PETERBOROUGH, New Hampshire — Eastern Mountain Sports announced today the grand opening of two new stores in Newark, DE and Nanuet, NY on November 4-5. The Newark, DE store totals 17,000 square feet and the Nanuet, NY store totals 14,000 square feet. Both stores are designed around a company-wide initiative to maintain its roots as an authentic, gear-focused outdoor outfitter. These new showcase stores are part of the Company’s ongoing retail expansion strategy, which includes plans to open or relocate eight stores in 2007, three of which will be in the Mid-Atlantic area.

The new showcase stores are tailored towards the outdoor athlete and encompass a strong community connection by offering local resources to plan outdoor outings, superior customer service through authentic and knowledgeable expertise from outdoor athlete guides and easy access to stores. Eastern Mountain Sports will host a rope-cutting ceremony to open each store, with Nanuet on November 2 at 9:30 am, and Newark on November 3 at 9:30 am.

“We are continuing to uphold our competitive retail brand profile and are currently considering up to 17 new store locations in the next three years,” said Will Manzer, President and CEO of Eastern Mountain Sports. “Our new stores portray our customers’ point of view of what an outdoor retailer should offer — including the expertise of a local outfitter, cutting-edge products from leading outdoor brands and an authentic environment to hang out and feel comfortable with their friends.”

STORE PROFILE

Each store offers several attributes to appeal to the outdoor athlete including superior customer service from knowledgeable store employees, a large format that houses all the apparel and gear the outdoor athlete desires, and conveniently accessible store locations. The stores utilize reclaimed machine-shop fixtures, recycled rubber floor mats, and exposed ceilings and floors to decrease material consumption. Also included in the layout is a bike, ski and snowboard tuning station, community lounge outfitted with couches and chairs, WiFi kiosks, resources to plan outings and an interactive Tech-Center stocked with global positioning systems, heart rate monitors and compasses.

As a nationally recognized brand with high-performance, affordable gear, Eastern Mountain Sports maintains a sense of community within store markets through outreach efforts like regional guide service and education, local trail maintenance support and promotion of outdoor club initiatives.

Store address and hours
Center Pointe Shopping Plaza
1297 New Churchmans Road
Newark, DE 19713
(302) 266-0144
Monday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Rockland Plaza
Route 59
Nanuet, NY 10954
(845) 623-5282
Monday – – Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

RETAIL EXPANSION:PART OF CONTINUED GROWTH PLAN

Led by President and CEO Will Manzer, Eastern Mountain Sports continues to execute the Company’s growth plan since its 2004 management-led purchase.

“We have made great progress on our buyout plan, which has included heavy recruitment efforts through the past two years leading to the strongest management team the brand has ever possessed,” stated Manzer. “We’re actively repositioning our overall product assortment alongside our web and retail development platforms to better serve the outdoor athlete.”

Recent key executive hires include Robert K. Mayerson and Mike Corey. Mayerson joined as Executive Vice President, CFO and COO to help establish the Company’s framework for strategic growth. He spent more than 10 years at Staples, Inc. and most recently was the Senior Vice President of Finance and Treasurer. Corey joined as Chief Development Officer to help build the retail portfolio and strategy. He was most recently Vice President, Franchise and Emerging Brand Development at Blockbuster, Inc.

The Company also continues to focus on developing innovative outdoor products that fuse functionality with contemporary style and fashion. The Eastern Mountain Sports brand products continue to be offered alongside a selection of leading outdoor brands that are complementary to Eastern Mountain Sports’ own product lines.

Two propriety Easter Mountain Sports sub-brands include Techwick, the exclusive wicking moisture management apparel line, and SYNC, an advanced interchangeable layering system which includes three-season midlayers and technical winter outerwear shells.

Eastern Mountain Sports’ website, http://www.ems.com/, is a key driver of business, in addition to the brick and mortar development. The site was recently overhauled to provide superior online shopping experience. The Company has doubled its website business in the last two years. Other key Eastern Mountain Sports initiatives include a fall college marketing push and targeted direct marketing efforts.