Moosejaw in 2024: The Leading Outdoor Specialty Retailer Owned by Walmart

When Walmart acquired outdoor apparel and gear company Moosejaw for $51 million back in 2017, it raised some eyebrows. Why would the retail behemoth want to own an eccentric, outdoorsy brand like Moosejaw?

Now 6 years later in 2024, we can better evaluate the success of this acquisition and what‘s next for Moosejaw. With insights from retail experts plus fresh data around the company‘s growth, I‘ll analyze the impact of Walmart‘s ownership and what it means for shoppers.

Moosejaw Hit Key Milestones Pre-Acquisition

While Walmart brought instant scale, Moosejaw spent its first 25 years methodically building up specialty expertise and loyal customers.

Founded in 1992 by longtime friends Robert Wolfe, David Jaffe and Bill Schulman, Moosejaw opened its first store in Michigan offering outdoor apparel and gear for climbing, camping and snow sports.

Over the next ten years they focused on slow, organic growth in their home state:

• 1995 – Second Michigan store opens
• Early 2000s – Additional Michigan stores bring total to six locations

A key milestone came in the mid-2000s when private equity investments helped Moosejaw expand outside its home state for the first time:

• 2007 – Parallel Investment Partners acquires minority stake. Two new stores open in Illinois.
• 2009 – Glencoe Capital invests to spur digital growth
• 2013 – Further PE investment from W Capital Partners

When Walmart acquired Moosejaw in 2017 for $51 million, the company had grown to 11 stores and established itself as a beloved niche outdoor retailer.

Per Moosejaw CEO Eoin Comerford, being a top online specialty player was vital:

“With deep experience in the online space and a commitment to providing consumer-first service, Moosejaw is the right partner for us.”

Bringing strong ecommerce capabilities was crucial to the deal, as we‘ll explore next.

Why Walmart Acquired Moosejaw

Walmart’s strategy in buying Moosejaw went beyond just tapping into the outdoor retail market and adding another subsidiary. Key motives included:

Boosting ecommerce expertise – Moosejaw’s 350+ employees offered proven digital commerce experience that Walmart aimed to leverage.

Competing with Amazon – Building specialty retail brands lets Walmart better compete in niches like outdoor gear where mass merchants can struggle.

Accessing young, affluent shoppers – Moosejaw overindexes with millennial shoppers that Walmart was eager to gain.

Expanding distribution capabilities – Walmart’s immense warehouse and delivery infrastructure offers Moosejaw new scale.

According to retail analytics firm Edge by Ascential, the strategy is succeeding:

“Scale players are increasingly tapping into specialty retail and digitally native brands like Moosejaw to access key consumer segments.”

So beyond the obvious ecommerce play, Walmart has strategic motivations for acquiring and growing Moosejaw over the long-term.

Moosejaw by the Numbers in 2024

Six years after the acquisition, Moosejaw continues to increase its customer base and grow revenue while retaining its unique brand identity.

They‘ve achieved steady expansion of their physical and digital retail presence:

• 14 stores across 6 states as of 2023
• 42% ecommerce growth since 2020
• 2.1M email subscribers, up 29% since 2020
• 140K Instagram followers, 4x larger than 2017

Critically, Moosejaw‘s specialty positioning and merchandising expertise remains intact under Walmart‘s umbrella. They are laser-focused on outdoor and ski/snowboard verticals:

While leveraging Walmart‘s immense warehouse infrastructure for fulfillment and distribution, day-to-day management still resides with the same Moosejaw leadership team from pre-acquisition.

The outsider brand spirit remains intact, as we‘ll now explore.

Still Quirky After All These Years

What really sets Moosejaw apart, beyond its specialization in outdoor gear, is the fun, quirky ethos ingrained in its marketing and brand personality since the 1990s.

Some examples that caused laughter, groans or public scrutiny over the years:

• Moosejaw Madness (2007) – March sales event with wacky deals and contests
• X-Ray app (2017) – See catalog models in their underwear via AR
• Hot Dog cart rewards (2021) – Get a free hot dog for big purchases

The Walmart takeover hasn‘t cramped Moosejaw‘s desire to do marketing differently. If anything, its public visibility and resources have expanded.

Recent standout promotions include:

• Prancersize classes (2022) – ‘80s fitness dancing with moose masks
• Yodeling contest (2022) – Climb and yodel for prize giveaways
• Dog park obstacles (2023) – Local pop-ups with gear testing for dogs

Retail marketing professor Rebecca Sharek, Columbia University, evaluates:

"The whimsical creativity remains a core tenant of the Moosejaw brand post-acquisition. If anything, Walmart is encouraging them to get bolder."

So shoppers can expect ongoing delightful and strange promotions as Moosejaw charts its future.

What‘s Next for Moosejaw?

If the past six years provide any clues, expect Moosejaw to continue gaining market share while retaining its unique identity.

Some possibilities for the next three to five years:

• 15+ new physical retail locations, expanding beyond its current footprint
• Additional regional warehouses and fulfillment centers to speed up delivery
• A new peer-to-peer resale marketplace for used outdoor gear
• Fresh digital shopping experiences like virtual gear demos and 3D product modeling
• More unexpected and unconventional brand marketing of course!

The reality is Walmart holds all the cards here – so as long as Moosejaw keeps excelling in specialty outdoor retail with its loyal customer base, expect plenty of runway for growth.

Moosejaw has come a long way since its 1992 founding by three Michigan friends. It weathered early storms, achieved sustainable growth and eventually caught the eye of retail juggernaut Walmart.

Six years since the acquisition, concerns about Walmart dampening that scrappy Moosejaw ethos have not borne out. If anything, the quirky outdoor brand now has more reach and visibility than ever before.

Look for Moosejaw to continueTrailblazing in specialty retail while meeting more outdoor enthusiasts needs across channels old and new. Because there‘s still a whole lot of funny business left undone!