Author: Eugene Buchanan

While it’s hard to point to many silver linings of the pandemic from a retail perspective, one has surfaced that several manufacturers — and even retailers — have taken advantage of: facemasks, in all shapes and forms, as a new, fast-selling SKU to the retail arsenal.

Grassroots Outdoor Alliance held its first in-person Connect show in more than 700 days at its new venue in Kansas City, MO, from November 8-11. According to organizers and attendees, it was well-needed and appreciated.

SGB Executive spoke with Gary Fleming, no stranger to snow sports, about his new role as President, SMC, and the state of snowsports retail.

LifeLabs recently introduced a thermally-efficient material. The company’s CEO, industry-veteran Scott Mellin, who drove the development of Futurelight product as global GM of The North Face’s Mountain Sports division, spoke about its thermal regulating properties with SGB Executive.

With the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show scheduled to take place January 26-28, 2022, SIA’s President Nick Sargent and Emerald Expositions CEO Hervé Sedky hosted a webinar late this month related to the show’s evolution.

SGB Executive spoke with C4 Waterman’s Vice President Bill Kueper to hear how its DTC model is working, which led to a conversation about other issues plaguing the once-thriving SUP category.

Sixty specialty retailers can’t be wrong. In fact, taking the pulse of the 60-plus members of the Grassroots Outdoors Alliance provides a tell-tale barometer of the state of outdoor specialty retail heading into the upcoming winter season as well as the Association’s upcoming Connect retailer show in November, its first in-person get-together in more than 700 days.

As autumn slowly yields to winter and consumers’ minds gravitate to winter goods, in particular outerwear, retailers and manufacturers are still consulting their Ouija Board to see what kind of sales season it’s shaping up to be 18 months into the pandemic.

There’s a new waterproof/breathable fabric coming out from Gore. In a heralded media presentation with company executives on September 30, W. L. Gore & Associates announced that it’s introducing expanded Polyethylene (ePE) membrane as a new complementary material platform to serve as the basis for its membrane technologies.

In August, the International Organization for Standardization confirmed its ISO standard 23223, Alpine Ski Boots with Improved Walking Soles, making Marker’s GripWalk technology an industry-standard beginning this year.

As a subset of the outdoor industry, the water filters and purifier category enjoyed robust growth during the pandemic, capitalizing on consumers’ growing desire to get outside.

Oboz parent Kathmandu, which purchased the Bozeman, MT-based footwear brand in 2018, recently released its fiscal year results for three of its brands—Rip Curl, Kathmandu and Oboz. With total group sales increasing 15.1 percent to $922.8 million, Oboz helped lead the way, with sales growing 44.9 percent to reach $78.4 million. SGB Executive discussed this and more with its president, Amy Beck.

Northwest River Supplies (NRS), one of the largest manufacturers and distributors in the paddlesports category, has inked a deal with Gore-Tex to bring its waterproof/breathable fabric into a high-end drywear line.