outdoor retail

As retail owners, you're always looking for clever new ways to move product. One strategy as old as the business itself is "counter candy," those $5 to $20 items next to the register that are small enough for shoppers to throw in their baskets at the last second. When presented ...read more

Grassroots Outdoor Alliance has suffered setbacks during the pandemic—most notably the cancellation of its spring and fall Connect shows—but it has also shown great resilience over the past several months, moving ahead with new initiatives despite dramatic changes in the retail ...read more

January to March 2020 Idle factories China’s lockdown was announced during Chinese New Year in January, keeping factories shuttered beyond the usual holiday period, and once they reopened, production ramped up slowly. The slowdown caused some manufacturers to delay Fall ’20 ...read more

Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web Panic buying, part two: Instead of toilet paper and pasta, people are now making a run on kayaks, tents, and other outdoor gear. [The New York Times] DEI-focused discussion: The next JAM Session from JAM Collective, ...read more

L.L.Bean wades into U.S. wholesale: The legacy brand has announced that, for the first time, it will enter into wholesale partnerships in the U.S.—starting with Nordstrom, Staples, and the sporting goods store Scheels. [Business Insider] Coronavirus in Yellowstone: Tests have ...read more

Retailers across the nation are reopening, people are out shopping again, and everyone is wondering just how safe they are, say, sitting down to try on a pair of shoes or getting fitted for a pack. Throughout the outdoor industry, most (if not all) major brands have poured ...read more

Grassroots Outdoor Alliance dropped some big news this week. The specialty retailer advocacy group added 10 new member companies to its nationwide roster in a single stroke, one of the biggest spikes since the organization's founding in 1994. According to the association's ...read more

After months of closures that spelled disaster for some and extreme hardship for many others, retailers both small and large have started reopening across the nation as states lift the stay-at-home mandates that have kept them closed. The results so far, according to multiple ...read more

As retailers start to reopen in select states, everyone seems to be grappling with the same question: How much caution is necessary to keep people safe? The issue of whether to require masks has already generated debate, but that's not where safety measures end. Many store ...read more

"The very first concept to understand is that this all comes down to a brewing war between Google and Amazon." That's how Mike Massey, founder of the ecommerce platform Locally, described the recent announcement from Google that the tech giant will start listing products from ...read more

In recent weeks, we've seen a lot of suffering among retailers, as news of closures, furloughs, and layoffs rolls in. We've also seen the best in people—customers banding together to support independent shops, vendors implementing programs to keep their dealers afloat, and brands ...read more

If you’re a brick-and-mortar retailer, you probably miss your customers right now. But be honest, do do you really miss all of them? Every retailer has dealt with difficult patrons. And everyone's strategy for doing so is unique. Is it true that the customer always right, even ...read more

Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at [email protected] Public lands politics: The U.S. House of Representatives passed a number of acts that will preserve and protect lands across the country. On the other floor, the ...read more

Four years ago, Marie*, a lifelong outdoor enthusiast, turned her passion into a full-time position at a Vermont outdoor retailer. But now, even after being promoted, she still finds herself taking dog-sitting gigs just to make ends meet. Marie started her retail job on salary, ...read more

A relative newcomer to the outdoor scene walks into a brick-and-mortar retailer in search of a waterproof jacket to bring on his first big backpacking trip with friends. He finds the gear intimidating and the prices shocking, but thankfully, an educated staff member explains the ...read more

Today’s enlightened consumers want to minimize their environmental impact, and there’s no better way to do that than to keep good gear in circulation, rather than replace it. This mentality is largely what shaped Nikwax’s mission—long before reusing Grandma’s ski jacket and Dad’s ...read more

Jim Smith, a lifelong climber and all-around outdoorsman, spent nearly two decades searching for just the right independent outdoor shop to purchase in order to turn his passion into a trade. “I’d been looking at shops, for, like, ever,” he said. “Since I’ve known you,” ...read more

Retailers can go into the holiday season with confidence because retail sales are expected to rise, according to a leading retail trade group. The National Retail Federation says that this November and December, holiday retail sales—excluding automobiles, gasoline and ...read more

Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at [email protected] Before Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison, nobody had climbed to the 27,940-foot summit of Lhotse—the world's fourth tallest mountain—then skied down the 7,000-foot ...read more

One of the most charming features of Feral Mountain Co. was its location in a small bungalow in a northern Denver, Colorado, neighborhood. It had a sweet front porch. The hardwood floors creaked. Each room had its own theme, such as the map room and pack room. But earlier this ...read more