(Gazette photo) Blain’s Farm & Fleet is sharing plans to develop stores in the Michigan communities of Portage and Jackson. Company officials say Farm & Fleet chose Michigan for expansion because it’s had a high volume of online and e-commerce sales in the state. Farm & Fleet President Jane Blain Gilbertson explains the move into Michigan is part of an “aggressive” strategy of expansion and investment launched several years ago and a continuation of expansions that recently included store openings in the Chicago suburban market. The Michigan expansion comes as Farm & Fleet’s main competitor, retailer Mill’s Fleet Farm, continues expanding in Wisconsin. Farm & Fleet has 38 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa.
