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Walmart bought Moosejaw earlier this week for $51 million.
Walmart bought Moosejaw earlier this week for $51 million. (Photo: Getty Images)

Patagonia Jackets Won鈥檛 Be Cheaper Now that Walmart Owns Moosejaw

And they won't appear on Walmart shelves. But the acquisition will help the behemoth retailer compete with Amazon and it could even strengthen Moosejaw's brick-and-mortar business.

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Walmart bought Moosejaw earlier this week for $51 million.
(Photo: Getty Images)

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You might have seen that Walmart swooped in and bought online retailer for $51 million dollars on Tuesday. The question is: What, if anything, will this mean for the outdoor gear consumer?

For one, don't expect to听start getting听high-end听outdoor gear for cheap.听鈥淵ou won't see Patagonia at Walmart,鈥 says听Rich Hill, president of听, a trade organization of 130 outdoor specialty shops. But that doesn't mean you won't see certain outdoor brands sold on Walmart's site.

鈥淒iscussions are taking place on a brand-by-brand basis,鈥 says Moosejaw CEO Eoin Comerford. 鈥淭he premium brands will stay on the Moosejaw platform, but some of our vendors have expressed a surprising willingness to be considered for Walmart.com.鈥澨齅oosejaw carries dozens of the best-known brands in the industry, including Patagonia, CamelBak, and Yeti.听(Unfortunately,听Comerford wouldn鈥檛 mention which brands they were talking to听or听which brands they consider premium.)听

The acquisition puts Walmart in a better place to take on Amazon in the battle for e-commerce dominance. Walmart has been听ramping up its听Internet presence, introducing free two-day shipping to anyone.Last summer,听Walmart bought online bulk seller for $3 billion. In听January it purchased . Moosejaw is a step听in the same direction.听

鈥淎pparel and accessories are the number one category for digital commerce,鈥 says Walmart spokesman Ravi Jariwala. 鈥淭he number one rule of business is to be where your customers are.鈥

According to both Jariwala and Comerford, all of Moosejaw鈥檚 350 employees will remain in place in Detroit or at their retail locations throughout the midwest. 鈥淚f anything, we will need to hire more people,鈥 says Comerford. 鈥淲ith Walmart鈥檚 resources, we plan on scaling up Moosejaw.鈥 Comerford鈥檚 team will now oversee all outdoor products across Walmart.com, Jet.com, shoebuy.com and Moosejaw.

Jariwala and Comerford say no one should be worried about Moosejaw changing its personality, either. 鈥淥ne thing we really appreciate about Moosejaw,鈥 says Jariwala, 鈥渋s that is has a very beloved and distinct brand personality and culture.鈥 Since Moosejaw鈥檚 founding in 1992 by a pair of 20-somethings, the company has catered to younger buyers, primarily through a playful brand identity. It billed itself as a place to hold rock-paper-scissors contests, and once offered a service to help people with their significant others.

Even Moosejaw's statement about the acquisition had its characteristic quirk. 鈥淒on鈥檛 worry. The Moosejaw Madness鈥攁nd most importantly鈥攖he folks that bring it are not going anywhere鈥nly now we have the resources to spread the madness to a lot more people. And we all get blue vests with 40g of insulation.鈥

That doesn't mean everyone is happy about the sale. Consumers have taken to social media to , and some people are accusing Moosejaw of sugarcoating a sellout, especially to a company with a history of controversial . Comerford says those issues were something he took very seriously upon examining the deal. He also points to the company鈥檚 new commitment to , including a doubling of sales of locally-grown produce and targets to.

As for backlash from Moosejaw鈥檚 400 vendor partners like the North Face, Jetboil, and Dynafit? 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 heard of it yet,鈥 Hill says.听

Lead Photo: Getty Images

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