Fleet Farm will open in Muskego on Aug. 24. Here's what you need to know about the store.

MUSKEGO - Fleet Farm will open the latest addition to its fleet of stores on Aug. 24 with its smaller, but still large, outlet in Muskego.

The big-box retailer formerly known as Mill's Fleet Farm announced its official opening date this week, marking an end to a 16-month construction project of a much-anticipated store in a prime location off Interstate 43 along Racine and College avenues.

"Fleet Farm is thrilled to become member of the Muskego community and bring our unique mix of products and services to the people of Muskego and surrounding communities," Nick Widi, chief retail operations officer for Fleet Farm, said in a news release Monday.

Here's what you need to know about the new store.

Why did Fleet Farm pick the Muskego location?

The news isn't exactly a surprise to Muskego residents, who have seen the prominent store rise along the city's northern edge since spring 2022, several months after Fleet Farm's plans for the site became evident — thanks to a wetlands delineation study evaluating a development plan's potential and its impact on the surrounding marshy areas.

The site was a strategic decision, close to the interstate to bring traffic from both the east and the west and along Racine Avenue, which carries local traffic from the north and south into the heart of Muskego. It was chosen as the best among several other sites, store officials said.

"We think we are going to be supported locally quite a bit, at least based on what we hear from community members that have written us or called us," Frank Steeves, executive vice president of Fleet Farm Group LLC, said in a 2022 interview.

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The Muskego store is smaller than the largest Fleet Farms, but fully stocked

Consisting of a 137,455-square-foot main building and a roughly 60,000-square-foot outdoor yard, plus a fuel station and car wash, the Muskego store won't be nearly as large as the one that opened in Oconomowoc in 2018 and similar stores opened elsewhere in recent years. It is roughly two-thirds the size of the Oconomowoc location, as measured from exterior walls.

In 2022, Steeves said the limited amount of land available for development at that location and other market factors contributed to the decision for a smaller store.

Store officials, however, have maintained that the smaller-format store will still stock all the items available at its larger stores, though with a tighter inventory control to make it possible.

What kinds of things does Fleet Farm sell?

According to its website, the Appleton-based chain's largest stores sell outdoor products, farm supplies, auto parts, work and family clothing, pet products, groceries and home improvement items, among other categories. The chain is also known for its seasonal Toyland department from October through December.

"Kind of all the things that you kind of need around a house or just recreationally," Steeves said.

The chain operates 49 stores, including 24 in Wisconsin.

Will the store be fully staffed and functioning on opening day?

Steeves acknowledged in an email that the Aug. 24 opening day will be a "soft open" in which staff members become accustomed to their jobs and store officials try out the store's new equipment in practical service. But he hopes to have the store fully stocked and staffed by then.

"As of (Aug. 8), the shelves are about 80% stocked and we have about 90% of the team members, who will be based in Muskego, hired," Steeves said. A grand opening promotion will be held in late September, he added.

Otherwise, the store will operate under its regular hours: from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

What impact will Fleet Farm have economically?

By two measures, the store adds something to Muskego and the surrounding area.

Fleet Farm officials say this particular store will bring in about 150 new jobs, a mix of full-time and part-time positions including store managers, cashiers, department product experts and auto service technicians. Fleet Farm jobs are listed at www.careers.fleetfarm.com.

Muskego city officials said the new store could also spur development in that section of the city, spilling over into New Berlin, which has substantial property in the surrounding neighborhood.

Contact Jim Riccioli at (262) 446-6635 or james.riccioli@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jariccioli.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about Fleet Farm's new Muskego store, which opens Aug. 24