Fall - InsideOutdoor Magazine
Fall - InsideOutdoor Magazine
Fall - InsideOutdoor Magazine
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<strong>Fall</strong> 2011<br />
www.insideoutdoor.com<br />
WATERPROOF<br />
WARS 2.0<br />
The future of<br />
component branding<br />
Holiday<br />
Outlook<br />
Get Swipe<br />
Fee Savvy<br />
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C O N T E N T S<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> 2011<br />
Departments<br />
31<br />
DATA POINTS<br />
8 NUMBERS WORTH NOTING<br />
Barefootin’; QR readers; channel conflict; tech reps;<br />
print is alive; mobile show; and more<br />
14<br />
COMPONENTS NOTES<br />
TEXTILE NEWS SWATCHES<br />
20 University claims ‘permanent’ anti-microbial<br />
20 CORDURA shows softer side of durability<br />
22 Unifi gives waste a second life<br />
25 Sorona safety certified<br />
26 Organic cotton’s healthy growth<br />
28 Kevlar opens Carolina facility<br />
BACK OFFICE<br />
40 CASH FLOW IS KING<br />
Alternative financing for growth<br />
20<br />
FEATURES<br />
14 WATERPROOF WARS 2.0<br />
The current competitive landscape of the breathable waterproof<br />
fabrics market provides a vision of disruptions that are taking<br />
place up and down manufacturing and retail marketing.<br />
By Martin Vilaboy<br />
42 A CLEAN EXIT<br />
The ups and downs of earnouts<br />
44 SWIPE FEE SAVVY<br />
Get the savings you deserve<br />
6 Letter from the Editor<br />
12 Rep News and Moves<br />
46 Advertiser Index<br />
31 HOLIDAY OUTLOOK & GIFT GUIDE<br />
Deep discounts and slashed sale prices are quickly becoming<br />
a holiday tradition, and there are indications consumers expect<br />
savings to be bigger and better, putting further pressure on retail<br />
profit margins. Even so, we’re optimistic outdoor specialty cash<br />
registers will ring, and our annual gift guide is filled with last<br />
minute ideas for all types of outdoor niches.<br />
4 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011
• Anti-Snow Pack Plate<br />
• Durable and Light Weight<br />
• Adapts to Most Footwear<br />
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<br />
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© 2011 Implus Footcare, LLC. Yaktrax ® is a registered trademark of Implus Footcare, LLC.
Editor’s Letter<br />
component brands, retail hands<br />
While it’s the manufacturers of outdoor apparel and gear who buy their<br />
stuff, outdoor textile and component brands have good reasons to be<br />
communicating with their customers’ customers. After all, the basic model<br />
for a branded component is to drive a premium by offering additional benefits<br />
and features, and up to this point nothing has been more effective for conveying<br />
those value-adds to the public than the helpful, trustworthy and costumer-facing<br />
specialty retailer.<br />
The good news is component suppliers have more ways than ever to reach and<br />
teach staffers on the sales floor and impact the shopping experience. Today’s online,<br />
digital and anywhere-accessible educational tools certainly can be cost-effective and<br />
convenient, and a recent survey of Inside Outdoor readers by CORDURA suggests<br />
retailers are open to utilizing them.<br />
When asked to rank the most effective methods for helping sales teams understand<br />
product component benefits, for example, (1 for most, 6 for least) more than a third of<br />
respondents picked online training as number one or two among a half dozen mediums.<br />
More than a quarter ranked video tools either one or two. Even QR codes – a technology,<br />
keep in mind, available to only a small percentage of shoppers – have impressed<br />
a fair number of folks. In a separate question, more than half of retailers said QR tags<br />
were very or somewhat helpful to increasing product sales.<br />
Also encouraging, retailers are still keen to more traditional methods of product<br />
education. Far and away, retailers continue to view the old-fashioned, hands-on<br />
product demonstration as the most powerful way to empower floor staff. More than<br />
three-quarters of retailers picked product demos as the most- or second-most-effective<br />
tool. A mere 4 percent ranked it at the bottom.<br />
Please rank the following from most to least effective in helping you or<br />
your sales team understand the benefits of the products you sell.<br />
% answering 1 or 2<br />
Product demonstrations 77.09%<br />
Brochures/information cards 42.71%<br />
Online product training (webinars, brand Web sites, etc.) 34.37%<br />
Product training videos 26.04%<br />
Sales incentives/contests 12.5%<br />
Displays or posters for team/break room 7.29%<br />
Source: CORDURA; Inside Outdoor<br />
How helpful would each of the following be in increasing sales of<br />
products made with CORDURA fabric in your store(s)? % answering<br />
very or somewhat helpful<br />
Training of sales team on benefits … 79.6%<br />
Fabric hangtags 77.5%<br />
In-store signage 65.97%<br />
QR codes to dedicated site 52.05%<br />
Have more products with CORDURA on floor 50.01%<br />
Sales contest 44.9%<br />
Source: CORDURA; Inside Outdoor<br />
Other low-tech devices also fared well. More than three-quarters of retailers said<br />
hangtags were important to increasing sales, while two-thirds felt the same way<br />
about in-store signage. The most helpful educational tool, not surprisingly, was once<br />
again in-store training and demos.<br />
If nothing else, the findings seem to suggest component brands should consider<br />
more directly partnering with independent sales reps. If something else, it’s comforting<br />
to know that despite the instant-access, full automaton and slick interfaces available<br />
today, still nothing beats the welcoming hand and warm smile of old-fashioned<br />
personal contact. –MV<br />
Martin Vilaboy<br />
Editor-in-Chief<br />
martin@bekapublishing.com<br />
Percy Zamora<br />
Art Director<br />
outdoor@bekapublishing.com<br />
Ernest Shiwanov<br />
Editor at Large<br />
ernest@bekapublishing.com<br />
Berge Kaprelian<br />
Group Publisher<br />
berge@bekapublishing.com<br />
Rene Galan<br />
Account Executive<br />
rene@bekapublishing.com<br />
Jennifer Vilaboy<br />
Production Director<br />
jen@bekapublishing.com<br />
Suzanne Urash<br />
Ad Creative Designer<br />
suzanne@cre8groupinc.com<br />
Beka Publishing<br />
Berge Kaprelian<br />
President and CEO<br />
Philip Josephson<br />
General Counsel<br />
Jim Bankes<br />
Business Accounting<br />
Corporate Headquarters<br />
745 N. Gilbert Road<br />
Suite 124, PMB 303<br />
Gilbert, AZ 85234<br />
Voice: 480.503.0770<br />
Fax: 480.503.0990<br />
Email: berge@bekapublishing.com<br />
© 2011 Beka Publishing, All rights reserved.<br />
Reproduction in whole or in any form or<br />
medium without express written permission<br />
of Beka Publishing, is prohibited. Inside<br />
Outdoor and the Inside Outdoor logo are<br />
trademarks of Beka Publishing<br />
6 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011
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Data Points<br />
Numbers worth noting<br />
by Martin Vilaboy<br />
Minimalist Mindshare<br />
Full three-quarters of “active Americans” are aware of<br />
the “barefoot” or minimalist concept for footwear design,<br />
according to a recent survey from Leisure Trends Group, and<br />
among those 75 percent of respondents who are aware, 46<br />
percent say they have tried or are considering trying footwear<br />
in this category. However, when asked what activities they<br />
would consider for minimalist shoes, the panel of active<br />
Americans largely associated the movement with water<br />
sports rather than running. Perhaps some are confusing slipon<br />
water shoes for minimalist kicks.<br />
Activities Will Use “Barefoot”/Minimalist Footwear<br />
Kayaking 13%<br />
Canoeing 11%<br />
Beachwear 10%<br />
Other water sports 10%<br />
Boating 9%<br />
Runs of 2 miles or less 9%<br />
Casual wear 8%<br />
House shoes 7%<br />
Fishing 5%<br />
Runs longer than 5 miles 5%<br />
Yoga Structuring an Earnout 4%<br />
Aerobics 3%<br />
Other Issues for Consideration 3%<br />
None of the above 4%<br />
• Accounting<br />
• Earnout Amount<br />
Source: Leisure Trends Group<br />
• Availability of Capital<br />
• Earnout Period<br />
• Management<br />
Conflicting Reports<br />
• Performance Goals<br />
• Change in Control<br />
• Payment Schedule<br />
Some may say that channel conflict is simply a foregone<br />
• Tax Impact<br />
• Operational Integration<br />
conclusion of today’s retail environment, but that’s not to say<br />
retailers are happy about it. Almost two-thirds of retailers<br />
surveyed by Shopatron said they would reduce spending with<br />
brands that sell direct to consumers. That’s up from 51 percent<br />
Would your buying patterns change<br />
for large brands that you already stock<br />
if they decided to start selling direct<br />
to customers on their Web site<br />
who said the same thing in 2009, suggesting that retailers<br />
are not growing more comfortable with the practice as more<br />
and more manufacturers Structuring adopt the direct an strategy. EarnoutMore than<br />
one in 10 retailers said they Issues would for stop Consideration buying from the brand<br />
altogether.<br />
• Accounting<br />
• Earnout Amount<br />
QR • Code Availability of Readers<br />
Capital<br />
• Earnout Period<br />
Among • Management the 14 million mobile users in • the Performance U.S. who Goals have<br />
scanned a QR code with their smartphone, according to<br />
• Change in Control<br />
• Payment Schedule<br />
comScore counts, the most likely place the scanning took place<br />
was at • Tax home Impact in a printed magazine or newspaper. • Operational Nearly Integration half<br />
of respondents scanned a QR code from a printed publication,<br />
while product packaging was the second most common source.<br />
QR Code<br />
Source of Scanned QR Code Audience<br />
% of QR Code<br />
Would your buying patterns (000) change Audience<br />
Printed for magazine large or brands newspaper that you 7,138 already stock 49.4%<br />
Product if they packaging decided to start 5,101 selling direct 35.3%<br />
Website to customers on PC on their Web 3,957 site 27.4%<br />
Poster or flyer or kiosk 3,393 23.5%<br />
Yes, I would stop buying<br />
Business card or brochure from that Brand 1,94011%<br />
13.4%<br />
Storefront Yes, I would buy as little as possible 1,850 12.8%<br />
TV from the brand 1,693<br />
19%<br />
11.7%<br />
Total audience Yes, I would reduce my buying 14,452 100%<br />
from that brand<br />
34%<br />
Location When Scanning QR Code<br />
At home<br />
No, I would not change my buying<br />
from that brand<br />
8,382 13% 58%<br />
Retail store 5,688 39.4%<br />
Grocery store I am not Polartec sure 3,546 NeoShell 23% Outperforms 24.5% in Dynamic<br />
At work 2,844 19.7%<br />
Source: Shopatron<br />
Outside or on public transit 1,827 18000 12.6%<br />
Restaurant 1,095 16000 7.6%<br />
Source: comScore MobiLens, June 2011<br />
14000<br />
12000<br />
For those who complain that the 10000 Outdoor Retailer trade<br />
Outdoor Participation, 2006 8000 to 2010<br />
Total Outdoor Outings<br />
6000<br />
11.6 Billion 11.4 Billion 11.2 Billion<br />
4000<br />
10.1 Billion 10.1 Billion<br />
HIGH<br />
breathability<br />
Going Inorganic<br />
LOW<br />
breathability<br />
Water Vapor Flux g/m 2 /24hrs<br />
Yes, I would stop buying<br />
from that Brand<br />
Yes, I would buy as little as possible<br />
from the brand<br />
Yes, I would reduce my buying<br />
from that brand<br />
No, I would not change my buying<br />
from that brand<br />
11%<br />
19%<br />
13%<br />
34%<br />
Number of Participants<br />
0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 2<br />
Pressure Drop Across Sample (PA)<br />
138.4 Billion<br />
137.8 Billion 137.9 Forces Billion air through fabric to illustrate the effect o<br />
135.9 Billion wind and movement on breathability<br />
134.4 Billion<br />
Participation Rate<br />
Source: Polartec<br />
No air<br />
movement<br />
49.1% 50.0% 48.6% 48.9% 48.6%<br />
Slight air<br />
movement<br />
Increasing<br />
air movement<br />
I am not sure<br />
23%<br />
Source: Shopatron<br />
8 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011<br />
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010<br />
Source: Outdoor Industry Association
Permanent, temperature-regulating<br />
fiber technology with odor control<br />
and softness that never washes out.
