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"I'm most excited about the fact that everyone is making great products for 2025," comments Justin Porter, a co-owner of Indianapolis-based run specialty retailer Athletic Annex. "It's really encouraging to see the level of innovation and quality in the running industry. I'm also eager to see how customer trends will evolve over the year and where they will take us." "We are in a position to deliver great customer service as our staff gains more hands-on experience with all the different brands, we carry," says Chip Hansen, manager at Mitten Running Co. in Portage, MI. e owners of V&A Bootery, an independent footwear retailer with more than 100 years of history, opened specialty run shop Mitten Running Co. in 2023. "We have a large running community in our area, and we have made great strides in gaining its trust and also allowing them to start some of their training runs from our store. We also feel that athletic footwear sales will increase in 2025. Our store name is getting out more and more and we have seen a steady increase in returning customers. With these types of partnerships, we can only be optimistic for 2025. e goal is to try and partner with more businesses with similar synergies. We will look for more opportunities in the coming year." Ted McGreer, owner of Ted's Shoe & Sport in Keene, NH, tells us that running footwear offerings have never been better. "e good news is that every brand is making really great product now," he says. "It's not just a two-horse race anymore. Consumers have a lot of good options to compare in retail stores as opposed to just four years ago when certain brands dominated market share." As for concerns, McGreer has a few. "We still need to even out the inventory playing field as it relates to DTC vs B2B," he says. "And run retailers need to have access to products available on the brands' DTC sites." e running category "continues to achieve new milestones for Tradehome Shoes," Justin Kehrwald, president and CEO of the Cottage Grove, MN-based business tells us. A 100% employee-owned footwear retailer, Tradehome Shoes has more than 130 retail stores in 27 states, and performance running is a significant and growing part of the retailer's business. "We are confident in the variety and depth of key products from several leading brands. Maintaining pricing integrity will be a priority as brands expand their offerings across various distribution channels." runstylemag.com Fall 2024 runstyle 21 "We're a fan of product pricing, and the way in which brands are handling holding MAP," says McGreer. "However, if we're asked to hold MAP, brands should be holding it as well with their DTC. Brands should not be offering 20% off pop-ups and emailing our customers coupons and discounts. at is counterproductive. Supply and demand has improved dramatically. We're able to, for the most part, get the product we need, when we need it most." Athletic Annex's Porter tells us that brands have "handled their supply chain issues relatively well since Covid." He adds that while there "have been some hiccups" with some brands' soware system changes and warehouse transitions, for the most part, "if your futures were Athletic Annex, Indianapolis, IN. 1. What are you most optimistic about when it comes to the run business for 2025? Any major concerns? 2. What are your thoughts on the current handling of issues such as supply and demand and product pricing by performance running brands? Photo: facebook.com/athleticannexrunningcentre

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