Running Insight

OCTOBER 15, 2017

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G alen Rupp and Tirunesh Dibaba were the winners of the Chicago Marathon last week, overwhelming a strong field. But what was also noteworthy about the race held on a warm and sunny day, was that some of the world's best runners dropped out along the way. What happened in the race is also happening in the Chicago run specialty market, long regarded as one of the most competitive in the country. In the past month, two long-standing stores, Universal Sole on the north side of Chicago and The Runner's Sole in La Grange, IL, have shut their doors. These closings follow the closing last year of Run Today in Glen Ellyn, removing four stores from this crowded competitive market. Meanwhile, Fleet Feet Sports Chicago and Naperville Running Company are strengthening their positions. Naperville recently opened a store in Wheaton in an old train depot. And Fleet Feet is planning to move its Old Town flagship to a new location less than two blocks away from its current site. "It's a tough market and I decided I couldn't afford to do it as a hobby," said Joel Feinberg of Universal Sole, who closed his Chicago store at the end of September after closing a previous store in 2014. "We have to compete with other running stores, big boxes and our own vendors, so it became increasingly challenging." Feinberg will stay in the running business. His events company owns 15 events and he has also taken on a role as VP of Marketing for the Chicago Area Running Association. Meanwhile, Dave Zimmer of Fleet Feet Sports Chicago is strengthening his market position. Early last year, Zimmer traded six of his races, The Soldier Field 10 Mile, BTN Big 10K, Rudolph Ramble, Magnificent Mile Half Marathon, Pumpkins in the Park and Ravenswood Run 5K to RAM Racing for its run specialty store in Deerfield, IL. The trade increased Zimmer's store total to seven and over the past year, he has taken major steps to increase his stronghold in the market and making his business more profitable. At the Deerfield store, Zimmer and his wife Lisa, got out of the low margin bicycle business. And before the end of the year, Fleet Feet will move its flagship Old Town store down the block to a slightly smaller location. That and other moves will save Fleet Feet Chicago more than 25 percent on its annual rent bill, according to Zimmer. "We see opportunity," Zimmer told Running Insight, "but we're also realistic about the challenges that all retailers face and know we need to run our business smarter." Growing stores like Fleet Feet Chicago are also able to wield more clout with vendors, which gives them an edge on smaller stores in their markets. Smaller stores say that the bigger stores get priority at marathon expos, such as Chicago and also gobble up marketing dollars for particular regions, which allows them to grow their dominance. In response to those comments, vendors say they are supporting the stores that can drive sales and expect those market dynamics will continue. n In Competitive Chicago, the Market Consolidates Fleet Feet Sports Chicago and Naperville Running Company are strengthening their positions in the Chicago area. 2 runninginsight.com © 2017 Formula4media LLC. RUNNING INSIGHT ® is a registered trademark of Formula4Media, LLC. © 2017 all rights reserved. Running Insight is published twice each month, is edited for owners and top executives at running specialty stores and available only via email.The opinions by authors and contributors to Running Insight are not necessarily those of the editors or publishers. Articles appearing in Running Insight may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the publisher. Formula4Media, LLC, P.O. Box 23-1318, Great Neck, NY 11023. Tel: 516-305-4709. Jeff Nott ...................................jnott@formula4media.com Jeff Gruenhut .................. jgruenhut@formula4media.com Christina Henderson .... chenderson@formula4media.com Katie O'Donohue .........kodonohue@formula4media.com Sam Selvaggio.............. sselvaggio@formula4media.com Daemon Filson .....................dfilson@formula4media.com Editor-in-Chief ........ Mark Sullivan: msullivan@formula4media.com Managing Editor ............ Cara Griffin: cgriffin@formula4media.com Publisher .....................Troy Leonard: tleonard@formula4media.com SUBSCRIBE store.formula4media.com BACK ISSUES runninginsight.com Advertise Growing stores like Fleet Feet Chicago are also able to wield more clout with vendors, which gives them an edge on smaller stores in their markets.

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