Rock/Creek said it expects to open a new, improved retail paddling store, outlet and distribution center Oct. 1 just in time for the Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k and Chattanooga RiverRocks festival.
“We're excited about the store upgrade and looking forward to working with customers to quickly place them in the right boat with the right gear, all in one easy visit, without having to transfer items back and forth from our warehouse location,” explains Sara Horne, Rock/Creek's Paddlesports Manager. She also notes that the location will feature a Yakima Rack fit center, where customers can have their car racks professionally installed.
The planned opening date for the new location is October 1, just in time for the Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k and Chattanooga RiverRocks festival. Presently, Rock/Creek is working with the Tennessee River Gorge Trust to bring back the popular Kayak for Conservation paddling fundraiser, which will serve as the new store’s grand opening celebration. Registration for this event will be available soon at rockcreek.com, with all proceeds benefiting the TRGT.
The new boating shop will replace the existing Rock/Creek Down Under store on River Street. The current distribution center, online customer service and buying offices will also relocate to this new location. In addition to doubling the retail size of the paddling store, the new location nearly doubles the current warehouse space while providing additional office space for rockcreek.com operations.
Along with Rock/Creek’s brick-and-mortar stores, rockcreek.com continues to grow, and the improved distribution center will help facilitate this growth. “In February, 2011, we launched a redesigned Web site on the ATG Oracle platform, and we continue to invest in this growing channel,” said E-commerce Director Mark McKnight.
Rock/Creek received the 2011 Retailer of the Year award from the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance earlier this summer. Rock/Creek was also recently listed in Internet Retailer's 2011 “Second 500” list of the largest online retailers.
