Batteries Plus store set for Rib Mountain
Daily Herald Staff

Rick Zemple hopes the Wausau area will be charged up for his new store in Rib Mountain.

Zemple, who owns the Batteries Plus store in Stevens Point, plans to open his Wausau-area franchise location Sept. 8. The national chain sells all types of batteries and accessories, including car and truck batteries, laptop batteries and 100 varieties of cell phone batteries.

"We're kind of a one-stop shopping place for all those products," Zemple said. "We do both retail customers -- walk-in here -- but we also do a lot of commercial business."

Commercial clients can purchase batteries in bulk and set up business accounts with the store, said Zemple, who also offers delivery service to businesses. Zemple's coverage area extends to Marshfield and Wisconsin Rapids, and he has owned the store in Stevens Point since 2002.

"I worked for (Batteries Plus) for 10 years prior to that, setting up and running stores, training," he said. "I'm kind of in a reverse role now -- they're sending up people to set up my store."

About 95 percent of the store's merchandise is batteries or battery-related products such as chargers. The other five percent is "plus" items such as electronic gadgets, cordless phones and flashlights, Zemple said.

The new Batteries Plus location at 4511 Rib Mountain Drive also will serve as a local recycling center where customers and take in all types of batteries no longer in use.

"Many are made of materials that need to be recycled," Zemple said.

The store will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. To reach the store, call 355-9201.

If you have local retail news or questions for business editor Mark Multer, call 845-0608, or e-mail mmulter@wdhprint.com.