Rich Hill

A recent dustup between specialty retailers and a behemoth market research firm has the industry wondering: Have we been basing our biggest business decisions on crap data for decades?

Thousands of industry reps might be better off if they did

Sit in on a video conversation about how independent retailers are coping with the pandemic, new Grassroots Outdoor Alliance tools designed to support retailers and brands, and why pro deals proliferation is killing our local gear shops

As stores open their doors and welcome customers back, everyone—staff and shoppers alike—face a new normal

As coronavirus spreads event organizers are scrambling to create meaningful, efficient ways to conduct business virtually

Data from Grassroots Outdoor Alliance show a 31 percent spike in brands’ promotional behavior over the holidays. Plus, retailers dish on the risks of overly aggressive tactics

The industry’s largest specialty retailer is also its most powerful. Does that make it a visionary leader? Necessary evil? Cutthroat competitor? Or something else entirely?

When several high-end brands joined—and then quickly defected from—Walmart’s Premium Outdoor Store, they resurrected the question “Who is the outdoors for?”

The premium cooler manufacturer cites rapid growth and loyal customers as reasons for its new filing

Rich Hill, GOA president, responds to Walmart's push to sell premium outdoor gear

Outdoor industry leaders shine a light on the crux of the issue—that selling on the "cheapest retailer's" website changes consumer’s perception of brands, putting specialty retailers at risk

Superfeet’s FitStation automates the fitting process, for better or for worse

Ignoring the ecommerce behemoth isn’t an option anymore—but that doesn’t mean navigating this channel is easy

Customers still love brick-and-mortar retailers—so the smartest vendors make sure shoppers know where to get a premium touch-and-feel experience with their gear

Distributing too widely can spell trouble for a vendor’s brick-and-mortar strategy, but pairing up with the right retailers is a match made in sales heaven

What was it Abraham Lincoln said about a house divided? When a vendor’s internal channels compete, everybody loses—but when they work as a team, businesses thrive

Managing multiple distribution channels takes finesse, but the payoffs of maintaining a robust wholesale business are worth it

Specialty retail isn’t the Hunger Games: everyone benefits when retailers stop viewing each other as the enemy and start working together

Two and a half years after opening his unique, B-Corp certified mountain town shop, Travis Underwood, owner of Chopwood Mercantile, is considering getting out. With his big ideas on how to move the bar for specialty retail, was he too far ahead of his time? Here, he offers lessons learned and some ideas on how to revitalize retail

Grassroots remains united with Outdoor Retailer and Outdoor Industry Association and withdraws its 2018 Connect show from Sandy, Utah