Fleet Feet Inc. CEO Joey Pointer sat down with SGB at the company’s National Franchise Conference in Minneapolis this week to discuss the company’s past, present and future, as well as the state of the running retail industry.
Specialty retailers in the active space – decimated over the years by consumers showrooming stores and then fetching lower prices online – stand to significantly benefit from the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that requires online retailers to collect sales taxes. Amy Roberts, executive director of Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), said, “The Supreme Court’s ruling is a huge win for the future of specialty outdoor retailers and will help ensure that all retailers compete on a level playing field.”
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week, including Puma signing endorsement deals with the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick Deandre Ayton and Hall of Fame legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier.
On the company’s first-quarter quarter conference call, Winnebago Industries’ CEO Michael Happe said the reason the company acquired the Chris-Craft, the recreational boat builder, was not only for diversity but to tap burgeoning growth opportunities in the marine segment.
Dozens of brands in the running footwear, apparel and accessory categories descended on Fleet Feet’s National Franchise conference this week, and while the primary goal was exhibiting their latest product offerings, they also delivered a simple yet powerful message for the industry about the Run Speciality channel.