• Management<br />
• Change in Control<br />
Data Points<br />
• Tax Impact<br />
• Performance Goals<br />
• Payment Schedule<br />
• Operational Integration<br />
show is stretching too far with the addition of ancillary<br />
companies and activities, consider this: outdoor participation<br />
Would your buying patterns change<br />
for large rates were brands again that flat in you 2010 already for the third stock year in a row, show<br />
if they OIA decided figures. So to while start activities selling such direct as competitive racing<br />
to customers may be growing, on their it’s likely Web the site participants are coming from<br />
within the outdoor ranks. In other words, outside of some<br />
Yes, I would stop buying<br />
market share from that shift, Brand it’s going 11% to be hard for “core” brands to<br />
Yes, I would experience buy as little much as possible organic growth.<br />
from the brand<br />
19%<br />
Yes, I would reduce my buying<br />
Green from vs. that brand Greenbacks 34%<br />
While 83 percent of global consumers say it is important<br />
No, I would not change my buying<br />
that companies from that implement brand 13%<br />
programs to improve the<br />
environment, less than a quarter say they will pay more for an<br />
I am not sure<br />
23%<br />
eco-friendly product, and willingness to pay more is lowest in<br />
Source: North Shopatron America, where only 12 percent say they will fork over<br />
extra greenbacks for green products, according to new figures<br />
from Nielsen. Among environmental and sustainability efforts<br />
manufacturers have taken, recycled packaging and energy<br />
efficient products are seen as the most broadly helpful.<br />
Belief in Sustainable Products Having Positive Impact<br />
Outdoor on Environment Participation, (% of 2006 Respondents; to 2010 Global Average)<br />
Total Outdoor Outings<br />
Product<br />
% of Respondents,<br />
Multiple OK<br />
11.6 Billion 11.4 Billion<br />
Energy efficient products 11.2 Billion or appliances 10.1 Billion 10.1 Billion83%<br />
Products Number in recyclable of Participants packaging 83%<br />
Products with little or no packaging 69%<br />
138.4 Billion<br />
Organic products 135.9 Billion<br />
134.4 Billion<br />
137.8 Billion 137.9 Billion<br />
64%<br />
Bought from farmer’s market 61%<br />
Participation Rate<br />
Ethically produced or grown 60%<br />
Not traveled long distance to store 60%<br />
49.1% Locally 50.0% made products 48.6% 48.9% 48.6% 59%<br />
Fair trade products 51%<br />
Products not tested on animals 44%<br />
Source: Nielsen<br />
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010<br />
Source: Tech-Enabled<br />
Outdoor Industry Association<br />
If your store isn’t empowering or planning to empower<br />
employees with technology, it’s likely falling behind. Though<br />
projects were postponed during the height of the recession,<br />
How long has your company been actively involved in<br />
adding technology-enabled touch-points for employees<br />
in your stores?<br />
Longer than 1 year<br />
Less than 1 year<br />
Budgeted project<br />
Project planned,<br />
not yet budgeted<br />
No plans<br />
Source: RSR Research<br />
8%<br />
3%<br />
8%<br />
14%<br />
8%<br />
5% 11%<br />
18%<br />
49%<br />
2011 2010<br />
70%<br />
Outdoor Participation, 2006 to 2010<br />
Total Outdoor Outings18000<br />
HIGH<br />
breathability<br />
11.6 Billion 11.4 Billion 16000<br />
11.2 Billion 10.1 Billion 10.1 Billion<br />
14000<br />
Number of Participants<br />
12000<br />
138.4 Billion<br />
137.8 Billion 137.9 Billion<br />
135.9 Billion<br />
134.4 Billion<br />
10000<br />
and economic prospects remain uncertain, retailers have<br />
gone forward Participation with technology Rate 8000deployment plans, suggest<br />
findings from Retail Systems 6000 Research. Indeed, “they<br />
recognize<br />
49.1%<br />
they<br />
50.0%<br />
have no<br />
48.6%<br />
real choice in the matter,” says RSR.<br />
4000 48.9% 48.6%<br />
LOW<br />
breathability<br />
Water Vapor Flux g/m 2 /24hrs<br />
Print Still Pervasive, Persuasive<br />
0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200<br />
Even though 82 percent of Americans are online, 93<br />
Pressure Drop Across Sample (PA)<br />
percent 2006own mobile 2007 phones 2008 and 2009 155<br />
Forces<br />
million<br />
air 2010 through<br />
use<br />
fabric<br />
Facebook,<br />
to illustrate the effect of<br />
wind and movement on breathability<br />
printed Source: materials, Outdoor Industry either Association mailed or in No newspapers, air Slight air are still Increasing<br />
movement movement air movement<br />
the primary way folks learn about retailer sales information,<br />
show Nielsen findings. Source: Polartec The only electronic tactic that matches<br />
printed paper’s weekly reach is email. And when shoppers<br />
are asked what they want for the future, demand goes up<br />
for high How tech long information has your sources, company but been nearly actively 90 percent involved of in<br />
consumers adding still technology-enabled mostly want print, says touch-points Nielson. for employees<br />
in your stores?<br />
Weekly Usage of Retail Advertising Material<br />
Sales Longer Product than Information<br />
1 year<br />
Weekly Usage<br />
Newspaper 69% 49%<br />
Less than 1 year 8%<br />
Materials mailed to home 18% 67%<br />
Emails Budgeted from retailers project 3% 67%<br />
Social media 8% 2011 2010<br />
45%<br />
Smart or Project mobile planned, phone 14% 39%<br />
Printed not material yet budgeted in store 8% 38%<br />
Store site on computer No plans 5% 37%<br />
11%<br />
Store site using PC 35%<br />
In store kiosk 24%<br />
Source: RSR Research<br />
In store TV 21%<br />
Source: Nielsen<br />
Mobile Showrooms<br />
Fears that smarter phones would lead to more consumers<br />
Which types of products have you checked<br />
out in a physical store and then bought<br />
from some other store online?<br />
75<br />
50<br />
25<br />
0<br />
48%<br />
58%<br />
Source: Retrevo<br />
All Shoppers<br />
41%<br />
39%<br />
32%<br />
31%<br />
Smartphone<br />
Owners<br />
19% 23% 16% 22% 15% 19%<br />
Electronics Shoes Apparel Appliance Sporting<br />
Gear<br />
Home<br />
& Garden<br />
using brick-and-mortar stores as showrooms for online<br />
competitors are being quantified. Across several product<br />
categories, smartphone users visit physical stores and then<br />
buy online more frequently than overall shoppers, show<br />
findings from Retrevo.<br />
70<br />
10 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011<br />
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Rep moves and news<br />
Interbike announced that is<br />
considering sponsoring the formation<br />
of a non-profit sales representative<br />
association. The association’s goal would<br />
be to provide both independent and<br />
factory reps deep discounts on hotels,<br />
office supplies, cell phone services,<br />
health insurance and other business<br />
related services. In addition, the<br />
association would host an online bulletin<br />
board linking manufacturers and reps<br />
looking for representation.<br />
“Reps’ costs of doing business have<br />
continued to increase, but commissions<br />
have generally remained flat or gone<br />
down,” said Pat Hus, Interbike’s<br />
managing director. “We are looking to<br />
help start an association that can deliver<br />
meaningful discounts and benefits with<br />
very low annual dues.”<br />
Hus started his my career as an<br />
independent rep in southern California<br />
in 1983.<br />
“I’ve discussed the concept with lots<br />
of reps over the years about the ‘what<br />
ifs’ of a rep association,” continued<br />
Hus. “There is universal agreement that<br />
the collective bargaining power of an<br />
association would help immensely. It<br />
could help independent and factory reps<br />
save significant money on every single<br />
expense report. I am excited about<br />
presenting the details of our vision to as<br />
many reps as possible.”<br />
Sean Meredith of Meredith<br />
Outdoors will now be representing<br />
Granite Gear in the South Central<br />
region of the U.Ss, including Arkansas,<br />
Louisiana, Missouri and Texas. Meredith’s<br />
background in the outdoor industry<br />
includes working for a major retailer in<br />
the territory. He can be reached at sean@<br />
meredithoutdoors.com.<br />
Custom footbead provider<br />
Footbalance has entered a partnership<br />
with Rincon Group, the independent<br />
sales team of Bobbi Bensman and<br />
Steve Srednick, to represent Rocky<br />
Mountain region within the specialty<br />
athletic and outdoor retail markets.<br />
Bensman and Srednick are well<br />
established among outdoor dealers,<br />
representing top-selling brands including<br />
Salomon USA, Mammut Sports Group<br />
and Darn Tough Vermont. The married<br />
couple lives in Boulder, Colo., with their<br />
two daughters.<br />
Point6 has signed up two sales<br />
groups to represent its U.S.-made,<br />
premium merino wool socks in the<br />
Northwest and North Central regions.<br />
Tokul Creek Marketing, led by Paul<br />
Dukich, will service the Northwest<br />
(Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho<br />
and Alaska), while Kevin Streeter will<br />
take over the North Central region<br />
(Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota,<br />
South Dakota and Nebraska). The<br />
team at Tokul includes Lawrence Jobe<br />
and Brandon Gough, who represent<br />
several brands including Dynafit ski<br />
boots and Patagonia footwear. Streeter<br />
has worked with top brands including<br />
Mountain Hardwear and SmartWool<br />
and recently received Rep of the Year<br />
distinction from Timbuk2.<br />
Ryan Erickson has been named as<br />
Teva’s new vice president of domestic<br />
sales. Erickson has 19 years of footwear<br />
industry experience, primarily in sales<br />
management, having held director<br />
of sales and key account executive<br />
positions at The Rockport Company<br />
and Canadian sales manager and key<br />
account executive positions at The<br />
Timberland Company. He also served<br />
as brand marketing manager for<br />
Reebok International. In 2007, Erickson<br />
founded The Wapsie Group LLC, an<br />
independent sales agency based in<br />
Madison, Wisconsin, which represents<br />
Teva throughout the Upper Midwest.<br />
The Wapsie Group was named Teva’s<br />
Agency of the Year in 2008 and Erickson<br />
was named Teva’s Key Account Rep of<br />
the Year in 2010. Erickson will work with<br />
Teva’s management team to coordinate<br />
the transition of his Upper Midwest<br />
Territory as he assumes his new role.<br />
Nick Pachmayer of NJP &<br />
Associates has received Nordica’s<br />
2011 Sales Rep of the Year Award.<br />
Honored for an unprecedented year of<br />
