Ski Press World Inc. - Index

Ski Press World Inc. - SIA Day 1 - Index

retail spotlight
Last year SIA announced its 2006/07 SnowSports Retailer
of the Year awards, presenting the annual accolade to eight
retail shops in seven regions across the US (Mid-Atlantic,
Mountain, New England, North Central, Pacifi c, South
Central and Southeast). Selected by suppliers and reps in
the snowsports industry, the winning shops were chosen
for their contribution to the growth of skiing, promotional
and marketing techniques, and overall success in the
snowsports marketplace. Our Retail Spotlight takes a closer
look at what makes these shops tick.
Founded in 1979 by ski boot designer Sven Coomer (Raichle Flexon ring a bell?), Mammoth
Lakes, CA’s Footloose Sports has grown from a tiny one-room boot-fi tting shop with just enough
room for three orthotic benches to a 10,000-square-foot storefront with up to 70 employees.
Now owned by the dual husband-and-wife teams of Tony and Andrea Colasardo and Corty
and Mary Lawrence, it has stayed true to its founding mission: getting people on the best
gear possible and ensuring that it fi ts and functions.
“We like to think that it’s our service that sets us apart,” said Andrea, adding that bootfi
tting remains the foundation of the business. “We’re all rabid skiers and are extremely
passionate about the sport. We’ve made mountain sports our lives and base our service
on real-world experience.”
The system’s worked. While she admits that last year’s mild winter was tough, sales have
continued to grow at a rate of 10 percent a year when many other specialty shops throughout
the country seem to be faltering. Most of this is due to the shop’s reputation and
commitment to the ski industry. Though the store is known for its boot-fi tting — it was
one of the fi rst shops in the country to sell SuperFeet orthotics — it also pioneered the now
industry-standard “Try Before You Buy” ski and boot demo program in the early ‘80s.
“We have one of the largest demo programs in the country,” said Andrea. “If it takes an
entire day to fi t someone in a demo boot, we’ll do it. Because of that, our demo programs
are huge and that leads to a strong return customer base.”
The original importer of the Wintersteiger stonegrinder, the shop also appeals to racers
as much as recreational skiers. The US Ski Team turns to Footloose for its tunes and boot
work whenever its members are in the area. “We’re all skiers,” said Andrea. “We’re one
of the last few remaining truly core ski shops in the country. Not too many shops just do
skiing only anymore, but that’s our focus and I think it’s what helped lead to us getting
the award.” — EUGENE BUCHANAN
46 SNOWPRESS DAY 1 skipressworld.com/snowpress
What Makes
a Good Retailer?
AN INTERVIEW WITH REP
OF THE YEAR MIKE GAGLIARDI
Brands: Rocky Mountain Sales, Golden, CO; Never Summer, 686, Neff, Drop,
Bluebird, and ALLY Video.
Every year retailers throughout the country vote for SIA’s Rep of the Year
award, bestowed upon reps displaying insight, dedication and professionalism
in the snowsports industry. In this issue we take a look at 2007 winner Mike
Gagliardi and his take on what makes retailers succeed in today’s market.
GET INVOLVED
Make yourself a vital part of your community. Contests, movie premieres,
end-of-season parties and youth events bring high-profi le personalities and
riders to your shop. This builds shop awareness and creates awareness of
your brands. It will make loyal customers think about good times whenever
they walk into your shop.
CHANGE WITH THE TIMES
Adapt to changing trends and adjust your buying patterns, image and merchandising
accordingly. The same formula may be safe, but customers will
eventually go elsewhere if you milk the same formula too long. But don’t
make your shop a revolving door of brands so there’s no brand identity
within the shop either.
MAKE YOUR REP YOUR PARTNER,
NOT AN ADVERSARY
Open and constant communication is key. The rep and sales manager want
to see product moved as quickly as you do. If something isn’t happening properly,
call the rep to solve the problem. Get to know the in-house support staff
and sales manager at trade shows and on the phone. Developing a positive
relationship can make issues resolve themselves much more quickly.
SHOW COMMITMENT AND
MONITOR INVENTORY
Commit to the brands that you work with and write orders that mean something
(not just a $500 order with a rep who’s your bro). Also be aware of
your inventory levels; overstocking and not chasing a hot item can cost you
on the bottom line. And never miss an opportunity to make good margins
on closeout items that you know you can carry forward.
MAINTAIN YOUR OPEN TO BUYS
Hold on to a small percentage of your yearly allocated open-to-buy for inseason
releases and closeouts. In-season releases and limited edition items are
usually marketed with some hype associated to them and help keep things
fresh. Closeouts, new companies and distribution changes can give you an
advantage over the competition. React quickly to maximize profi ts.
EMPOWER AND HAVE FUN WITH YOUR STAFF
Keep your staff informed and empowered. Develop loyalty by delegating
responsibility and rewarding those who earn it. A weekly meeting or informal
board tuning, beers and BS session can help build a team, keep everyone
informed and drive sales. Point out who and what’s been kicking butt on the
fl oor. Also, take some time away from the business with them. Close your
doors and relax together somewhere. Rent go-karts, go bowling, shoot pool,
anything... just get away and enjoy an event away from work. You’ll come
back refreshed and with a story to tell. — EB
VOLVO — OFFICIAL CAR OF