Amid Bankruptcies, Brands Flock Toward Specialty at Grassroots Show

With an expected excess of inventory to hit the active-lifestyle market following several high-profile, big-box retail bankruptcies in the space, brands at the Spring Grassroots Outdoor Alliance Show in Albuquerque, NM (June 13-17) were doubling down on their partnerships with these smaller, but more influential group of retailers.

Could The ‘Glamping’ Trend Be Starting To Wane?

Lighter, more versatile single-burner stoves fuel early-summer camp-kitchen gains at retail. Sales for multi-burner stoves and family camping cookware declined year-to-date (YTD) according to SSI Outdoor sales data*. Overall, Camping and Backpacking Essentials sales had minor growth, up 1.5 percent YTD and just 1 percent during the most recent rolling 52-week period. But Family Camping […]

Who Runs The World? Women

The Running and Fitness Event for Women took camp in the Windy City on June 9-10, 2016 for a short-n-sweet show that reiterated the famous Beyoncé chant, “Who runs the world? Girls.”

Courtney Blacker, SGB 40 Under 40 Class of 2016

Director, Brand Marketing | The North Face Age 39 | 11 Years in the Industry Courtney leads global go-to-market strategy and consumer-facing brand and content marketing across all consumer touchpoints for The North Face as Director, Brand Marketing. She joined VF Corporation in 2005, serving in various roles at JanSport including brand director, where she […]

Made In The USA (By Machines)

Why the future of domestic manufacturing is more of a tech story than you think. Inside a nondescript factory nestled in the remote green hills surrounding Chattanooga, TN lies the future of U.S. manufacturing for the active lifestyle industry. While some might romanticize that “Made in the USA” means the return of millions of jobs […]