sell-in and sell-thru successes in both<br />
ski and boot categories, Pachmayer<br />
ultimately took home the award for his<br />
ability to significantly increase Nordica’s<br />
ski presence in the Midwest – nearly<br />
equaling the company’s robust boot<br />
business in the region. Along with<br />
Nordica skis and boots, Pachmayer and<br />
NJP & Associates also represents Kombi<br />
gloves, knitwear and headwear, Uvex<br />
goggles, helmets and eyewear, Select<br />
Sport bags, and Eurosock.<br />
Sport Obermeyer has put its<br />
Southeast territory under veteran<br />
sales representative Greg Morrison,<br />
who was already responsible for<br />
the company’s Mid-Atlantic territory.<br />
Morrison has been working with Aspen,<br />
Colo-based Obermeyer for seven years.<br />
Head of his own Morrison Sports<br />
Marketing, LLC, Morrison is based<br />
in Maryland and will report to the<br />
company’s founder, Klaus Obermeyer.<br />
Morrison and his team also represent<br />
outdoor brands including Giro, Seirus<br />
and Fox River.<br />
As a result of its development of<br />
a four-season offering with closed toe<br />
footwear, Chaco has hired a new group of<br />
experienced and respected sales agencies<br />
to represent the brand across the United<br />
States. The following agencies will now<br />
represent Chaco: Mountain Source<br />
(Rockies); Yukon Trading Company<br />
(Northwest); Outdoor Resources Group<br />
(Mid Atlantic); Outdoor Sports Marketing<br />
(Southeast); Sullivan-Bishop Agency<br />
(South Central); Waypoint Sales and<br />
Training (Great Lakes); Jim Holton Sales<br />
Group Ltd. (Midwest); and Up East Sales<br />
(Northeast). Agencies for the Western<br />
territory are expected to be named shortly.<br />
Ski specialty brand Powderhorn has<br />
added the Turner Agency to its sales<br />
force to represent the all-important<br />
Rocky Mountain region. Owner Morgan<br />
Turner has been in Colorado as a sales<br />
rep for hard goods, soft goods and<br />
accessories for more than 20 years with<br />
a focus on accessories the last 15 years.<br />
He has served as president and on the<br />
board of directors for WWSRA during<br />
those years. Turner will be joined in his<br />
12 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011
efforts by his daughter Brooke Turner<br />
and Doug McCaffrey, who is in his third<br />
season with the Turner Agency.<br />
NEMO Equipment, Inc. has<br />
partnered with Waypoint Outdoor for<br />
representation in the Pacific Northwest.<br />
Waypoint was started in 2008 when<br />
friends Bob Holding (previously<br />
from Patagonia, Arc’teryx and Lotus<br />
Designs) and Jim Purdy (from Purdy<br />
& Associates) teamed up to combine<br />
their years of experience in the outdoor<br />
industry to support leading technical<br />
outdoor brands. Based in Seattle,<br />
Waypoint currently represents Arc’teryx,<br />
Suunto, KEEN, Solio and Vasque.<br />
Piggyback Rider’s innovative child<br />
carrier for toddlers will be distributed<br />
exclusively in Canada by Vancouverbased<br />
Sports Fleets Ventures. Currently<br />
available in a number of independent<br />
outdoor sports shops and children’s<br />
stores across Canada, the Piggyback<br />
Rider soon will be in select Canadian Tire<br />
and MEC locations.<br />
Nikwax has tapped Monsoon<br />
Group, LLC for sales representation in<br />
the Southeast region, which includes<br />
Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North<br />
Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee.<br />
Monsoon Group, LLC is the creation of<br />
Wayne Raines, who serves as head<br />
rep and principal for the agency. Raines<br />
has 24 years of diversified experience in<br />
consumer products with great success<br />
at driving and building growth of sales.<br />
Headquartered in Wellington, Fla., the<br />
group also currently represents CW-X<br />
Performance Apparel, Ecco Performance<br />
Footwear and Eurosock. Monsoon<br />
Group can be contacted at wayne@<br />
monsoongroupllc.com.<br />
Suunto North America announced<br />
the recent addition of three key sales<br />
agencies to cover markets in the<br />
Southwest and New England states.<br />
The Alpine Cowboy agency led by<br />
Koby Crooks and Stephanie Crooks<br />
will cover the Southwestern territory for<br />
sports specialty dealers. Independent<br />
sales rep Tom Greer will be focused on<br />
the same region for watch and jewelry<br />
specialty doors, while Jonathan Vinet<br />
and Adam Casey of Pursuit Sales will<br />
be representing Suunto throughout New<br />
England for all channels.<br />
Acorn has appointed Stable &<br />
Company as their sales agency for<br />
the Southeast Territory. Stephen<br />
Frachiseur and Levi Sandelin of Stable<br />
& Company, headquartered in Atlanta,<br />
will represent Acorn at the retail and<br />
customer levels. They will be responsible<br />
for sales development, marketing<br />
support and retailer customer service.<br />
Boardworks has added Michael<br />
Tavares to its sales team as well as<br />
named him the first team member<br />
of its Whitewater Specific SUP<br />
division. Tavares comes from a strong<br />
background in whitewater kayaking,<br />
skateboarding and snowboarding, and<br />
is pushing the boundaries for SUP in<br />
the whitewater arena. He will help<br />
connect retailers and SUP paddlers alike<br />
to Boardworks in Tennessee, Alabama,<br />
Arkansas and Missouri. Along with<br />
becoming Boardworks newest sales<br />
representative, Tavares will embark on<br />
the first ever “SUP Whitewater Tour” in<br />
2012, on which he will be bringing SUP<br />
to all major whitewater events in 2012,<br />
as well as other selected SUP races<br />
and events.<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> 2011 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | 13
Waterproof<br />
Wars 2.0<br />
Waterproof/breathable competitors<br />
face new market conditions<br />
by Martin Vilaboy<br />
The breathable waterproof fabric market has<br />
always had its fair share of attackers challenging<br />
the supremacy of category pioneer and firmly<br />
established incumbent, W.L. Gore and its Gore-Tex<br />
brand. Numerous textile companies and proprietary apparel<br />
brands have taken Gore-Tex to task on its effectiveness and<br />
relative high cost for as long as we can remember. Some<br />
have gained traction, others, not so much.<br />
During the last few years, however, the industry has<br />
witnessed an aggressive push into the space by some large,<br />
well-funded and highly familiar contestants. That’s not<br />
to suggest the recent moves by the likes of GE, Columbia<br />
Sportswear and Polartec suddenly make a discussion of<br />
waterproof/breathable technologies more important than<br />
when folks such as Sympatex and Nextec and apparel<br />
company house brands were leading the charge. Rather,<br />
the current shake-up in the waterproof/breathable market<br />
is worth following because it’s indicative of sweeping<br />
forces and trends that are disrupting the entire retail and<br />
consumer products landscape, including shopper behavior,<br />
marketing and branding, global supply chains and<br />
customer relations.<br />
Of course, Gore’s dominant position in the space has<br />
been legendary. For most avid outdoor participants, the<br />
name Gore-Tex is synonymous with wet-weather protection.<br />
And when a group of Inside Outdoor readers were<br />
surveyed recently regarding their familiarity with several<br />
fabric brands – as part of a CORDURA-sponsored study<br />
– a full 92 percent of retail respondents said they were<br />
“very familiar” with the Gore-Tex brand. The closest fabric<br />
brands in the survey in terms of aided awareness were<br />
nearly 20 percentage points behind: Lycra, for which 75<br />
percent were “very familiar,” and CORDURA, at about 73<br />
percent “very familiar.”<br />
Notwithstanding Gore’s impressive awareness levels,<br />
there are some who are questioning the value of third-party<br />
component branding altogether. There was a time, these<br />
folks would argue, when a consumer who was ready to buy<br />
a product simply would make a trip to the store, consider<br />
the selection and complete the purchase. In this scenario,<br />
a hangtag calling out trusted technology was an important<br />
way to push out technological information. Not only<br />
an educational tool, the same component logo or hangtag<br />
across five or so jackets on the racks brings a commonality<br />
14 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011
How familiar are you with the following fabric brands?<br />
Gore-Tex Lycra CORDURA CoolMax Kevlar Teflon Re-Dura<br />
I have never heard of this brand 1.02% 2.04% 4.08% 1.02% 2.04% 1.02% 44.90%<br />
I have heard of the name but don’t know anything about it 0.00% 4.08% 4.08% 5.10% 3.06% 3.06% 30.61%<br />
I have heard the name and know a little about it 7.14% 18.37% 19.39% 24.49% 31.63% 36.73% 14.29%<br />
I have heard the name and am very familiar with it 91.84% 75.51% 72.45% 69.39% 63.27% 59.18% 10.20%<br />
Source: CORDURA; Inside Outdoor<br />
and integrity that provides the customer<br />
with some basis for making a judgment.<br />
This makes things more comfortable for<br />
both customer and retailer.<br />
Today’s customers, however, search<br />
and seek out. They have all sorts of<br />
social and testimonial information at<br />
their fingertips, and usage rates suggest<br />
they’re digesting it. In many cases,<br />
consumers walk into a store with more<br />
powerful information tools in the palms<br />
of their hands than many stores have<br />
on the entire showroom floor. In turn,<br />
marketers of end-use products and their<br />
retailers have an ever-growing number<br />
of ways to spread their buzz and build<br />
credibility. Few today can afford to wait<br />
until the customer is in the store.<br />
As Kurt Gray of Simply Gray Designs<br />
recently wrote in Textile Insights<br />
magazine, “Social media, customer<br />
reviews and the ubiquitous star review<br />
system mean more to today’s consumer<br />
than science does.”<br />
It’s a bet that Columbia Sportswear<br />
apparently is willing to make. When<br />
the company announced its purchase of<br />
waterproof/breathable brand OutDry in<br />
August of 2010 – part of its strategy to<br />
differentiate through in-house proprietary<br />
technology rather than relying<br />
on third-party innovation – Columbia<br />
How important is it that the packs you carry in your store are made<br />
from branded components?<br />
Very Important 10.20%<br />
Somewhat Important 37.76%<br />
Neither Important nor Unimportant 39.80%<br />
Somewhat Unimportant 7.14%<br />
Very Unimportant 5.10%<br />
How important is it that the packs you carry in your store are made from<br />
