Fleet Farm

Fleet Farm
Formerly
 Mills Fleet Farm (prior to 2018)
Subsidiary of KKR
Industry Retail
Founded 1955
Founders Stewart Mills Sr.
Stewart Mills Jr.
Henry Mills II
Headquarters Appleton, Wisconsin, United States
Number of locations
 37
Key people
 Derick Prelle (President, CEO) [1]
Products Hunting and fishing equipment & licenses, small appliances, housewares, automotive goods, apparel, hardware, lawn and garden supplies, paint, pet supplies, sporting goods, tools, and farm supplies.
Website www.fleetfarm.com

Fleet Farm (formerly Mills Fleet Farm) is a retail chain of 37 stores in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. Headquartered in Brainerd, Minnesota, the company has a main distribution center in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, with a buying/support office and warehouse in Appleton, Wisconsin. The stores range in size from small hardware store formats to larger stores. They sell hunting and fishing equipment and licenses, small appliances, housewares, automotive goods, apparel, hardware, lawn and garden supplies, paint, pet supplies, sporting goods, tools, and farm supplies. Most locations also have a tire center, convenience store and car wash.

History

Fleet Farm was founded in 1955 by Stewart Mills Sr. and his sons Henry Mills II and Stewart Mills Jr. The first store, named Fleet Wholesale Supply, was opened in Marshfield, Wisconsin.[2] Similarly-named Blain's Farm and Fleet was also founded in 1955 by Mills family friends. The two families agreed to use similar names and have historically operated in different territories.[3][4] In 2016 Mills Fleet Farm was sold to the private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts for an undisclosed amount rumored to be around $1.2 billion.[2][5] As of July 2018, the "Mills" part of the name has been dropped, shortening the name to "Fleet Farm."

Store brands

Fleet Farm carries a variety of store brands in a variety of departments. These include: Road Runner - Batteries and tires, Big Max - Trailers and automotive supplies, Field and Forest - Clothing and footwear, Fleet Boutique - Women's clothing, Dura-Built - Farm supplies, Milkhouse brand - Dairy supplies, Farm Life - Animal supplements, Sprout - Animal feed, Mills Fleet Farm - Candy and nuts, Farm Toys,

Images

References

  1. ↑ David Schuyler, "Mills Fleet Farm names new CEO", Milwaukee Business Journal, June 13, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Joe Taschler, "Investment firm to acquire Mills Fleet Farm". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, January 5, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Video: Mills Fleet Farm and Blain's Farm & Fleet enter a new era," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, June 6, 2017.
  4. ↑ Barry Adams, "No Family Feud for Farm & Fleet, Fleet Farm," Wisconsin State Journal, August 14, 2008.
  5. ↑ Neal St. Anthony, "Mills Fleet Farm to be sold to investment giant KKR", Star Tribune, January 5, 2016.


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