Columbia will not have a booth at OR, MAGIC or WSA in 2007. According to a company spokesperson, this decision was made because buying is happening earlier in the season and at a faster pace, so the timing of OR no longer coincides with Columbia's selling window. The company will have a meeting room for PR and investor relations meetings but no booth. Columbia is the only COLM brand that will discontinue its presence on the show floor at OR, Magic, and WSA in 2007. Montrail, Mountain Hardwear, and Sorel will continue to exhibit.

>>> Timing or economics? Perhaps both, but Columbia is increasingly dependant on the mid-market department stores that don’t need to work the show floor…

>>> The issue of timing is not new. Shows are now even more challenged by the changing product cycle, which even the smaller apparel brands have been evolving, but the fact is that no retailer is going to go to a show in November or December…