Bass Pro plans two stores in southeast U.S.

Bass Pro Shops has announced plans to open two stores in the bordering Southeast states of Georgia and Florida.

Sports anchor
Bass Pro is working to build a 100,000-square-foot Outpost store in Emerson, Ga., with an opening slated for 2014.

The store would be the anchor tenant of the planned 1,200-acre, $1 billion LakePoint Sporting Community & Town Center. Bass Pro plans to invest about $22 million, according to The Daily Tribune News. The development, located near Interstate 75 about 40 miles northwest of Atlanta, would include myriad sports fields and 5 million square feet of space for retail, hotels and restaurants, according to a news release.

“We are very excited to be a part of this tremendous development that is destined to become one of Georgia’s top attractions and an inspiration for young people around the country to be able to excel in the sports they love,” Bass Pro founder Johnny Morris said in the release.

Approximately 300 acres adjacent to the store is planned as a nature park that also would be used for product testing and shooting, archery and outdoor activities for children.

“We are very grateful to Neal Freeman and the LakePoint Development partners, Atlanta Braves former Manager Bobby Cox, current Atlanta Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez, Kansas City Royals Manager Ned Yost and all the other good folks at LakePoint for the opportunity to be their feature outdoor retail store," Morris added, referring to the partners of the billion-dollar development.

Bass Pro currently operates three Georgia stores in Lawrenceville, Macon and Savannah.

The Sunshine State
The Springfield-based outdoor retailer's announcement for an Outdoor World in St. Johns County, Fla., represent the third planned store in the Sunshine State.

The latest announcement comes on the heels of Bass Pro putting in motion plans in December to open a store near Tampa. Bass Pro is working to open a Tallahassee store this year, the Tampa-area store in 2014 and the St. Johns store in the second quarter of 2014.

The 104,000-square-foot St. Johns County store would be located in the Jacksonville area along Interstate 95 in the northern part of the county, where an interchange is planned, according to a separate news release.

The store would be built on a 40-acre area owned by Jacksonville-based Gate Petroleum Co.

“We are proud to have Johnny Morris, the owner of Bass Pro Shops, bring the hard-fought success of his family-owned business to our community. This is a hopeful sign for the economy of our area," said Herbert Peyton, chairman and founder of Gate Petroleum Co., in the release.

After the completion of its three planned stores in Florida, Bass Pro would operate nine locations in the state. The retailer operates 77 stores and Tracker Marine centers in the U.S. and Canada, the release said.[[In-content Ad]]