Duluth Trading Co., the casual and workwear clothing company whose quirky animated ads tout its Buck Naked underwear and Fire Hose pants, is planning its first Florida store at River City Marketplace.
Belleville, Wisconsin-based Duluth Holdings Inc. would occupy a new 14,560-square-foot building at 13000 City Station Drive. The property is along Interstate 95 on the west side of the Regal River City Marketplace Stadium 14 movie theater.
An application for modification of the St. Johns River Water Management District Environmental Resource Permit for River City Marketplace indicates the Duluth Trading Co. building on a .86-acre parcel with 66 parking spaces.
The property is owned by Ramco Jacksonville LLC and the applicant is Ramco-Gershenson Inc., a real estate property manager. The company is based in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Ramco-Gershenson Inc. is a subsidiary of Ramco-Gershenson Properties LP.
According to duluthtrading.com, the nearest Duluth Trading Co. store is in Louisville, Kentucky, about 600 miles from Jacksonville. Most of the chain’s stores are in the Northeast and Midwest. The company opened its 38th store on June 7 in Columbus, Ohio.
The company was started in 1989 by two brothers working in construction in Duluth. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, in 2000, Duluth Trading Co. was acquired by Gempler’s outdoor supplies, which then was owned by Steve Schlecht. Schlecht sold Gempler’s in 2003 to concentrate on developing the Duluth Trading business. In 2015, the company went public and Stephanie Pugliese was promoted to CEO and Schlecht became the company’s executive chairman.
Duluth Trading Co. describes itself as a lifestyle brand for the “modern, self-reliant American.” It offers “high quality, solution-based casual wear, workwear and accessories for men and women who lead a hands-on lifestyle and who value a job well-done.”
