sportstyle

RUNNING TRENDS 14 • September 2021 sportstyle • sportstylemag.com F or the most part, independent running specialty retailers are content and satised with the state of their businesses today. Monthly sales have largely been stronger than in 2020 and newcomers to the activity appear to be sticking around in year two of the pandemic, forcing retailers to strategize the best ways to keep them engaged with the activity and purchasing new products seasonally rather than yearly. But, there is more than a whi of concern in the air from coast-to-coast. It's not being prompted by rising cases of the COVID-19 variant across the U.S. or higher product prices but rather persistent global supply chain and logistics issues. Without proper planning and coordination with key vendors, these retailers admittedly could nd themselves caught with their running shorts down in the months ahead into Spring/Summer 2022. e four 'S' words found regularly in the vocabularies of retail run specialists today are: Supply Chain: Global issues ranging from factory shutdowns in the key athletic footwear-making market of Vietnam to container shortages and clogged U.S. ports are likely to slow deliveries of key products for Q4 into Spring/Summer 2022 for at least some vendors. Substitution: It's likely going to be a key buzzword for the remainder of the year and into 2022. Convincing customers to have a second-choice in mind or in-hand in their closet will be crucial if stockouts and delivery delays become the norm. Staffing: During the first 18 months of the pandemic, retail run specialists were able to retain key personnel for Key Issues Impacting Specialty Run Retail e run business is strong. Retailers tell us how they are working hard to keep it that way. By Bob McGee

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