PETERBOROUGH, N.H., April 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Eastern Mountain Sports Inc., one of the nation’s largest outdoor retailers, today announced plans to open three new stores during the next three months.

An existing location at the Plaza at Buckland Hills in Manchester, Connecticut is moving approximately 12 storefronts down the plaza into a new, 18,831 square foot space next to PetSmart. South Portland, Maine will be the home of the company’s second location in the greater Portland market in the form of a 20,442 square foot location at 301 Maine Mall Road next to Toys ‘R Us. In North Brunswick, NJ construction is currently underway for a brand new 13,013 square foot store in the North Village Shopping Center.

Each location will feature an extensive selection of outdoor gear and apparel from popular national brands such as The North Face, Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, and Wilderness Systems, as well as Eastern Mountain Sports’ proprietary EMS brand. “These three new stores are part of our ongoing strategy to expand our presence in the northeast to better serve outdoor athletes from novice to expert,” said Eastern Mountain Sports CEO Will Manzer. “We’re tremendously excited to provide old and new customers alike with a world-class shopping experience they won’t find anywhere else.” The North Brunswick, Buckland Hills, and South Portland stores will be staffed by teams of experts with the expert knowledge and real-world experience to help customers choose the right gear for camping, hiking, climbing, paddling, and cycling.

Weekend-long grand opening celebrations are currently schedules as follows:

Buckland Hills: April 27-29

South Portland: May 11-13

North Brunswick: June 15-17

Details will be communicated on each store’s page on ems.com which can be found through the web site’s store locator feature. “At Eastern Mountain Sports, we sell fresh air, fitness and stress relief,” CEO Manzer added: “We’re on a mission to encourage Americans to take advantage of all the close-to-home recreation opportunities available to them and these new stores will play a key role in accomplishing this goal.”

About Eastern Mountain Sports

Founded in 1967 by two New England rock climbers and based in Peterborough, N.H., Eastern Mountain Sports is one of the nation’s leading outfitters of outdoor gear, clothing, footwear and accessories with 68 retail stores in 12 states. The Eastern Mountain Sports Climbing School was started in 1968, and currently has 4 major locations and 7 satellite locations throughout the East, making it the oldest and largest climbing school in the eastern U.S. More information is available at www.ems.com.

SOURCE Eastern Mountain Sports Inc.