Gander Mountain Company announced the signing of leases for eight new outdoor lifestyle specialty stores to open in the spring of 2005, in line with the company’s announced plans to open a total of 18 to 22 new stores in 2005. All of the stores are at least 55,000 square feet plus outside selling space and will include ATV sales and service, an in-store professional gunsmith, a full-service archery shop with shooting lanes and a Gander Lodge meeting space available to local organizations free of charge.

“These new stores reinforce our presence in markets where we are already helping customers create outdoor memories,” said Mark Baker, president and CEO. “The stores in Texas and Colorado build on our early success in those markets, which we entered in 2004 and are home to a tremendous number of outdoor enthusiasts. The Duluth store replaces a smaller store in response to strong customer demand for our products and services.”

The new stores, scheduled to open in April and May, will be located in the following markets:

        Beaumont, Texas               Spring (Houston), Texas
        Dayton, Ohio                  Sugarland (Houston), Texas
        Duluth, Minn. (replacement)   Terre Haute, Ind.
        Kingston, N.Y.                Thornton, Colo.