Boating goes big box. At 50,000 square feet, West Marine’s new Superstore in Fort Lauderdale, Florida rivals the size of home centers and other “mega” stores that dominate the retail landscape. If sheer size is the measure of having made it, than boating hasn’t just gone big box, its gone mainstream. But this is no warehouse.
The new store is twice the size of the Watsonville, California based retailer’s next largest store.
“We’re designing and building the new Fort Lauderdale West Marine Boating Superstore from the ground up to better serve the Customers in this amazing boating market. We believe it will be the world’s largest (and hopefully most exciting) boating store, with the largest selection of core for-the-boat products and for-the boater apparel and shoes,” said Geoff Eisenberg, CEO, West Marine.
More Than Just Big
The electronics section is complete with the flying bridge of a sportfisherman and showcases what West claims is the largest collection of marine electronics and audio systems under one roof. The fishing department is equally massive, as are the sections devoted to maintenance items, apparel and the reportedly largest sailboat hardware selection in Florida. But with this store, West Marine is pushing service much as size.
There’s a marine engine parts center where boaters can get core maintenance and repair parts for a wide variety of marine engines. The sailing department doesn’t just sell snap-shackles and boom vangs: the in-house rigging division can make up the systems you need to order. And if you’ve a large boat, West Marine Megayacht Supply services the megayachts of the world and works directly with the captains and their crews. This boating superstore will be the first in the market to stock the parts to maintain these large boats. The division also has the flexibility to allow crews to order supplies while underway.
About West Marine
West Marine, (Nasdaq:WMAR) the largest specialty retailer of boating supplies and accessories, has more than 320 company-owned stores located in 38 states, Puerto Rico and Canada and three franchised stores located in Turkey. Our call center and Internet channels offer Customers over 60,000 products plus the convenience of exchanging catalog and Internet purchases at our Store locations. Our Port Supply division is one of the largest wholesale distributors of marine equipment serving boat manufacturers, marine services, commercial vessel operators and government agencies. For more information on West Marine’s products and store locations, or to start shopping, visit westmarine.com or call 1-800-BOATING (1-800-262-8464).
