Recreational Equipment, Inc. plans to open a store in Chula Vista, Calif., at the Otay Ranch Town Center at the intersection of Eastlake and Olympic Parkways in the fall of 2006. The 26,000 square-foot store will employ about 55 full- and part-time staff.
“The San Diego region is a great place to play outdoors.” said Tim Spangler, REI Retail Regional Vice President, West Region. “Chula Vista is home to the Olympic Training Center, which supports 4,000 athletes in sports that include kayaking, cycling and triathlon. The Otay Ranch location will complement our other stores in the region and provide more convenient service to an active community.”
There are 18,000 active REI members living within 15 miles of the new store site. The Chula Vista store will be REI’s third in the San Diego market. REI opened its San Diego store in 1998. A store in Encinitas opened in 2004.
Internet kiosks within the store provide access to REI.com and REI-OUTLET.com for product information and to order products not currently in stock. More than half of online customers choose REI Store Pickup, a service that allows customers to pick up online purchases at a store without a shipping charge.
