A hunting, camping and fishing retail store is taking over the former Future Shop location in Westbank’s Snyatan Shopping Centre.
Wholesale Sports Outdoor Outfitters is hoping to open its doors in early February 2014.
Jimm Holland, vice president of marketing, said West Kelowna will be Wholesale Sports’ 13th location.
“One of the things we’ve done over the last few years is look at all the potential markets in Canada,” said Holland.
“The Kelowna area is actually a very popular area for hunters…Kelowna came up as a good potential market.”
Describing Wholesale Sports as “one of Canada’s largest stores dedicated to outdoor pursuits,” Holland explained the 20,000-square-foot West Kelowna location will be slightly smaller than most of the other locations.
“It’s more in line with the direction that we see us going as we build new stores.”
Wholesale Sports has already held a hiring fair and Holland expects the store will employ about 30 people.
Chief operating officer of Wholesale Sports, Glenn Bingley, described Kelowna as a “sportsman’s and sportswoman’s paradise.”
“It is a natural fit for a retailer dedicated to the outdoors,” said Bingley.
Bingley added Westbank First Nation has been “excellent to work with.”
“Without their collaboration and cooperation, this would have been an impossible task.”
Wholesale Sports carries nearly 30,000 products for the outdoors and has been part of the Canadian outdoor industry for more than 25 years.
wpaterson@kelownacapnews.com
Twitter: @PatersonWade
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