Bass Pro to open 13th store in Sunshine State

Springfield-based Bass Pro Shops has put in motion plans to open its 13th store in Florida.

The 80,000-square-foot Sportman's Center would be part of the Celebration Pointe development in Gainesville, Fla., a 100-acre conservation area. It also would be near the 460-acre Lake Kanapaha conservation area and the 240-acre Split Rock conservation area, according to a news release.

Celebration Pointe is slated to comprise 1 million square feet of mixed-use development area, including space for retail, restaurants, entertainment, a hotel and residential units.

"When we ascribed the vision for Celebration Pointe, we could not have hoped for a more perfect tenant to serve in the spotlight as the primary anchor,” said Ralph Conti, a partner in Celebration Pointe Development Partners, in the release. “Bass Pro Shops is exactly the type of tenant that we can build off to create the type of environment we hoped for."

Bass Pro currently operates nine stores in Florida and has three other planned locations in the state.

According to the release, an estimated 100,000 vehicles will pay by the new Bass Pro store in Gainesville each day. Bass Pro claims 116 million visitors annually to its 85 stores and marine centers.