September 2023, Dick's announced that it will be closing down all but 3 Moosejaw stores along with the headquarters in Madison Heights, MI.[6] All operations will be moved toPittsburgh effective February 2024.[8]
In August 2024, the remaining three stores announced their closure and the Moosejaw website was shut down. Moosejaw.com now redirects to Publiclands.com, another subsidiary of Dick's Sporting Goods launched in 2021.[9][10]
Moosejaw.com was named a Top 50 retailer by Internet Retailer (2007),[11] Top 50 retailer byBizrate (2006), Best of the Web byForbes magazine,[12] and a Top 500 Retailer by Internet Retailer.[13] Moosejaw has been recognized as a leader in online marketing byThe New York Times,[14]Outside magazine,[15] andChain Store Age magazine.[16]
Moosejaw's official name, as it appears on their corporate charter, isMoosejaw Mountaineering and Backcountry Travel, Inc. In 2021, the store had twelve locations which include eight inMichigan, one in Arkansas, one inIllinois, one inColorado, one inMissouri, and one inKansas.[17]
According to its website history, the first store opened in 1992 inKeego Harbor, Michigan. In November 2011, Moosejaw released anaugmented reality app designed by Marxent Labs which allows shoppers to hold their mobile device over the Moosejaw catalog and view images of the models in their underwear.[18] On September 1, 2012, Moosejaw Mountaineering opened a store inKansas City,Missouri. The new store is located in theCountry Club Plaza; an upscale retail/dining district located south of downtown Kansas City. Moosejaw's annual revenue neared $100 million in 2014 and was growing roughly 25% per year at that time.[19] A new store opened in 2020 inOlathe, Kansas, and was associated with local rock-climbing gym ROKC, however, the store closed in 2024.[20] In 2021, they opened a new store in Bentonville, Arkansas.[21] As of 2023, only three stores remain; one in Birmingham, one in Salt Lake City, and one in Bentonville, Arkansas.[6]
In August 2024, all remaining stores were closed and the Moosejaw website was shut down.