It appears that Camping World's Lincoln store will be the only one opening in Nebraska, at least for now.
The recreational vehicle retailer Monday officially announced plans for the Lincoln store, along with new stores in Billings, Montana, and Georgetown, Delaware. All three stores will be the first Camping World locations in their respective states.
“We continue to fill in the missing pieces toward our goal of operating locations in the 48 contiguous states,†Marcus Lemonis, CEO and chairman of Camping World, said in a news release.
Lemonis confirmed the plans for a Lincoln store to the Journal Star in November. They will include a roughly 30,000-square-foot sales and service facility on approximately 18 acres near 63rd Street and Arbor Road, adjacent to the Interstate 80 exit at 56th Street.
Lemonis said at the time that he hoped to have the store open by the end of 2021.
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Conspicuously absent from this week's announcement, however, was any mention of plans for a store in Sidney.
Last August, Lemonis visited Sidney and laid out plans to local officials for a 30,000- to 40,000-square-foot store that also would include Gander Outdoors, along with Overton's, which sells water sports equipment, and The House, which sells ski equipment. He also talked of possibly opening a small distribution center there and a facility to manufacture RV mattresses.
However, those plans appear to be on hold.
The Sidney City Council got word last month that a land deal between Camping World and a local commercial real estate company had been terminated.
David Scott, Sidney's city administrator, said Camping World had signed a letter of intent to buy land near I-80 for the proposed Sidney store and that deal has now fallen through.
Scott said he spoke to Lemonis, who told him that the plans for Sidney are "on hold" and not canceled, and that Lemonis "just needs to make the numbers work."
He said he takes Lemonis at his word but doesn't want people in Sidney to get their hopes up about the project.
"We'll see where it goes," Scott said, noting that "there's no agreement in place right now."
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