The Tacoma store will be housed in the Rainier Place Shopping center, at the intersection of Interstate 5 and 38th Street near the Tacoma Mall. The Southcenter site is at the corner of Andover Park W. and Strander Boulevard across from Westfield Shoppingtown Southcenter Mall. REI currently has seven stores in Washington State in Seattle, Bellingham, Lynwood, Redmond, Federal Way, Spokane and Kennewick.
"Tacoma and Southcenter are great locations that will provide additional convenience to our customers south of Seattle," says REI Vice President for Real Estate Jerry Chevassus. "We are particularly pleased with moving into Tacoma. Our members there have long requested an REI store for Tacoma. It will also serve people on the Kitsap Peninsula."
REI was founded in Seattle by a group of mountaineers in 1938 as a consumer cooperative. Anyone may shop at REI. REI members pay a one-time $15 fee and receive a share in the company's profits through an annual patronage refund based on their purchases.
Both new stores will be about 22,000 square-feet and each employ about 60 full- and part-time staff. They will provide a full selection of top brands, as well as REI's own exclusive line, of outdoor gear and clothing for hiking, camping, climbing, cycling, paddling and winter sports.
REI stores provide an interactive environment where customers can try out gear. Both the Southcenter and Tacoma stores will include a camp stove demonstration area, a water filter testing station, a hiking boot testing rock and a climbing boulder, plus space to climb into tents and heft backpacks.
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