Retail
REI Unveils Four New Stores in a Single Day
The member-owned co-op continues to spread its retail wings while also staying focused on a broader Earth-friendly mission
By Bill Conroy November 15, 2019
Outdoor-gear retailer REI Co-op for the first time in its 81-year history is opening the doors to four new stores in a single day, today, Nov. 15.
The new stores bring the total number of new outlets opened by the Kent-based company to eight, plus the relocation of two existing stores to larger spaces. The stores being unveiled today are located in Farmington, Utah; Huntsville, Alabama; Oklahoma City; and Williston, Vermont.
REI also is flexing its digital retailing muscle and last month announced it was expanding the selection of gear and apparel available online through its brand partners, including Danner, ECCO and Salomon. The expansion of its online curated product inventory is being enabled through DSCO, a drop-shipping distribution platform. Orders placed by REI customers will be fulfilled and shipped to their home addresses directly by the brand partners.
Over the past five years, REI has expanded its membership by 27% and grown revenue by 25%. Even with its widening retail reach, however, the company stresses that its mission is far broader than simply selling stuff.
“Our bigger goal is to share our love of the outdoors and, in doing so, awaken that love in others,” says Tim Spangler, REI senior vice president of retail. “By continuing to grow in new communities and new regions of the country, we look forward to welcoming more people to the co-op and connecting them to the activities they love.
REI Co-op will again close its stores on Black Friday this year for the fifth year in a row despite the day after Thanksgiving traditionally being the biggest shopping day of the year and also is asking its employees and members to commit to a 52-week action plan that calls for taking steps throughout the year to reduce their environmental footprint and leave the outdoors better than they found it. Employees have already launched the campaign and have collected more than 3.4 tons of trash around the country.
The company added 1 million new members last year, bringing total membership to more than 18 million, and posted a $47.1 million profit. REI, which employs about 13,000 workers, operates 158 stores in 37 states and the District of Columbia.