Fleet Farm (formerly Mills Fleet Farm) is an American retail chain of 53 stores in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

and

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

. Headquartered in

Appleton, Wisconsin Appleton () is the county seat of Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States, with small portions extending into Calumet County, Wisconsin, Calumet and Winnebago County, Wisconsin, Winnebago counties. Located on the Fox River (Green Bay tributary ...

, the company has a main distribution center in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, with a buying/support office and warehouse in Appleton. The stores range in size from small hardware store formats to larger stores. They sell hunting and fishing equipment and licenses, small appliances, household goods, automotive goods, clothing and footwear, toys, food, hardware, lawn and garden supplies, paint, pet supplies, sporting goods, tools, and farm supplies. Most locations also have an auto service center, gas mart, and car wash. On July 10, 2019, Fleet Farm announced that it had reached a deal with SECURA Insurance to purchase their current headquarters building in Appleton. Fleet Farm moved its headquarters to the former SECURA Insurance building in 2020.

History

Stewart C. Mills Sr. founded Mills Companies in Brainerd, Minnesota in 1922. The family later created an oil company and opened a dealership and auto parts stores. Fleet Farm was founded in 1955 by Stewart Mills Sr. and his sons Henry Mills II and Stewart Mills Jr. The first store, named Fleet Wholesale Supply, was opened in Marshfield, Wisconsin.Joe Taschler
"Investment firm to acquire Mills Fleet Farm"
''

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper and also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely read. It was purchased by the G ...

'', January 5, 2016. Similarly named Blain's Farm and Fleet was also founded in 1955 by Bert and Claude Blain, friends of the Mills family. The two families agreed to use similar names and have historically operated in different territories."Video: Mills Fleet Farm and Blain's Farm & Fleet enter a new era,"
''

'', June 6, 2017.Barry Adams
"No Family Feud for Farm & Fleet, Fleet Farm,"
'' Wisconsin State Journal'', August 14, 2008. Since 2000, most locations that have opened feature a signature orange-roofed

silo A silo () is a structure for storing Bulk material handling, bulk materials. Silos are commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Three types of silos are in widespread use toda ...

on the storefront. In 2016, Mills Fleet Farm was sold to KKR.Neal St. Anthony
"Mills Fleet Farm to be sold to investment giant KKR"
''

Star Tribune ''The Minnesota Star Tribune'', formerly the ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'', is an American daily newspaper based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As of 2023, it is Minnesota's largest newspaper and the List of newspapers in the United States, seventh- ...

'', January 5, 2016. As of July 2018, the "Mills" part of the name has been dropped, shortening the name to "Fleet Farm". In addition, Fleet Farm launched a new brand campaign and added the tagline “Built for real life”, replacing the slogan "We Love It" which debuted in 2009. In December 2024 Fleet Farm was sold to Golub Capital.https://materials.proxyvote.com/Approved/GOLCAP/20240408/NPS_569480.PDF

Store brands

Fleet Farm carries a variety of store brands in a variety of departments. These include: Road Runner - Batteries and tires, Big Max - Trailers and automotive supplies, Field and Forest - Clothing and footwear, Fleet Boutique - Women's clothing, Dura-Built - Farm supplies, Milkhouse brand - Dairy supplies, Farm Life - Animal supplements, Sprout - Animal feed, Mills Fleet Farm - Candy and nuts, Farm Toys.

Images

File:Fleet Farm Store Support Center.jpg, Fleet Farm Corporate Office in

File:AppletonFleetFarm 11-25-2006.jpg, A store in

File:Mills Fleet Farm in Rochester, MN 5-31-2007.jpg, Old fleet farm store in

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. It is located along rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a popul ...

File:Mills Fleet Farm Sign 5-24-2011.jpg, Typical Mills Fleet Farm Sign File:Oakdale, MN 10-30-2009.jpg, Oakdale, Minnesota store File:Millslogo.png, Logo used until July 2018.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.fleetfarm.com/ Farm and ranch supply stores of the United States Retail companies established in 1955 1955 establishments in Wisconsin Companies based in Wisconsin Agriculture companies established in 1955 American companies established in 1955 Kohlberg Kravis Roberts companies