Henry Repeating Arms, Crosman join Gander Outdoors retail offerings

Crosman Corporation describes itself as an “international designer and manufacturer of airguns with a 90-year history of making the best pellet, BB and airsoft guns and ammunition.” (Photo: Crosman/Crosman.com)

Gander Outdoors announced two new brands coming to store shelves later this year as the company’s top executive keeps his promise to overhaul existing gun inventory.

Customers visiting the re-branded Gander Mountain stores — slated to open as soon as November in some locations — will find Henry Repeating Arms and Crosman products in stock, according to Gander Outdoors’s social media channels this week.

Gander Mountain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections in Minnesota court on March 10. Camping World, the nation’s largest recreational vehicle dealer, led the investor group that bought out $390 million worth of Gander Mountain assets, including its Overtons boating business, during an April 28 auction. Gander CEO Marcus Lemonis said a separate liquidation company bought the store inventory currently on sale across the country.

Lemonis will close more than half of the chain’s 162 locations and rename the surviving stores Gander Outdoors as he attempts to fix years of “undisciplined inventory buying,” including $100 million wasted on a “bad assortment of guns.”

“I’d rather have 50 stores heavily curated for that local market than 150 stores that look like everything is the same, which is essentially what it was,” he said. “Just a really shitty inventory system is what they have … never seen something so stupid.”

Gander Outdoors has also reached out to the public for help restocking shelves after the nationwide liquidation sale, imploring customers to submit suggestions for new inventory online – even if its an invention not yet available for mass consumption.

“We will be your hometown outfitter – offering the best gear for all your outdoor needs, at the best value,” the site says. “The next step starts with you.”