In 1994, four independent specialty retailers banded together to form the Retailers of the Outdoor Industry group. Today, there are 33 members of the group, which is now called the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance. The members represent $140 million in combined gross sales and employ over 700 people. The Alliance represents the best independent outdoor specialty retailers across the country.
Thirteen members of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance will appear in the Outdoor Business 25 Best Specialty Outdoor Retailers special issue, due out early next month. This annual special issue has historically focused on ranking outdoor retailers, big-box and specialty alike, by sales volume. However this year, the magazine will take a different approach and offer in-depth profiles of the 25 best independent specialty retailers in the outdoor industry today.
“This new approach is designed to celebrate the independent outdoor specialty retailer,” said Lou Dzierzak, managing editor of Outdoor Business. “These retailers are still the heart and soul of the outdoor industry.”
The Grassroots Outdoor Alliance has played a major role in raising the bar for the entire outdoor specialty market. Of the estimated 3,000 outdoor specialty stores in the United States, Dave Matz, president of the group predicts that fewer than 75 would meet the Alliances membership criteria. Matz explained, “There is a lot of competitive pressure. Members have to be imaginative, flexible, passionate about the business and conservative in terms of making sure they are always in the black.”
Matz explained that the financial controls create strong vendor relationships. “We pay on time. Thats one of the reasons you should work with us. We are one of your best partners; we are paying you on time, all the time, for a long time. If you ask any vendor, their payables are stretching out to 60 days. Retailers have used vendors as banks since time immortal. Its getting harder and harder for a vendor to float a retailer, especially if its widespread. Shops going out of business can leave vendors with thousands of dollars of losses.”
The strict membership criteria and the community nature of the organization have helped all of the members run successful retail operations for years. Best practices are shared on a bulletin board system where Grassroots members can post topics and solicit replies from the group for help with marketing and problem solving strategies, forecasting trends, staff structures and incentive plans. The results of these benefits are clear, with members taking home over half of the 25 Best Retailer positions.
