Woodbridge, Va. –– Shoppers at Stonebridge Potomac Town Center will soon get a taste of the great outdoors.
Recreational Equipment Incorporated, better known as REI, plans to open a new location at the shopping center in spring 2012.
The store will boast two stories of camping, hiking, cycling, fitness and paddling gear, as well as clothing and accessories.
It will also include a bike shop for quick repairs, and an educational room where customers and community members will be able to see outdoor-related presentations and events.
The new store is expected to bring 50 new jobs to the area. Most of the hiring will take place three months prior to the store’s opening, company officials announced today.
Setting itself apart from other outdoor retail stores, REI is a consumer cooperative where customers share in the company’s profits through an annual member refund. The refund, which was more than $80 million this year, is based on the company’s sales for that year.
“REI currently serves more than 145,000 members in the DC area and has 18,500 members within 15 miles of the new Woodbridge store,” said REI Retail Director Anne Maleady. “We look forward to strengthening our relationships with outdoor groups and non-profits in Northern Virginia to increase the number of people recreating in the outdoors and enhancing local outdoor places.”
REI says anyone may shop the store, but new customers must pay a $20 one-time fee to join the cooperative.
With 3.9 active members, the company currently has two other locations in Northern Virginia – including stores in Fairfax and Bailey’s Crossroads.
A supporter of non-profit organizations, in 2010 REI distributed $3.7 million in grant funding for organizations like the Occoquan Watertrail League, Potomac Conservancy, Friends of Rock Creek’s Environment and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, according to REI’s press release.
The developing Potomac Town Center is slated to become a mixed-use area with shopping, office space and residential space.
When finished, REI will join Wegmans grocery store, Uncle Julio’s Café and JoS A. Bank clothing store, which have already opened at the center.
Earlier this year P.F. Chang’s announced they would open a Chinese restaurant at the center, adding to plans for a Toby Keith-themed restaurant.
