Newsweek rolled out Fourth Annual America’s Best Retailers study, finding a couple of retail brands from he active lifestyle market fitting into the overall Top 10 rankings for Best Retailers, while only five active lifestyle brands made it into the Top 25.
The media company stated that its ranking “utilized the results of an independent survey of participants who had either made purchases, used services, or gathered information about products or services in the past three years.” The survey was conducted on retailers from 43 categories, providing results for a broad spectrum of customer experiences in traditional retail.
Red Wing Shoes came in at the top of the active lifestyle brands as the work, outdoor and hunting brand ranked No. 6 overall, while Golf Galaxy ranked No. 7 in the survey’s report. Other retailers in the active lifestyle space with Top 25 rankings in the study included Asics (No. 17), Timberland (No. 19) and Bass Pro (No. 25).
The final assessment and rankings were said to be based on the likelihood of recommendation and five evaluation criteria, including product quality, customer service, atmosphere, accessibility, and shop layout.
Golf Galaxy was the highest rated retailer in the Sporting Goods/Equipment category with a score of 92.2; followed in the Top 5 in the category by Scheels, 89.18; Finish Line, 87.97; Academy Sports + Outdoors, 87.91; and Dick’s Sporting Goods, 86.56.
Red Wing Shoes earned a score of 92.38, leading the Footwear Retailers (single-brand) category. The remaining Top 5 in the category were Timberland, 91.14; Vans, 90.29; Aldo, 89.08; and Converse, 87.40.
Asics, with a score of 91.26, led the Athletic Apparel retailer category, followed by Athleta (89.71), Nike (88.24), New Balance (87.83) and Under Armour (87.42).
In the Footwear Retailers (multi-brand) category, the Top 5 retailers were Boot Barn, 88.83; Shoe Show, 87.91; Foot Locker, 85.23; DSW, 84.73; and The Athlete’s Foot, 84.62.
Bass Pro, earning a score of 90.6, paced the Camping & Outdoor Gear retail category, followed by its sister chain Cabela’s, 89.47; REI, 89.31; Sportsman’s Warehouse, 85.78; and Sierra, 82.84.
Among Outdoor Apparel retailers, the top-five were The North Face, 89.93; Patagonia, 89.16; L.L.Bean, 88.87; Carhartt, 88.36; and Columbia Sportswear, 87.86.
Tommy Bahama led the Apparel category with a score of 89.13, followed in the Top 10 in the category by Uniqlo, 88.82; Zumiez, 87.74; American Eagle Outfitters, 87.12; Lands’ End, 86.89; Rue21, 86.78; Tilly’s, 86.65; Zara, 86.53; Madewell, 85.95; and Anthropologie, 85.9.
Von Maur led the Department Stores category with a 91.91 score, followed by Saks Fifth Avenue with a 90.44, Nordstrom with 89.59, Bloomingdale’s with 87.73, and Dillard’s with 86.97.
Newsweek’s overall Top 25 list of America’s Best Retailers includes the following:
- Cartier, 93.03
- Tiffany & Co., 83
- Tory Burch, 92.8
- Buc-ee’s, 92.78
- LEGO, 92.7
- Red Wing Shoes, 92.38
- Golf Galaxy, 92.2
- Disney Store, 15
- Von Maur, 91.91
- Russell Stover, 91.62
- Vera Wang, 91.61
- Versace, 56
- Dior, 91.48
- FENDI, 91.46
- Maurices, 91.31
- Bath & Body Works, 91.27
- Asics, 91.26
- Joe’s Candy Shop, 91.25
- Timberland, 91.14
- Warby Parke, 91.08
- Ethan Allen, 91.06
- Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, 90.88
- Sheetz , 90.73
- HearingLife, 66
- Bass Pro Shops, 90.6