a recognized brand?<br />
Very Important 35.71%<br />
Somewhat Important 44.90%<br />
Neither Important nor Unimportant 11.22%<br />
Somewhat Unimportant 5.10%<br />
Very Unimportant 3.06%<br />
Source: CORDURA; Inside Outdoor<br />
cited extensive research that suggested<br />
outdoor consumers preferred simplicity<br />
over technical data when making<br />
apparel decisions. In the end, outdoor<br />
consumers simply want their gear to<br />
work, regardless of what’s in it, and if<br />
an apparel company can deliver on that<br />
promise, it didn’t matter so much what<br />
was in the details.<br />
So while users recreating in<br />
more extreme conditions likely will<br />
continue to require the assurance of<br />
extensive lab testing and the sciencebased<br />
backgrounds of fabrication<br />
specialists, more mainstream users<br />
might be satisfied with the reputation<br />
of a product manufacturer or retailer<br />
with whom they have established<br />
some relationship.<br />
“Everyone wants benefits and reputations,<br />
not number and graphs,”<br />
Gray continues.<br />
Likewise, marketers of all types of<br />
technology must come to grips with<br />
changes in the way technology itself is<br />
perceived. To those of us who were born<br />
prior to the recent age of rapid consumer<br />
technological advancement, technology is<br />
seen as nothing short of a game changer.<br />
It has simplified tasks and obsoleted business<br />
models. To younger folks, it’s just<br />
always been there; in any product or service<br />
that must “perform,” the existence of<br />
science and technology is assumed.<br />
Think of it this way: to Millennials<br />
and those younger, developments such<br />
as automation, touch-screens, IP and<br />
mobility are no more seen as “technology”<br />
as radio and TV is seen as technology<br />
by Generation X. Technology, in and<br />
of itself, is not so impressive any more,<br />
and it’s possible that friends, fans and<br />
experiential recommendations could<br />
become more influential than the science<br />
behind a familiar, branded component.<br />
Columbia Sportswear’s sourcing<br />
strategy, however, also has lots to do<br />
with its ongoing global conquest. To a<br />
company such as Columbia, for which<br />
sales growth in Europe and Asia is<br />
dwarfing domestic growth and product<br />
is manufactured, warehoused and sold<br />
on multiple continents, eliminating<br />
third-party components helps to streamline<br />
logistics and manage cost structures.<br />
Few vendors in the outdoor industry<br />
have the market share and capital to internally<br />
control textiles and treatments, but<br />
Columbia is not the only company that<br />
has re-considered component branding.<br />
A few years back, GE made a 180-degree<br />
turn with regard to the marketing<br />
of its eVent brand of breathable waterproof<br />
performance fabrics. Replacing<br />
the bright orange trade show booths and<br />
GE’s massive brand equity was a new<br />
focus away from the fabric as an ingredient<br />
brand. GE announced that it was going<br />
to allow partners to re-brand eVent<br />
as their own and utilize it in a variety of<br />
applications and price-points.<br />
Initially launched as a stand-alone,<br />
consumer-facing brand, eVent’s new<br />
focus was better aligned with the GE<br />
master brand strategy, said the company,<br />
and allowed it to direct more spending<br />
on research and innovation. Some industry<br />
observers, however, suggested<br />
the move was an admitted defeat to<br />
Gore’s dominance or possibly was a<br />
workaround for vendors that were<br />
16 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011
When Extreme<br />
Performance Matters<br />
© 3M 2011. All Rights Reserved. Scott Markewitz Photography, Inc.<br />
Look for the Platinum Tag<br />
When your outerwear carries the 3M Thinsulate Platinum Insulation tag,<br />
consumers know: this outdoor gear is built for serious action. The Platinum tag is<br />
the new face of high-end 3M Thinsulate Platinum Insulation. It differentiates<br />
technically advanced Thinsulate Platinum insulation in performance outerwear<br />
from everyday applications, and sets your apparel apart.<br />
3M Thinsulate Insulation is the brand people trust for warmth. No other<br />
insulation delivers more name recognition or a broader range of product options.<br />
Now, Platinum merchandising puts premium outerwear in a class of its own, for a<br />
distinct point-of-sale advantage.<br />
Visit thinsulate.com for more information. Become a fan at Facebook.com/thinsulate.
ing an Earnout<br />
r Consideration<br />
• Earnout Amount<br />
contractually forbidden from employing<br />
• Earnout Period<br />
both the Gore-Tex and eVent brands.<br />
• Performance Goals<br />
A quick, informal survey of outdoor<br />
• Payment products Schedule currently on the market shows<br />
• Operational that, while Integration vendors have been given the<br />
choice to incorporate eVent as a house<br />
brand or otherwise, most, though not<br />
all, have decided to stick with using the<br />
name eVent in their marketing and on<br />
rns change spec sheets.<br />
u already This stock probably comes as some relief<br />
selling to direct Polartec, which has spent significant<br />
eb sitemoney supporting the launch of its<br />
NeoShell breathable waterproof category.<br />
11%<br />
Billed as “the most breathable waterproof<br />
19%<br />
fabric ever made,” Polartec NeoShell<br />
utilizes an exclusive sub-micron fiber<br />
membrane 34% that blocks water but allows<br />
for two-way air exchange to efficiently<br />
13%<br />
move moisture away from the body, says<br />
Polartec. 23% Whereas most waterproof/<br />
breathable systems on the market rely<br />
on diffusion, in which moisture and heat<br />
within the microclimate create enough<br />
pressure to push moisture through the<br />
fabric, NeoShell uses convection or a<br />
constant, two-way exchange of air that<br />
Polartec NeoShell Outperforms in Dynamic Breathability Testing<br />
HIGH<br />
breathability<br />
LOW<br />
breathability<br />
Water Vapor Flux g/m 2 /24hrs<br />
Source: Polartec<br />
18000<br />
16000<br />
14000<br />
12000<br />
10000<br />
8000<br />
6000<br />
4000<br />
0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200<br />
Pressure Drop Across Sample (PA)<br />
Forces air through fabric to illustrate the effect of<br />
wind and movement on breathability<br />
No air<br />
movement<br />
Slight air<br />
movement<br />
allows more moisture to be pulled out,<br />
even at extremely low levels of pressure.<br />
The new fabric yields competitive<br />
scores on traditional waterproof breathability<br />
measures like RET and MVTR,<br />
but Polartec believes these static testing<br />
methods fail to replicate what garments<br />
Increasing<br />
air movement<br />
Polartec® Classic 200<br />
Polartec® Power Shield®Pro<br />
Polartec® NeoShell®<br />
Competitor WPB - 1<br />
Competitor WPB - 2<br />
Competitor WPB - 3<br />
and wearers encounter during actual<br />
use outside. Polartec says its technology<br />
out-breathes competitors during<br />
“dynamic breathability” testing, which<br />
more closely emulate real-world experience.<br />
The company is encouraging the<br />
industry to adopt Dynamic Moisture<br />
006 to 2010<br />
0.1 Billion 10.1 Billion<br />
SuperFabric<br />
material<br />
®<br />
by HDM, Inc. TM<br />
brand<br />
37.8 Billion 137.9 Billion<br />
48.9% 48.6%<br />
2009 2010<br />
any been actively involved in<br />
ed touch-points for employees<br />
18%<br />
49%<br />
2011 2010<br />
70%<br />
®<br />
HDM<br />
HDM, Inc.<br />
570 Hale Ave.<br />
Oakdale, MN 55128<br />
(651)-730-6203<br />
email: outdoor@superfabric.com<br />
www.SuperFabric.com<br />
4%<br />
18 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011
Permeation Cell (ASTM 2298), a test<br />
used by the United States military to<br />
evaluate fabrics because it more closely<br />
predicts actual user experience.<br />
As for the branding, Polartec is<br />
selling its new fabrics only as Polartec<br />
NeoShell and says it has no intention of<br />
white labeling the collection. Similar to<br />
eVent, however, Polartec is actively collaborating<br />
with partner mills, converters<br />
and vendors to develop fabric packages<br />
with specific performance capabilities.<br />
“This is a point of differentiation,<br />
and I think a competitive advantage for<br />
Polartec NeoShell,” says Fielding Miller,<br />
who handles Polartec for marketing and<br />
PR firm Backbone Media.<br />
Outdoor apparel brands such as<br />
Westcomb, Rab, 66North and Eider are<br />
using more lightweight hardshell-like<br />
iterations of Polartec NeoShell with a<br />
nylon face and a flat tricot back, says<br />
Miller, while others such as The North<br />
Face and Marmot are using more thermal<br />
softshell-like versions of NeoShell<br />
with a stretch woven face and fleece<br />
backs. And Mammut is using “a superbomber,<br />
stretchy version that’s kind of in<br />
between,” he says.<br />
“So there’s a lot Polartec can do in<br />
terms of sandwiching the membrane<br />
between different face and back fabrics,”<br />
says Miller.<br />
Retailers, for their part, appear somewhat<br />
split as to whether or not branded<br />
fabrics and components are crucial to sell<br />
through, at least when it comes to backpacks.<br />
About half of retailers (48 percent)<br />
who were surveyed by CORDURA and<br />
Inside Outdoor said branded components<br />
were very or somewhat important to<br />
the packs they carry in their stores. The<br />
remaining 52 percent were either neutral<br />
or said branded components were<br />
unimportant. Incidentally, retailers do<br />
want their packs adorned with informative<br />
hangtags and labels. Nearly eight out<br />
of 10 retailers said information tags and<br />
labels were very or somewhat important.<br />
Still, regardless of the route breathable<br />
waterproof fabric contestants take,<br />
it’s never easy to challenge a large, established<br />
and respected incumbent such<br />
as Gore-Tex. On the other hand, there’s<br />
never been a better time for competitive<br />
providers and market attackers.<br />
One would have to be living under a<br />
rock not to see and have experienced the<br />
disruption wrought by the increasing<br />
fragmentation of media, communications<br />
and consumer shopping behavior.<br />
Power has shifted decidedly into the<br />
hands of the individual, and critical<br />
mass in marketing can be built in an<br />
increasing number of ways.<br />
Nowadays, it’s quite possible that<br />
an independent specialty retailer, such<br />
as Moosejaw, that understands social<br />
marketing, mobility and the power of<br />
