Running Insight - April, 2008
Lights, Camera Action, It’s BRC on TV
Television advertising is something that most running stores believe is out of reach. But for the past two years, Boulder Running Company has made TV advertising a central part of its marketing plan. “It’s the most efficient form of advertising,”...
Garmin’s 405 Launch Creates a stir
Garmin’s launch of the 405 GPS Enabled Watch and Heart Rate Monitor is already creating a stir in the running market. Boston-based Marathon Sports sold out of the product by the Sunday of the Boston Marathon expo and online retailers have been ta...
Rodale Promotes Chris Lambase
There were major changes at the industry’s leading magazine this week. Andy Hersam, who for the past five years was publisher and later VP and publishing director of Runner’s World and Running Times, resigned to take a major position at Westwood One ...
What Gets Measured Gets Done –Metrics and their Impact on Your Business – Part 1
In our consulting practice we work with various retail companies and what we have discovered over the years is that while some companies have incredibly sophisticated measurement systems to analyze their businesses and to ensure that what they are do...
Marathon Snapshots
We caught up with a few running industry folks who ran in this year’s Boston Marathon to see how race day went for them.
Kristen Sullivan, associate PR manager, New Balance “Counting this Boston, I've run a total of nine marathons,” says Sullivan. “I fell in love with running and marathoning back in 2003/2004 and set a goal of 10 marathons before 3...
Newton Expands Retail Distribution
Newton Running has opened more than 20 running specialty accounts, signaling a major move into retail distribution for the brand. Newton launched its flashy running shoes last summer and established an underground following among runners, particu...
Superfeet Honored in Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work 2008
Insole Company Named Number Two in Category
Washington-based Superfeet Worldwide Inc. has been named to Outside magazine’s inaugural “Best Places to Work” list. Superfeet was awarded second place in the medium-sized company category (50-249 employees). The program was created by Outside magazi...
Beth Gordon joins Formula 4 Media
Beth Gordon has joined Formula 4 Media as vice-president of business development. Gordon comes to Formula 4 with nearly 20 years of industry experience. She was sales director of the National Sporting Goods Association from 1990-96 and later on natio...
Big Retailers are feeling the credit pinch
Will big retailers be the next victims of the country’s tightening credit markets? The International Council of Shopping Centers reports that nearly 5,800 stores will close this year, according to an article in this week’s New York Times. Since l...
Soles 4 Souls to promote National Barefoot week in June
Soles4Souls, the global charity dedicated to giving shoes to those in need, is promoting National Barefoot week from June 1-7 of this year. The idea is for consumers to show up at houses of worship, social occasions and public places barefoot to help...
NEW BALANCE DEBUTS MIDFOOT STRIKE RUNNING SHOE
This fall New Balance will offer a performance running shoe specifically designed and engineered for mid-foot strike runners. This style, the MR/WR800, will debut in August 2008 and is the recommended running shoe of ChiRunning, an organization that ...
Running Briefs
The 2008 GoLite Adventure Racing team has committed to GoLite on the Planet and will donate 10% of winnings and sponsorships to Colorado organizations committed to social and environmental causes. Team GoLite Adventure Racing will be 100% carbon ...
China Pressures Will Boost Footwear Prices
Retailers can expect footwear prices to increase between 12 and 15% for Spring 09 deliveries.
For the past 20 years, apparel and footwear in all categories from tailored sportswear to performance running shoes has been a bargain when compared to the Consumer Price Index. While prices in key areas, such as housing, automobiles and gasoline, ha...
IRRA Targets Insurance, more member programs for 2008
Membership in the Independent Running Retailers’ Association has cracked the 100 store mark. The group, which was officially launched in November, 2006 at The Running Event, now has 102 retail members representing more than 140 store fronts and more ...
ASICS’ Hall finishes 5th in London
Running in only his third marathon, ASICS’ athlete Ryan Hall proved he is a serious medal contender at the upcoming Beijing Games with his fifth-place finish at the Flora London Marathon. Hall crossed the finish line in 2:06.17, a new personal best ...
Running Shorts
ZOOMA Women's Race Series, a new national series of women's running events, announced today that New Balance has signed on as the presenting sponsor of the ZOOMA Women's Race Series, a new national series of women's running events, wh...
EMS Opens New Stores
Reinforcing its commitment to be the leading outdoor retailer in the northeast, Eastern Mountain Sports today announced three new store openings this spring: Moorestown, N.J. on May 2; Dulles, Va., a new market on June 20; and North Conway, N.H. on J...
Consumer Prices Rise In March
Inflation at the wholesale level soared in March at nearly triple the rate that had been expected as the costs of energy and food both climbed rapidly. The Labor Department reported Tuesday that wholesale prices rose by 1.1 percent last month, th...
Adidas Reorganizes U.S. Operations
Adidas AG says it is reorganizing its U.S. operations in a bid to gain a competitive advantage in the domestic market. Adidas will keep its U.S. headquarters in Portland, Ore., but cut jobs there. A company spokeswoman Thursday pegged the number o...
Average Selling Prices: How does your store Measure Up?
The Leisure Trends Running RetailTRAK reported the following average selling prices for the following categories in December. It’s interesting for store owners to compare their results with those from the retail panel which is currently made up of mo...
Implus Launches Hosiery Division
Implus Footcare, LLC, owners of the Sof Sole, Yaktrax, apara, Airplus, SneakerBalls and Sof Comfort brands, has created a hosiery division. The decision to do this was based on the company’s growth in this category under their Sof Sole, Yaktrax and A...
Puma to Sponsor Mount San Antonio Relays
Puma will be the presenting sponsor of the 50th Anniversary Mount San Antonio College Relays on April 17 to 20 in Walnut, CA. As part of a long term partnership with VS Athletics, a local team dealer that serves the track and field market, Puma ...
New Balance is the latest running brand to launch major ad campaign
Running retailers who watched the NCAA basketball tournament last week got a first look at a new brand advertising campaign from New Balance that is built around the premise that runners have a “love/hate” relationship with their sport. For New Ba...
K-Swiss Says They are In It For The Long Run
K-Swiss says they are getting serious about running. The brand, whose overall sales have suffered in recent years due to an up-and-down cycle on the fashion side, is keying in on specialty running with the same authentic focus it has long brought to ...
MIZUNO INTRODUCES “RUN WITH US” GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN
Campaign Debuts at ING Georgia Marathon
Mizuno has literally rolled out a new mobile tech lab and marketing program, called “Run With Us”. This new grassroots campaign and lab on wheels debuted last weekend in Atlanta at the ING Georgia Marathon, of which Mizuno was the official footwear ...
Spenco Sponsors Kids' Running Events
Spenco Medical Corporation is sponsoring two of Elite Racing, Inc.'s kids' marathons. The Spenco Insoles Junior Carlsbad will be held on April 5 in Carlsbad, CA., and the YMCA Country Music Kids' Marathon presented by Spenco will take pl...
Running Shorts
Mizuno USA, Inc. announced that Dave Lambert will become the new Vice President of Sales for their Running Division. Lambert is a 10-year veteran of Mizuno, joining the company in 1998 as a Territory Manager. In 2000, Lambert was promoted to Sales ...
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