News Release
WARSAW — R.P. Home & Harvest has a new owner and with it, probably a new name.
Runnings, a Minnesota-based retailer, has recently reached an agreement to purchase R.P. Home & Harvest, a family-owned company with 22 locations and one distribution facility across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Upon completion of this acquisition, Runnings’s footprint will expand to 80 locations, serving customers in 12 states from New York to Montana, according to a news release from Runnings.
R.P. Home & Harvest has a store in Warsaw.
“From the customers and the communities to the employees and vendors, we truly feel this is an excellent opportunity for everyone involved,” said Brian Odegaard, president of Runnings. “These stores and communities are very similar to the markets we presently serve and, after many discussions with R.P. Home & Harvest’s leadership, both companies knew this would be a great fit from a culture, values and operations standpoint.”
“It’s pretty amazing how quickly this all came together,” said Jason Plummer, president of R.P. Home & Harvest. “Just a couple of months ago this wasn’t even on the radar but when a win-win opportunity appears, it is an exciting thing. Runnings has been doing this for over 75 years, and they are one of the top farm, home and outdoor-store companies in America, extremely well-regarded by customers and competitors. We are both family-owned companies and that means a lot to us. This deal would not have come together if we did not have the utmost confidence that Runnings will do a phenomenal job for all stakeholders.”
The transaction between Runnings and R.P. Home & Harvest is scheduled to close in June.
The stores will continue operating as R.P. Home & Harvest for a limited period of time as Runnings transitions the stores to their well-known brand.
In September 2021, R.P. Lumber Co. Inc. announced the rebranding of all 22 Stock + Field locations it acquired through the bankruptcy process in spring 2021 to their new name, R.P. Home & Harvest.
After decades of operations, the stores – known as Big R until acquired in 2018 and renamed Stock + Field – entered bankruptcy and liquidation under previous ownership in early 2021. R.P. Lumber Co. Inc. stepped in, in spring 2021, and worked with their employees and vendors to keep these stores operating after a complete liquidation under prior ownership, according to a September 2021 news release from R.P. Home & Harvest.
Runnings is a privately held retailer selling an extensive selection of pet supplies, sporting goods including hunting and fishing equipment, clothing and footwear, lawn and garden supplies, housewares, tools, farm supplies, toys and outdoor equipment. Founded in 1947 and owned by the Dennis and Adele Reed Family, the company currently has 58 stores and employs more than 2,700 workers across eight states. For more information, visit www.runnings.com.
R.P. Home & Harvest, founded in 2021, operates 22 farm and ranch stores and one distribution center across four states.
