The Running Industry Association (RIA) has assembled an online resource guide to assist the run specialty community during the COVID-19 pandemic that is causing countless retail stores across the country to close indefinitely.
“Our goal for the RIA COVID-19 Resource Guide is to aggregate important information for retailers and brands in one, easy to access place to help keep retail stores afloat and their owner’s sanity intact,” said Terry Schalow, executive director of the RIA. “The entire RIA Board believes we can better weather this storm banded together as a united channel, and thus we are providing access to members and non-members alike.”
The guide can be found at RunningIndustry.org/resources and includes the following topics:
- Brand Support Reference Guide – A one-stop reference guide to review extended invoice terms and other brand offers to provide support for retailers.
- Financial Resources – Links to financial assistance, tax relief and more.
- Ecommerce Solutions – Ideas and platforms to continue sales with store closures.
- Staying Connected with your Customers – General marketing content and ideas to connect with and support customers and the local running community.
- HR Topics + Employee Support – Employer resources
- Business Strategies – Ideas and tips to keep your business alive.
Additional “coming soon” topics include:
- Peer sharing – General tips, ideas, and suggestions
- Survey results – Hard data that provides insights into the state of the run specialty community. An industry-wide survey will launch today, with results published by April 1, 2020.
The RIA has also started an email distribution list specifically created for users of the COVID-19 Resource Guide to keep everyone updated on a regular basis.
Photo courtesy Boulder Running Company
