GAINESVILLE, FLA. — Bass Pro Shops plans to open a new store on the northwest quadrant of Interstate 75 and Archer Road in Gainesville. It will be the primary anchor for Celebration Pointe, a 1 million-square-foot mixed-use development that will include retail, restaurants, entertainment, a hotel and residential units. The development will be Alachua County’s first green, transit-oriented project.
The outdoor retailer’s news came just a few days before ICSC RECon 2014, the annual networking and information conference in Las Vegas featuring more than 33,000 retail and shopping center professionals from across the globe. The largest convention of its kind in the industry, RECon also features 1,000 exhibitors.
The new 80,000-square-foot Bass Pro Shops Sportsman’s Center store will be the company’s 13th store in Florida. The company currently operates nine stores in the state, and other locations have been announced for Brandon/Tampa, St. John’s County/Jacksonville and Daytona.
“Having the opportunity to build a super outdoor store directly fronting I-75 will allow us to bring Bass Pro Shops’ low prices and famous friendly expert service to serve the many sportsmen and women, as well as the visitors to this area each year,” says Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops. “This retail attraction will be a tribute to the great sporting tradition and heritage of the region and a celebration of the sporting men and women of Florida.”
Celebration Pointe will sit along the western portion of a 100-acre permanent conservation area. When combined with the 460-acre Lake Kanapaha conservation area and the 240-acre Split Rock conservation area, approximately 800 acres of nature preserve surrounds the project.
More than 100,000 vehicles will pass by the new store daily, according to Bass Pro Shops.
“When we ascribed the vision for Celebration Pointe, we could not have hoped for a more perfect tenant to serve in the spotlight as the primary anchor,” says Ralph Conti, one of the partners in the development.
Nationally, Bass Pro Shops will host more than 116 million people visiting its 85 stores and marine centers across the United States and Canada this year. The average customer stays two-and-a-half hours and drives a distance of 50-plus miles.
“We are excited Bass Pro Shops is coming to Alachua County and has chosen to locate in the Celebration Pointe development,” says Lee Pinkoson, chairman of the Alachua County Commission. “Over the past several years, the county has worked closely with the developer of Celebration Pointe in his efforts to develop this innovative project. Bass Pro Shops is just the type of catalyst that will attract other business to locate in our community and enhance overall economic development within Alachua County.”
— John Nelson