the “network effect” (that a network<br />
grows stronger with every node or<br />
user that connects to it) can be more<br />
influential than a million-dollar branding<br />
campaign and a team of intellectual<br />
property attorneys.<br />
That’s not to suggest Gore-Tex’s market<br />
share will suddenly drop precipitously.<br />
It’s just that competitive providers<br />
have more tools and opportunities<br />
than ever before to gain chunks of loyal<br />
and vocal followers.<br />
brand<br />
Anti-Chafe Balm<br />
®<br />
#1<br />
top seller<br />
since 1996<br />
For Rubbing That Causes Chafing and Blisters<br />
since 2001<br />
the necessary accessory<br />
© 2011 BODYGLIDE, Bellevue, WA USA<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> 2011 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | 19
On Spec and<br />
In Stock<br />
Outdoor component swatches<br />
and shorts<br />
University of Georgia<br />
Licensing ‘Permanent’<br />
Anti-microbial Treatment<br />
A researcher at the University of Georgia claims<br />
to have invented a new technology that can inexpensively<br />
render natural and synthetic materials permanently<br />
germ free, and hence odor free. The technology<br />
reportedly can be applied during the manufacturing<br />
process or at home, and it doesn’t come out in the<br />
wash. In other words, repeated applications are unnecessary<br />
to maintain effectiveness, said sources from<br />
the university<br />
The anti-microbial treatment reportedly kills a wide<br />
spectrum of bacteria, yeasts and molds that can cause<br />
disease, break down fabrics, create stains and produce<br />
odors, said Jason Locklin, inventor of the technology and<br />
an assistant professor of chemistry in the Franklin College<br />
of Arts and Sciences and on the Faculty of Engineering.<br />
It is available for licensing from the University of<br />
Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF).<br />
“Similar technologies are limited by cost of materials,<br />
use of noxious chemicals in the application or loss<br />
of effectiveness after a few washings,” said Gennaro<br />
Gama, UGARF senior technology manager. “Locklin’s<br />
technology uses ingeniously simple, inexpensive and<br />
scalable chemistry.”<br />
Gama said the technology is simple to apply in the<br />
manufacturing of fibers, fabrics, filters and plastics. It<br />
also can bestow antimicrobial properties on finished<br />
products, such as athletic wear and shoes, and textiles<br />
for the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.<br />
Another advantage of UGARF’s technology, said<br />
Gama, “is that the permanent antimicrobial can be<br />
applied to a product at any point of the manufacturesale-use<br />
continuum. In most cases, anti-microbial<br />
technologies require blending of the treatment in the<br />
manufacturing process.”<br />
Locklin said the antimicrobial was tested against<br />
many of the pathogens common in healthcare settings,<br />
including staph, strep, E. coli, pseudomonas and<br />
acetinobacter. After just a single application, no bacterial<br />
growth was observed on the textile samples added to the<br />
culture – even after 24 hours at 37 degrees Celsius.<br />
Moreover, in testing, the treatment remained fully active<br />
after multiple hot water laundry cycles, demonstrating<br />
the antibacterial does not leach out from the textiles<br />
even under harsh conditions.<br />
Thin films of the new technology also can be used to<br />
change other surface properties of both cellulose- and<br />
polymer-based materials.<br />
“It can change a material’s optical properties – color,<br />
reflectance, absorbance and iridescence – and make it<br />
repel liquids, all without changing other properties of<br />
the material,” said Gama.<br />
A paper on the new technology was published by<br />
Locklin in a peer-reviewed journal of the American<br />
Chemical Society.<br />
CORDURA Shows<br />
Its ‘Softer Side’<br />
Widely known for its bombproof toughness and longlasting<br />
durability, CORDURA showcases its versatility<br />
and “softer side” in a new apparel fabric line launched<br />
this fall. Available in “full dull” nylon yarn constructions<br />
20 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011
that look and feel more like natural fiber<br />
based fabrics, yet still incorporate the<br />
exceptional abrasion, tensile and tear<br />
strengths the brand is popular for, COR-<br />
DURA’s new Naturalle fabric collection<br />
is ideally suited for a wide array of enduses,<br />
including performance active wear,<br />
technical outerwear and shell weight<br />
fabrics, as well as ready-to-wear apparel.<br />
With more than 30 years of trusted,<br />
rugged performance from CORDURA<br />
brand fabrics, the industry will find a<br />
comprehensive offering in the brand’s<br />
Apparel Collection, which includes a<br />
variety of nylon/cotton blends, performance<br />
knits, traditional wovens and<br />
ultralights, as well as the new COR-<br />
DURA Naturalle fabric assortment that<br />
provides a matte appearance similar to<br />
the look of cotton.<br />
CORDURA Naturalle fabrics<br />
provide stylish durability without<br />
sacrificing functionality and performance.<br />
The CORDURA Apparel Fabric<br />
Collection also features a wide selection<br />
of lightweight plain, ripstop and<br />
dobby weaves, as well as circular, flat<br />
or warp knits. What’s more, the collection<br />
also showcases two and three<br />
layer laminated fabrics, double weaves<br />
and stretch wovens and knits combined<br />
with INVISTA’s LYCRA fiber,<br />
all available with or without specialty<br />
performance finishes.<br />
Discover the highest caliber materials on the market.<br />
Schoeller Textil – Power of Innovation.<br />
Schoeller Textil USA Inc., 621 Fifth Avenue North, Suite B<br />
Seattle, WA +1 206 283 6991, www.schoeller-textiles.com<br />
scImage117,48s123,83USA231210.indd 1<br />
Meet us at<br />
the Winter 2012<br />
Outdoor Retailer Show<br />
Schoeller achieves exceptional quality in cooperation with our global partners<br />
by using only premium raw materials, advanced technologies, and the most<br />
modern equipment coupled with over 140 years of experience.<br />
Functional Fabrics. Innovative Textile Technologies.<br />
04.01.2011 10:00:01 Uhr<br />
“When you say CORDURA fabrics,<br />
you think durability and all the tough<br />
end uses we are traditionally known<br />
for such as luggage, packs and gear,”<br />
said Cindy McNaull, global CORDURA<br />
brand and marketing director. “But now,<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> 2011 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | 21
the CORDURA brand portfolio has a full<br />
line of fabrics for apparel. We’re excited<br />
to showcase ‘the softer side of durability’<br />
and demonstrate with our wide<br />
variety of fabric offerings that you don’t<br />
have to sacrifice comfort for long-lasting<br />
performance.”<br />
Ideally suited for inner layer, nextto-skin<br />
garments, such as t-shirts and<br />
baselayers, and for outer layer shells,<br />
the comprehensive CORDURA Apparel<br />
Fabric Collection will offer customers<br />
a vast array of performance driven,<br />
versatile and trend-conscious styling<br />
options, says the company. All these<br />
options include the built-in durability of<br />
CORDURA fabric to seamlessly transfer<br />
these products from day to night and<br />
from the trail to the dinner table.<br />
TENCEL Goes<br />
Seamless<br />
Lenzing, the developers of<br />
TENCEL, understand that a<br />
fiber’s performance features,<br />
the design of the fabric and<br />
the garment construction<br />
all are equally critical for<br />
comfortable performance wear<br />
that meets the demands of the<br />
outdoor market. To provide additional<br />
support to its customers,<br />
Lenzing applied its fiber<br />
and fabric expertise to create<br />
seamless textiles that maximize<br />
these combined factors.<br />
TENCEL imparts highly<br />
desirable benefits to sports textiles.<br />
Its moisture management properties are<br />
inherent and made possible by submicroscopic<br />
canals between the individual<br />
fibrils that regulate the rapid absorption<br />
and release of moisture.<br />
A versatile companion to other<br />
performance fibers, TENCEL not only<br />
contributes moisture management<br />
functionality to a wide variety of sports<br />
blends, but its skin-friendly properties<br />
result in frictionless fabrics that<br />
don’t irritate skin or inhibit movement.<br />
TENCEL Seamless Technology<br />
construction methodology produces<br />
functional, smooth garments without<br />
chafing or constraining seams. TENCEL<br />
seamless garments can be designed for<br />
sport-specific uses, said the company.<br />
Yarn blends can be tailored for physical<br />
22 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011<br />
conditions and garments can be created<br />
with the required dimensions and<br />
specifications for the particular activity.<br />
TENCEL is a sustainable fiber manufactured<br />
from wood.<br />
Sierra Designs<br />
Adopts Insotect’s<br />
Insulation System<br />
Insotect Ltd. announced that the<br />
company’s Insotect Flow insulation system<br />
has been adopted by Sierra Designs<br />
for use in its new ultra-light Cloud 15<br />
sleeping bag. According to the company,<br />
Sierra Designs’ adoption of the technology<br />
into the Cloud 15, which is poised to<br />
be one of the lightest 15-degree bags on<br />
the market, reflects Insotect’s growing<br />
presence as a “staple feature” within<br />
high-end sleeping bags.<br />
The Insotect Flow sleeping<br />
bag construction combines<br />
the presence of vertical thermal<br />
channels (VTCs) with<br />
Insotect’s proprietary Flow-<br />
Gates. By utilizing vertical<br />
channels instead of horizontal<br />
ones, the number of total<br />
channels is decreased and<br />
thus overall material weight is<br />
reduced, says the company.<br />
The vertical orientation<br />
helps facilitate heat distribution<br />
more readily from head<br />
to toe, which is an advantage<br />
over traditional sideto-side<br />
horizontal channels.<br />
The FlowGates are placed<br />
along the vertical thermal channels<br />
to hold the down insulation in place,<br />
minimizing down-shifting.<br />
“We are extremely pleased to be working<br />
with Sierra Designs on a bag of this<br />
caliber,” said Irvin Vale Akopov, Insotect<br />
brand manager. “Insotect Flow provides<br />
an exciting opportunity for both companies<br />
to collaborate on bringing a great<br />
product like the Cloud 15 to market.”<br />
Insotect’s insulation systems and<br />
technologies have been adopted by<br />
other leading industry brands such as<br />
