Dive Brief:

• Camping World on Thursday said it will acquire TheHouse.com — an online retailer specializing in bikes, sailboards, skateboards, wakeboards, snowboards and outdoor gear — for an undisclosed amount.

• The two will maintain distinct brands, with Camping World focusing on the outdoor camping and RV industries and The House on active outdoor lifestyles, Camping World said in a press release.

• In May, Camping World acquired outdoor retailer Gander Mountain and its Overton online operations for $15.6 million at a bankruptcy auction. 

Dive Insight:

Camping World continues to expand its horizons, moving into new areas both geographically and in terms of merchandise. The House, like Overton’s, will help the company's efforts to grow its digital sales.

“We believe this acquisition of the online retailer, TheHouse.com, continues our focus of an omnichannel approach," Camping World Chairman Marcus Lemonis said in a statement. “The management team not only possesses a strong knowledge of the active sports market but also has a keen eye for the development and invention of products. This vertical strategy not only provides for a nice bolt on to the company but enhances the renewed strategy behind the new Gander Outdoors model.”

Lemonis and Camping World are in expansion mode but have been adamant about preserving profitability. From the get-go, for example, Lemonis made it clear that only Gander Mountain stores with good prospects would survive.

"It’s up to the local staff, the manager to run that store profitably," he said in May via Periscope, correcting reports that all Gander Mountain stores would shutter. "I will not be picking stores that do not have a clear path to profitability — I will not do that under any circumstance.” 

The company scaled back its original goal of preserving 70 Grander Mountain stores with a recent decision to keep just 57 open nationwide.