CHANDLER, AZ — Scheels, an employee-owned all-sports retail store, announced Wednesday that it was expanding to Arizona with its first store slated to open in Chandler in 2023.
The 220,000-square-foot store is slated to take over the former Nordstrom space at Chandler Fashion Center mall, a spokesperson for Scheels told ABC15. Nordstorm closed in 2020.
The news is out: @SCHEELS is coming to #ChandlerAZ — we are thrilled to welcome them to @ChandlerFC. Details ⬇️ | @ChandlerEconDev @chandlerazmayor @visitchandleraz https://t.co/iuDHx7eSnw
— City of Chandler, AZ (@cityofchandler) May 19, 2021
Scheels sells men's, women's, and children's clothing -- Under Armor, Nike, Scheels, and other brands -- as well as gear for hunting, shooting, fishing, cycling, water sports, and outdoor recreation.
"After studying the Phoenix market for several years, we are pleased to announce the first Scheels location is coming to Arizona,” said CEO Steve M. Scheel in a statement. "We are thrilled to be part of Chandler Fashion Center and want to thank city leadership and the team at Macerich for help bringing this project to life."
Every Scheels store features signature attractions.
The Chandler store is set to have a 16,000-gallon saltwater aquarium, a wildlife mountain with taxidermy-preserved animals on it, archery lanes, bowling, a shooting gallery, sports simulators, arcade games, a candy store, and Ginna's Cafe, an in-store restaurant that serves soups, sandwiches, and fudge, according to Kiersten Hegland, spokesperson for Scheels.
The store in Omaha, Nebraska has a 45-foot Ferris wheel and an archery range, while the store in Sandy, Utah has a 65-foot Ferris wheel and Rollerball. It is unclear if the Arizona store will have a Ferris wheel.
When open, it will employ roughly 400 people, the company said.