Marmot, EMS, Big Agnes and Montbell,<br />
among others.<br />
Unifi Closes Loop<br />
on Fabric Waste<br />
Each year millions of pounds of<br />
textile manufacturing scraps end up in<br />
landfills. Unifi is doing its part to give<br />
these fabrics a second chance with its<br />
Repreve Textile Takeback Program.<br />
Initially launched with partner Polartec,<br />
The Textile Takeback Program is a<br />
first-of-its-kind recycling program that<br />
recycles various polyester-based fabrics,<br />
including supply chain waste and postconsumer<br />
fabrics that have reached their<br />
end of life. This waste is collected and<br />
recycled back into a new Repreve product<br />
offering, the Repreve Takeback fiber.<br />
“The industry continues to focus<br />
on ways to reduce textile fabric waste<br />
throughout the supply chain, however,<br />
as a bi-product of manufacturing, waste<br />
is still created,” said Roger Berrier, president<br />
and COO for Unifi. “The Textile<br />
Takeback Program provides the industry<br />
with a responsible and sustainable outlet
for this waste, while expanding the<br />
growth and reach of the Repreve brand.”<br />
Both Unifi and Polartec have worked<br />
with military apparel manufacturer,<br />
Peckham Inc. of Lansing, Mich., to define<br />
a process allowing for Polartec polyester<br />
cut-waste to be recycled back into Polartec’s<br />
exclusive Repreve 100 branded yarn. This<br />
new yarn will now include a blend of recycled<br />
bottles and recycled fabrics and will<br />
be used to produce performance Polartec<br />
fabrics for the outdoor apparel market.<br />
“In typical garment manufacturing,<br />
10 to 20 percent of all fabric produced<br />
becomes cut-waste left over after panels<br />
are cut,” said Andy Vecchione, president<br />
and CEO of Polartec. “This fabric has historically<br />
been down cycled into batting or<br />
simply sent to the landfill. We can now use<br />
this waste stream to create new, first-quality<br />
performance Polartec fabrics.”<br />
In 2011, more than 40 percent of<br />
Polartec’s total production will utilize<br />
Repreve 100 recycled yarns, said Vecchione,<br />
and the company expects that<br />
number to grow in 2012 and beyond.<br />
The Takeback Program was made possible<br />
by Unifi’s new $8 million recycling<br />
center, which opened in the early part of<br />
this year. The new plant consists of two<br />
spinning lines: one for the conversion of<br />
post-consumer flake into chip and one for<br />
the production of the hybrid chip, which<br />
will recycle both internal pre-consumer<br />
industrial waste along with those scraps<br />
from manufacturing partners. As long<br />
as scraps are 100 percent polyesters, the<br />
waste will be ground, torn, shredded and<br />
melted and reformed into Repreve chip<br />
before being re-extruded as a solutiondyed<br />
black Repreve yarn.<br />
Unifi is currently looking for qualified<br />
Repreve customers to join the Textile<br />
Takeback program. Applicants will<br />
be asked to undergo an initial approval<br />
process to become further qualified as a<br />
program participant. The qualification<br />
also will be used to help develop a process<br />
the fits everyone needs, says Unifi.<br />
Participant eligibility starts with being<br />
a Repreve customer. And since Unifi<br />
employs mechanical recycling, the focus<br />
right now is on recycling supply chain<br />
fabric waste made from polyester and<br />
post-consumer polyester fabrics at the<br />
end of life.<br />
The Textile Takback Program currently<br />
is available only in the Americas<br />
due to the location of the new Repreve<br />
Recycling Center, but the company is<br />
working to expand the program into<br />
other geographic areas, including Asia.<br />
Neoshell Wins<br />
Derryck Draper<br />
Award<br />
Polartec NeoShell, billed as the<br />
most breathable waterproof fabric<br />
on the market, has been voted most<br />
outstanding outdoor product innovation<br />
during the last 12 months by the<br />
United Kingdom’s Outdoor Writers<br />
and Photographers Guild. The guild’s<br />
panel of outdoor experts represents<br />
some of the top media professionals<br />
specializing in sustainable outdoor<br />
activities and the environment.<br />
This year’s panel of judges, which<br />
included U.K. writers Chris Townsend,<br />
Judy Armstrong, Graham Thompson<br />
and Tom Hutton, were unanimous<br />
in their decision to give the award to<br />
Polartec NeoShell, said Roly Smith,<br />
president of the Outdoor Writers and<br />
You’re always<br />
in the green<br />
with Coghlan’s<br />
2012 New Products<br />
Coghlan’s Outdoor Accessories offer quick<br />
delivery, full margins and fast turn-over on<br />
over 450 outdoor products that are packaged<br />
with the environment in mind. For activities<br />
like camping, fishing, hunting, backpacking,<br />
boating or just a backyard picnic, we offer a<br />
huge selection of accessories that will sell.<br />
The Outdoor Accessories People<br />
www.coghlans.com<br />
facebook.com/coghlansgear<br />
24<br />
coghlans<strong>InsideOutdoor</strong><strong>Fall</strong>2011.indd | 1 | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011<br />
10/14/2011 2:23:51 PM
Photographers Guild.<br />
“Most membranes work because<br />
the heat and moisture inside creates<br />
pressure that then tries to force<br />
its way out; but the new Polartec<br />
NeoShell works slightly differently,<br />
allowing the air outside to ‘pull’ the<br />
moisture out,” said Smith. “It was this<br />
innovative approach and, of course,<br />
the resulting end product that so impressed<br />
the judges.”<br />
“(Polartec NeoShell is) the most<br />
breathable membrane I’ve ever tried,”<br />
added Townsend, gear tester for TGO.<br />
Judges also felt NeoShell was a big<br />
story because it’s available in different<br />
weights and fabrics.<br />
“If you can win an award for a<br />
waterproof fabric in the U.K., you can<br />
win anywhere,” joked Nate Simmons,<br />
Polartec global director of marketing.<br />
“We’ve been getting great feedback<br />
from head-to-head tests with some of<br />
the other new technologies and we<br />
really think Polartec NeoShell will help<br />
change the way people think about<br />
waterproof fabrics.”<br />
Polartec NeoShell can be seen in the<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> 2011 collections of some of the best<br />
outdoor apparel brands in the world<br />
including 66 North, Mammut, Marmot,<br />
Montura, Rab, The North Face, Vaude<br />
and Westcomb.<br />
DuPont Sorona<br />
Receives Oeko-Tex<br />
Certification<br />
DuPont Industrial Biosciences recently<br />
announced that DuPont Sorona<br />
has received Oeko-Tex Standard 100<br />
Class 1 Certification from Oeko-Tex and<br />
the Hohenstein Textile Testing Institute.<br />
Sorona renewably sourced polymer is<br />
certified for use in fiber applications<br />
for textiles (apparel, home, office and<br />
automotive interiors) and for carpet<br />
(residential, commercial and automotive<br />
including mats).<br />
Oeko-Tex Class 1 certification is considered<br />
the organization’s most stringent<br />
test and includes textiles and carpets<br />
intended for use by infants and toddlers.<br />
It verifies Sorona is free from dangerous<br />
levels of harmful substances and meets<br />
REACH and CPSIA requirements in the<br />
EU and USA.<br />
“Receiving Oeko-Tex\Standard<br />
100 Class 1 certification for Sorona<br />
provides third-party validation of the<br />
safety of Sorona for use in all fiber<br />
applications,” said Walter L. Fields,<br />
III, global business director. “This will<br />
benefit our downstream customers,<br />
and we will work with them to get further<br />
Oeko-Tex certification throughout<br />
the supply chain”<br />
DuPont Sorona is made, in part, with<br />
annually renewable plant-based resources.<br />
By replacing traditional petrochemical<br />
ingredients with those made from renewable<br />
resources, Sorona helps reduce<br />
dependency on oil and petrochemicals.<br />
Additionally, the production of Sorona<br />
offers significant energy savings and<br />
reduced CO2 emissions when compared<br />
to the production of an equal amount of<br />
nylon, said the company. Sorona is also<br />
free from heavy metals.<br />
“Sorona is one of the first bio-based<br />
textile polymers to demonstrate highly desirable<br />
technical and life cycle advantages<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> 2011 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | 25
for a wide range of products from apparel<br />
to carpets,” said Sam Moore Ph.D, who<br />
represents Oeko-Tex in North America.<br />
“This certification is further assurance<br />
of the desirability of this fiber for<br />
many textile designers concerned about<br />
long term sustainability and technical<br />
superiority,” he continued.<br />
In 2011, Sorona also became one of<br />
the first products certified by the USDA<br />
Biopreferred labeling program.<br />
NatureWorks Lands<br />
$150M for New Plant<br />
Bioplastics manufacturer Nature-<br />
Works LLC has landed a $150 million<br />
investment from Thailand’s largest<br />
chemical producer, PTT Chemical<br />
Public Company Limited. Up until this<br />
investment, which is subject to regulatory<br />
approval, NatureWorks was wholly<br />
owned by Cargill. NatureWorks supplies<br />
its broad family of renewable Ingeo<br />
biopolymers, which are made from<br />
plants such as corn, to plastics and fibers<br />
markets worldwide.<br />
PTT Chemical’s investment supports<br />
NatureWorks intent to globalize<br />
its Ingeo manufacturing capability by<br />
building a new production facility in<br />
Thailand, supporting its Asian customer<br />
base and delivering on a commitment to<br />
renewable feedstock diversification, said<br />
Marc Verbruggen, president and chief<br />
executive officer of NatureWorks.<br />
“We anticipate bringing the new<br />
plant online in 2015 and expect to announce<br />
further details on this expansion<br />
later this year,” he said. “The proposed<br />
new Ingeo facility in Thailand would be<br />
NatureWorks’ second production plant.”<br />
“This investment will strengthen<br />
PTT Chemical’s green growth strategy<br />
towards sustainable development by<br />
integrating more renewable and environmentally<br />
friendly materials in its portfolio,<br />
while offering more green product<br />
choices to the customer to fulfill our<br />
responsibility as the ‘Power for a Sustainable<br />
Future’ for Thailand and all stakeholders,”<br />
said Nuttachat Charuchinda,<br />
the chief operating officer, Downstream<br />
Petroleum Business Group of PTT Public<br />
Company Limited. “PTT Chemical is<br />
keen to play a role in pioneering a worldscale<br />
