R.E.I. (Recreational Equipment Inc.) is an American sporting goods and outdoor gear consumer cooperative. It was founded in 1938 by Lloyd and Mary Anderson in Seattle. The Andersons imported an Academ Pickel ice axe from Austria for themselves, and decided to set up a cooperative to help outdoor enthusiasts acquire good quality climbing gear at reasonable prices. It has become the largest consumer cooperative in the United States, with over 2.5 million active members (approaching 8 million total) and about 80 stores in 25 states (it opens 6 to 8 new stores each year). An active co-op, REI pays a dividend of 8%-10% on purchases to its members (virtually every year, although this is not guaranteed), in cash or store credit. There is a one-time, non-refundable, fee of $15 to join. 2005 sales exceeded $1 billion. R.E.I. is headquartered in Kent, Washington. Its flagship store is in the Cascade neighborhood of Seattle at the southern end of Eastlake Avenue E. It has a distribution center in Sumner, Washington and is planning to open a second distribution center in Bedford, Pennsylvania sometime in 2007. The chain employs over 7000 people. REI has been ranked in the top 100 Companies to Work for in the United States by Fortune Magazine for several years running. Employees receive discounts of up to 50% on merchandise and free use of rental gear. R.E.I. designs and sells its own private-brand gear, either under the REI name or under another label, such as Novara bicycles, although the majority of what it sells is brand-name merchandise from other companies. It competes as a full-service retailer, with a fully-integrated website (including order-on-the-web, pick up at a store, no shipping fee), rather than as a low-price retailer. Local stores often host (typically free) events, including clinics on outdoor topics and bicycle repair. The company also has a division, REI Adventures, that offers guided tours (hiking, cycling, etc.). Coming soon to many areas, REI will be doing local trips originating from the stores in order to give people an ideas of the adventures in their own neighborhoods. Major competitors in the United States include the for-profit national and regional stores Bass Pro Shops, Armed Forces Merchandise Outlet, Cabela's, Eastern Mountain Sports, Gander Mountain, L. L. Bean, Sport Chalet, and Sportman's Warehouse, as well as national sporting goods retailers such as Sports Authority, Big 5, and Dick's Sporting Goods, web pureplays such as Altrec.com and Backcountry.com, and a host of local independent retailers. Mountain Equipment Co-op is a generally comparable store in Canada. External links R.E.I. official site  This retail business article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Search Term: "R.E.I." Categories: Cooperatives | Sporting goods retailers of the United States | Companies based in Washington | Retail company stubs