Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. announced Wednesday that the company acquired Madison Heights-based Moosejaw, a popular outdoor clothing and gear store.

The retailer, which has a prominent downtown storefronts in Detroit on Woodward Avenue and in Ann Arbor on South Main Street, closed the $51 million deal on Monday to join the Wal-Mart U.S. eCommerce organization.

Moosejaw, founded in 1992, is an online outdoor retailer with 10 physical stores, carrying more than 400 brands. Some include Patagonia, The North Face, Marmot and Arc'teryx.

The stores also carry an assortment of climbing, hiking, camping, snow sports, yoga, swimming and biking apparel and gear.

Moosejaw will continue operating its online catalog and stores and will be run "as a standalone and complementary brand to our other e-commerce sites," Wal-Mart announced.

Wal-Mart, which is looking to compete with Amazon.com online, emphasized that apparel and accessories are among the top categories for e-commerce, and that Moosejaw's "strong industry relationships, and rich product content" will provide a better customer experience.

Moosejaw CEO Eoin Comerford, his executive team, and Moosejaw's 350-plus employees will remain in Michigan.