Business news : Backwoods Acquires Neptune Mountaineering

Backwoods announced the acquisition of Neptune Mountaineering, the specialty outdoor retail store in Boulder, CO. The doors will remain open throughout the transition and the name will remain Neptune Mountaineering.

Both family owned companies, Neptune Mountaineering and Backwoods, originally opened in 1973. The official acquisition date was Dec. 31 for an undisclosed amount.

“With the purchase of Neptune Mountaineering, we are thrilled to announce a presence in Boulder," Backwoods CEO Jennifer Mull said. "We plan to maintain the atmosphere and culture of the store and continue the successes of the company’s rich history in this community. Our intent is to keep much of the customer experience the same.

“When the company’s founder, Gary Neptune, made the decision to sell the store, we began discussions and found a lot of common ground between our two family-owned companies histories’. As our discussions continued, it made more and more sense for Backwoods to acquire Neptune Mountaineering. Our philosophies about customer experience are quite similar and both companies strive to inspire people to lead active, adventurous lives—this provided a lot of synergy between our two companies. We look forward to learning more about the existing customers, working with the Neptune staff, and growing the brand in such a well established location for outdoor recreation.”

A single-store mountain shop located in the shadow of Boulder’s Flatirons, Neptune Mountaineering first opened its doors on April 1, 1973, just weeks after Backwoods first opened its doors in Wichita, Kansas. In the beginning, Neptune Mountaineering primarily repaired climbing and ski boots, and installed edges on wooden skis and re-shafted axes. Today the store is full of climbing, backpacking and backcountry ski equipment and gear, and the company’s founder, Gary Neptune, has filled the shop with artifacts of his related passion for climbing and skiing. The “museum” within the store began to take shape in the late 1970s and has become one of the most extensive collections of its kind throughout the country. The museum will remain within the store and the Neptune Mountaineering name will continue as the face of the store, with Backwoods operating behind the brand that has served thousands upon thousands in Boulder for many years.

“When I started to think about the long term future of Neptune Mountaineering and eventually selling my business I had very specific ideas about an ideal successor,” Gary Neptune, founder of Neptune Mountaineering, said.  “I could not have hoped for a better fit than Backwoods and am very excited about the future of Neptune Mountaineering and my continued involvement.”

Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2013, Backwoods is an outdoor gear and apparel retailer located in 8 cities, now 9, across the country and on the web. Backwoods offers clothing, equipment and expertise to help customers fulfill their travel plans with a range of adventures such as hiking, trekking, fishing, climbing, camping, trail running, kayaking, paddling, adventure trips and yoga. Backwoods Adventures, a sister company to Backwoods, is currently running trips on 6 of the 7 continents.