bioplastics industry with the aim to<br />
become a global leader by 2020 and push<br />
Thailand to become an Asian bio-hub.”<br />
The Thai government has been<br />
encouraging investment in green<br />
chemicals, and particularly bioplastics,<br />
which have high growth potential in the<br />
Southeast Asian market, said Thailand’s<br />
Minister of Energy Pichai Naripthaphan.<br />
“By attracting what could be the most<br />
advanced biopolymer processing plant<br />
in the world to Thailand, PTT Chemical<br />
has made a significant step in achieving<br />
Thailand’s strategic objectives of becoming<br />
a regional hub for green technologies<br />
and solutions,” he continued.<br />
“Ingeo offers the performance of<br />
conventional plastics and fibers with a<br />
fraction of the greenhouse gas emissions<br />
and lower non-renewable energy requirements.<br />
Because it is made from renewable<br />
plant material, Ingeo has inherently more<br />
stable pricing, contrasting sharply to the<br />
massive price swings observed from fossil<br />
based polymers,” explained Veerasak<br />
Kositpaisal, president and chief executive<br />
officer of PTT Chemical.<br />
During the past several years, NatureWorks<br />
has seen steady 25 percent to<br />
30 percent increases in annual product<br />
demand. In the last two years, Nature-<br />
Works doubled its Ingeo supply availability<br />
by bringing online additional<br />
production capacity at its Blair, Neb.,<br />
processing facility.<br />
Organic Cotton<br />
Market Up<br />
Despite Downs<br />
Neither a recession nor unstable<br />
economies put a damper on the fastgrowing<br />
global organic textile industry.<br />
According to studies by Textile Exchange<br />
(formerly Organic Exchange)<br />
the worldwide organic textile industry<br />
grew 20 percent in 2010 to an estimated<br />
$5.16 billion.<br />
An earlier report from Textile<br />
Exchange also found that production<br />
of organic cotton rose 15 percent, from<br />
209,950 metric tons in 2008/09 to 241,276<br />
metric tons in 2009/2010. Organic cotton<br />
now represents 1.1 percent of global cotton<br />
production, as global organic cotton<br />
has witnessed an explosive 539 percent<br />
increase in production during the last<br />
five years. In 2005/06, for instance, only<br />
37,000 metric tons were produced, says<br />
Textile Exchange.<br />
“Several brands and retailers more<br />
than doubled their usage of organic<br />
cotton alone and plan to do so in 2012<br />
as well,” says the group. “Others with<br />
large programs are staying the course.”<br />
As a result, Textile Exchange projects<br />
the global organic cotton market will<br />
increase another 20 percent in 2011 to<br />
result in an estimated $6.2 billion market<br />
in 2011 and a $7.4 billion market in 2012.<br />
“Consumers continue to be committed<br />
to supporting the use of organic cotton<br />
and other sustainable fibers, while brands<br />
and retailers continue to make their product<br />
lines more sustainable by continuing<br />
to increase their use of such fibers and<br />
safer, more innovative manufacturing<br />
processes,” said LaRhea Pepper, Textile<br />
Exchange managing director.<br />
Textile Exchange also announced an<br />
updated “Top Ten” list of organic cottonusing<br />
brands and retailers globally in<br />
2010. Certain companies had exceptional<br />
programs that resulted in a major reshuffling<br />
of the rankings from previous<br />
years, said the group.<br />
Top 10 Organic Cotton Using Brands<br />
and Retailers<br />
H&M (Sweden)<br />
C&A (Belgium)<br />
Nike, Inc. (Oregon, USA)<br />
Zara (Inditex) (Spain)<br />
Adidas (Germany)<br />
Greensource (Washington, USA)<br />
Anvil Knitwear (New York, USA)<br />
Target (Minnesota, USA)<br />
Disney Consumer Products, (California, USA)<br />
Otto Group (Germany)<br />
Source: Textile Exchange<br />
One example was an ambitious program<br />
launched by H&M, which pushed<br />
it past former front-runner C&A, which<br />
itself had an outstanding year, said the<br />
trade group. Likewise, adidas jumped past<br />
competitors to go from 11th on the list to<br />
5th place, while Greensource and Target<br />
both increased two positions. Disney<br />
Consumer Products also ranked in the top<br />
10 for the first time with robust sales of<br />
Anvil’s private label tees to several brands<br />
on the list. It should be noted, however,<br />
that WalMart did not submit data.<br />
Textile Exchange also identified<br />
key areas for collaborative work in the<br />
26 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011
future, including developing a harmonized<br />
definition of sustainable or<br />
preferred textiles and equipping more<br />
players in the textile, apparel and home<br />
furnishings industry with the ability<br />
to integrate sustainability into their<br />
business and product strategies through<br />
training, tools and information.<br />
“Consumers continue to be committed to supporting<br />
the use of organic cotton and other sustainable<br />
fibers, while brands and retailers continue to<br />
make their product lines more sustainable ...”<br />
— LaRhea Pepper, Textile Exchange managing director.<br />
PrimaLoft Re-Enlisted<br />
by U.S. Marines<br />
PrimaLoft Insulation Technology announced<br />
that the United States Marine<br />
Corps (USMC) has purchased 8,750<br />
additional sets of the USMC Extreme<br />
Cold Weather System, which consist of<br />
parkas, trousers and booties insulated<br />
with PrimaLoft.<br />
The USMC Extreme Cold Weather<br />
System (ECWS) is currently used by<br />
thousands of U.S. Marines stationed in<br />
the coldest areas of Afghanistan and<br />
across the globe.<br />
This new purchase brings the total<br />
number of PrimaLoft Extreme Cold<br />
Weather System units currently fielded<br />
to Marines to 58,750.<br />
Specifically developed to provide<br />
U.S. Marines with tactical advantages<br />
during challenging cold and wet weather<br />
conditions, the Extreme Cold Weather<br />
System includes a parka, trouser and<br />
booties insulated with PrimaLoft that are<br />
packable, lightweight, weather resistant<br />
and very warm.<br />
The U.S. Army originally commissioned<br />
Albany International Corp. to<br />
develop a water resistant synthetic<br />
alternative to down. Today, PrimaLoft is<br />
the premier supplier of insulation to the<br />
United States Army, Marine Corps and<br />
Special Operations Forces.<br />
“PrimaLoft takes great pride in our<br />
work to provide the best possible insulation<br />
technology to meet the U.S. Marine<br />
Corps mission-readiness needs,” said<br />
PrimaLoft vice president and general<br />
manager Joe Rumiesz. “We began working<br />
with the DoD 25 years ago, and we<br />
continue to advance our unique technology<br />
to address the specialized gear needs<br />
of our men and women in uniform.”<br />
DuPont Opens<br />
Carolina Kevlar<br />
Plant<br />
DuPont announced the start-up of its<br />
$500 million Cooper River Kevlar facility<br />
near Charleston, S.C. The new plant is<br />
expected to result in an initial 25 percent<br />
increase of overall global production<br />
capacity for Kevlar. Ultimately, a 40 percent<br />
increase is expected after continued<br />
technology developments during the<br />
next two years, said the company.<br />
Along with a recent $50 million<br />
expansion at DuPont’s Spruance plant in<br />
Richmond, Va., Cooper River represents<br />
the largest single investment in Kevlar<br />
and the largest capacity increase since<br />
the fiber was introduced in 1965. Along<br />
with creating new permanent jobs, the<br />
Cooper River plant was built over a period<br />
of three years using a construction<br />
workforce of up to 800.<br />
The plant uses state-of-the-art technology<br />
that will allow DuPont to meet increased<br />
customer demand for advanced<br />
protective materials in emerging industries<br />
around the world by expanding its<br />
portfolio of science-based innovations<br />
and boosting productivity. Commercial<br />
supply will begin by the end of the year.<br />
“As the global population grows,<br />
there will be even more critical need<br />
for protection materials to keep people<br />
safe and to protect the environment,<br />
structures and critical processes,” said<br />
Thomas G. Powell, president, DuPont<br />
Protection Technologies. “This significant<br />
boost in production capacity<br />
and capability demonstrates DuPont’s<br />
continuing commitment to support our<br />
customers and to find solutions that help<br />
protect more people around the world.”<br />
The Cooper River Kevlar plant<br />
will initially produce innovations that<br />
support three primary technology<br />
platforms: DuPont Kevlar AP, DuPont<br />
Kevlar KM2 Plus and DuPont Kevlar<br />
XP for growing applications in ballistics,<br />
other personal protective equipment,<br />
aerospace, tires, fiber optic cables, oil<br />
and gas and automotive.<br />
GE, Kolon<br />
Collaborate<br />
on Membrane<br />
Applications<br />
GE and South Korea-based Kolon<br />
Fashion Material announced a collaboration<br />
on a wide range of membranes<br />
that KFM will use in laminate production<br />
to supply the Republic of Korea<br />
Military and the consumer market.<br />
The collaboration is part of GE’s strategy<br />
for its eVent fabrics waterproof/<br />
breathable product line. The alliance<br />
will allow customer brands to pair<br />
proven GE membranes with a wide<br />
range of laminates and fabrics to create<br />
unique apparel, footwear and accessories,<br />
said the companies.<br />
KFM, based in Gwacheon, will<br />
supply the South Korean Military with<br />
uniforms featuring waterproof/breathable<br />
membranes from GE laminated<br />
to KFM fabrics. In addition, KFM has<br />
combined GE membrane technology<br />
with its own proprietary lamination<br />
technology to create neoVENT-F, a<br />
waterproof/breathable fabric for the<br />
domestic Korean consumer market and<br />
global outdoor brands.<br />
“As a leader in the Korean fabrics<br />
industry, KFM is an excellent company<br />
to take full advantage of products using<br />
our membrane technology, both in military<br />
programs and with new outdoor<br />
programs,” said Glenn Crowther, product<br />
line leader for eVent fabrics at GE.<br />
Since its founding in 1957, KFM has<br />
been supplying fabrics, fibers, primarily<br />
nylon- and polyester-based, and other<br />
textiles to a wide range of clients.<br />
28 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011
Blocks the sun, rain and<br />
snow while keeping your<br />
ears warm and allowing<br />
breathability<br />
One size fits all comfortably<br />
Seasonal styles avaliable
2011 Holiday Outlook<br />
