Moosejaw

This article is about the retail company. For the Saskatchewan city, see Moose Jaw.

Moosejaw.com

File:Moosejaw-Logo.png File:Moosejaw.png
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Retail
Founded	1992 (1992)
Founders	Robert Wolfe David Jaffe
Defunct	Template:End date and age
Fate	acquired by Dick's Sporting Goods and combined with Public Lands
Headquarters	Madison Heights, Michigan, U.S.
Number of locations	0
Key people	Eoin Comerford (CEO)
Products	Outdoor equipment
Number of employees	Approximately 350 (2017)
Parent	Dick's Sporting Goods (2023–present)
Website	moosejaw.com

Moosejaw.com was an online and physical retailer concentrating on gear and clothing for outdoor activities such as snowboarding, rock climbing, hiking, and camping. Established in 1992 by longtime friends Robert Wolfe and David Jaffe, the founders opted to sell camping supplies rather than pursue careers as wilderness guides.

By August 2024, the final three retail outlets ceased operations, and the Moosejaw website was discontinued. Visitors to Moosejaw.com are now redirected to Publiclands.com, a sister company under Dick's Sporting Goods that launched in 2021.

History

In 2007, Moosejaw.com earned recognition as one of Internet Retailer's Top 50 retailers. Earlier, in 2006, Bizrate also named it among their Top 50 retailers. The company received accolades from Forbes magazine as Best of the Web and was listed among Internet Retailer's Top 500 retailers. Moosejaw garnered praise for its innovative online marketing strategies from prominent publications including The New York Times, Outside magazine, and Chain Store Age magazine.

The brand became known for its quirky promotional style dubbed "Moosejaw Madness".

Officially incorporated as Moosejaw Mountaineering and Backcountry Travel, Inc., the company operated a dozen stores in 2021. These included eight locations in Michigan, plus one each in Arkansas, Illinois, Colorado, Missouri, and Kansas.

According to company records, the inaugural store opened its doors in 1992 in Keego Harbor, Michigan. In November 2011, Moosejaw launched an augmented reality application developed by Marxent Labs that enabled customers to use their mobile devices over the product catalog to view models wearing minimal clothing. On September 1, 2012, a new store was inaugurated in Kansas City, Missouri’s upscale Country Club Plaza retail district. By 2014, Moosejaw's annual revenue approached $100 million with an approximate growth rate of 25% per year. A store opened in Olathe, Kansas in 2020 in collaboration with local climbing gym ROKC but closed by 2024. In 2021, another outlet began operations in Bentonville, Arkansas. By 2023, only three stores remained open—in Birmingham, Salt Lake City, and Bentonville.

In 2007, Dallas-based private equity firm Parallel Investment Partners acquired a controlling interest in Moosejaw under undisclosed terms. Subsequently, Glencoe Capital purchased a stake in 2009 followed by W Capital Partners obtaining ownership shares in 2013; financial details for these transactions were not publicly disclosed.

On February 15, 2017, Walmart acquired Moosejaw for $51 million aiming to strengthen its e-commerce capabilities. Later in February 2023, Dick's Sporting Goods announced plans to purchase Moosejaw from Walmart for an undisclosed sum with intentions to merge it into its outdoor-focused subsidiary.

In September 2023, Dick's Sporting Goods revealed plans to shutter all but three Moosejaw stores along with closing the Madison Heights headquarters. Operations were scheduled to be relocated to Pittsburgh starting February 2024.

By August 2024, all remaining retail locations were closed permanently and the Moosejaw website discontinued service.

See also

• Crowdrise

External links

• Official website