West Marine, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of boating supplies and accessories primarily in the United States. It operates in three segments: Stores, Port Supply, and Direct-to-Consumer. The Stores segment operates stores that principally provide hardware and other supplies needed for day-to-day boat maintenance and repairs. This segment also offers a selection of boating-related lifestyle products, such as apparel. The Port Supply segment distributes marine supplies to domestic and international wholesale customers, including businesses involved in boat sales, boat building, boat commissioning and repair, yacht chartering, marina operations, and other boating-related activities. This segment also sells its products to government and industrial customers who use the company’s products for boating and non-boating purposes; and serves its customers through sales representatives, as well as through its call center, and wholesale eCommerce Website at portsupply.com. The Direct-to-Consumer segment operates a retail e-commerce Website, which provides customers with access to a range of products, product advisor tips and technical information, product videos, and customer-submitted product reviews. This segment also offers direct mail catalogs and virtual call center services. As of December 31, 2012, it provided its products through 300 company-operated stores in 38 states, Puerto Rico, and Canada; and 5 franchised stores in Turkey, as well as through its call center channel and on the Internet. The company was founded in 1976 and is based in Watsonville, California.

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