& Gift Guide<br />
Heading into another tense and critical<br />
holiday shopping season, retailers once<br />
again are feeling a bit uncertain about the<br />
amount of Christmas cheer consumers<br />
will be spreading this winter. One could easily<br />
assume that wallets will remain closely guarded,<br />
and therefore inventory levels should be kept<br />
appropriately tight. Retailers, however, are getting<br />
some mixed signals that make just about any<br />
assumption somewhat risky.<br />
As the fall leaves began turning, for instance,<br />
confidence among consumers was at or near<br />
historic lows. The 45.4 September reading of the<br />
Consumer Confidence Index was far below the 70.4<br />
level it had reached in February and the 90-plus mark<br />
seen in a thriving economy. Possibly displaying even<br />
worse pessimism, an October CNN poll found that<br />
90 percent of Americans said economic conditions<br />
were “poor,” up from 81 percent in June. Numerous<br />
other surveys were showing that nearly half of<br />
consumers said they would be spending less this<br />
holiday season than in 2010, up from around the<br />
third of folks who expressed similar sentiments last<br />
year at the same time.<br />
Yet in the midst of all the gloom, September<br />
retail sales provided a ray of hope, surprising<br />
most analysts with nearly a 6 percent jump over<br />
the previous year, according to the National Retail<br />
Federation.<br />
“The unexpectedly strong sales increase in<br />
September may work to dampen fears of a doubledip<br />
recession and could indicate an economic and<br />
employment rebound,” said a hopeful Matthew Shay,<br />
NRF president and CEO.<br />
News was even rosier within the outdoor<br />
market. According to Leisure Trends Group,<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> 2011 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | 31
Gear & Garden<br />
2011 Holiday Outlook & Gift Guide<br />
Source: Retrevo<br />
September “core outdoor” retails sales jumped 17<br />
percent year over year, an increase of more than $60<br />
million. It represented the “strongest September on<br />
record,” since Leisure Trends began tracking outdoor<br />
sales in 1998, said Scott Jaeger, Leisure Trends senior<br />
retail analyst.<br />
Little clarity is provided by looking at the intent of CFOs.<br />
Retail chief financial officers surveyed by financial advisory<br />
firm BDO USA were split over whether going short on<br />
inventory or going long poses a greater risk this year. Carry<br />
too much and they could face steep discounts come the new<br />
year. Stock too little and they could run low and miss out on<br />
sales, similar to what happened to many stores in 2009.<br />
Even so, the general consensus is that retailers are<br />
being careful with their dollars this winter. Surveys by the<br />
National Retail Federation, says Shay, indicate retailers have<br />
planned for lean inventory levels, ordering conservatively but<br />
making arrangements to receive expedited deliveries closer<br />
to Christmas if demand picks up.<br />
“While businesses remain concerned over the viability of the<br />
economic recovery, there is no doubt that the retail inventory<br />
industry is in a better position this year to handle consumer<br />
uncertainty than it was in 2008 and 2009,” says Shay.<br />
A financial statement analysis of privately held U.S.<br />
retailers by Sageworks, meanwhile, found that inventories<br />
heading into the holiday season were somewhat higher<br />
than full-year levels between 2008 and 2010, at least<br />
in terms of inventory days. However, as a percentage<br />
of assets, inventories aren’t particularly higher than the<br />
past few years. According to Sageworks, retail inventory<br />
currently is about 28.62 percent of assets so far in 2011,<br />
compared to 28.24 percent of assets in 2010. Less than<br />
half a percentage point also separates 2011 levels so far<br />
from 2009 levels, when retailers ordered cautiously, show<br />
Sageworks’ figures.<br />
Conservative inventory strategies come as little<br />
surprise when considering the overall sales projections<br />
of most industry groups and analysts heading into<br />
holiday 2011. While any growth is welcomed in the<br />
current environment, the general consensus pegs this<br />
year’s growth at somewhere between 2 and 3 percent<br />
over holiday 2010. That’s considerably lower than the 5.2<br />
percent increase retailers saw in 2010, according to NRF,<br />
but in line with the 10-year average increase of 2.6 percent.<br />
For the outdoor market specifically, which has tended<br />
to outperform the larger market throughout this most<br />
recent recessionary period, we wouldn’t be surprised to<br />
see year-over-year growth in the high-single-digit to lowdouble-digit<br />
range. That could be realized in part due to<br />
improved sales of high-priced and big ticket items, as well<br />
as a boost from shoppers picking up items for themselves<br />
while out gift shopping.<br />
Before you spike the eggnog, however, keep in mind<br />
that any growth this year will come at a cost. Despite<br />
unfavorable macroeconomic pressures, shoppers surveyed<br />
by Citigroup say that they will spend 2 percent to 4<br />
32 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011<br />
percent more this holiday season than they did a year<br />
ago. However, there are indications that discounts and<br />
promotions will be even more important this year, and<br />
consumers expect those discounts to be bigger and start<br />
earlier than in years past.<br />
Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of consumers said<br />
Inventory Days = (Inventory/COGS) *365<br />
Privately Owned Retailers’ Inventories<br />
(NAICS 44, 45)<br />
56<br />
55<br />
54<br />
53<br />
52<br />
51<br />
50<br />
49<br />
48<br />
30.5%<br />
2005 2006<br />
Source: Sageworks<br />
Inventory Days = (Inventory/COGS) * 365<br />
29.42%<br />
Inventory percentage of assets<br />
28.89%<br />
28.11% 28.37% 28.24% 28.62%<br />
2007 2008 2009 2010 YTD 2011<br />
31.0%<br />
30.5%<br />
30.0%<br />
29.5%<br />
28.5%<br />
28.0%<br />
27.5%<br />
27.0%<br />
26.5%<br />
they need to see discounts between 30 percent and 50<br />
percent to justify a purchase, show Citigroup figures.<br />
That’s up from the 54 percent who said the same thing<br />
last year and the 47 percent who said this in 2009.<br />
Citigroup also found that coupons and BOGO programs<br />
have lost popularity, as respondents push for percentage<br />
or dollar off promotions.<br />
Likewise, more shoppers will be hunting down deals on<br />
Black Friday, with as much as 62 percent of respondents<br />
expecting to battle crowds on the day after Thanksgiving,<br />
compared to the 49 percent who planned to do the same<br />
thing in 2009. Furthermore, 75 percent of shoppers<br />
indicated that they would do some holiday shopping before<br />
Black Friday, up from 69 percent in 2010, according to Citi<br />
Investment research.<br />
And whereas about one in five shoppers said they<br />
would be heading to a traditional department store this<br />
holiday season, a full 61 percent of those surveyed said<br />
they would be doing some shopping at a discount retailer.<br />
The upshot for retailers could be a Christmas stocking<br />
filled with increased sales but at tighter profit margins.<br />
In other words, we could be facing more traffic, a longer<br />
season and higher payroll costs for little or no revenue<br />
increases. It’s not exactly the most cheerful of holiday<br />
outlooks, but all things considered, it could be worse.<br />
As for some good news, the following Holiday Gift<br />
Guide includes some last-minute suggestions for all<br />
types of gift-giving and gift-receiving outdoor enthusiasts,<br />
most of which fall within the primary gift price range and<br />
still can be delivered to your store in time for the final<br />
Christmas rush.<br />
Inventory as percentage of assets
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2011 Holiday Outlook & Gift Guide<br />
34 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011<br />
Acorn Sport Moc<br />
Keep the little<br />
sports fan on your<br />
gift list cozy and<br />
looking cool in<br />
Acorn’s new Sport<br />
Moc. These shoes<br />
feature plush<br />
uppers with fun<br />
original appliqué and embroidery<br />
detail, a lining of soft<br />
and warm faux fleece and lofty Acorn<br />
memory foam midsoles over a comfort<br />
cushion. Comfortable enough for all-day<br />
indoor use, the Sport Moc also sports a<br />
non-slip weatherproof outsole for outdoor<br />
wear. Suggested retail is $30.<br />
CLIF Bar Seasonal Flavors<br />
Back by popular demand, CLIF Bar’s<br />
seasonal flavors are back with a sentimental<br />
addition. Peppermint Stick joins<br />
Spiced Pumpkin Pie and Iced Gingerbread<br />
in bringing a distinctive winter<br />
spirit to the top-selling energy bar. The<br />
cool tingle of a classic Peppermint Stick<br />
rounds out the warm, fresh-baked taste<br />
of Spiced Pumpkin Pie and Iced Gingerbread,<br />
while still delivering CLIF’s<br />
athlete-crafted blend of carbohydrates,<br />
protein and fiber for sustained energy.<br />
All three seasonal flavors are made with<br />
organic ingredients, and in the spirit of<br />
the season, CLIF BAR will donate<br />
1 percent of net sales from<br />
the holiday-inspired flavors to<br />
Winter Wildlands Alliance.<br />
Suggested retail is $1.39.<br />
www.clifbar.com<br />
RingStix Ring Toss Game<br />
Just asks the elves,<br />
Christmas is all about<br />
the toys and games,<br />
and RingStix is a new<br />
ring tossing outdoor<br />
game for kids of all ages. Quick and<br />
easy to learn and ready for action<br />
anywhere, RingStinx can be<br />
played in windy conditions and<br />
come with a glow-in-the-dark<br />
tossing ring. Casual or competitive,<br />
RingStix come in complete<br />
sets for two players. Suggested<br />
retail ranges from $19.99 to $34.50.<br />
www.ringstix.com<br />
Exotac nanoSTRIKER<br />
Fire Starter<br />
Every Christmas<br />
list has at least one<br />
gadget lover<br />
on it, but not<br />
every gift-giver<br />
can afford the<br />
latest consumer<br />
electronic. Never<br />
fear, the high-quality,<br />
ultra-small and completely<br />
self-contained<br />
nanoSTRIKER would impress even the<br />
most skeptical Gizmodo editor. It may<br />
even save a life, or at least a meal. The<br />
nanoSTRIKER features a waterproof<br />
ferrocerium and magnesium rod, a<br />
lightweight anodized aluminum body,<br />
ultra-sharp tungsten-carbide striking tool<br />
and replaceable ferrocerim rod all in one<br />
compact, lightweight and ergonomic<br />
design. www.exotac.com<br />
Brooks Range Mountaineering<br />
Ski Binding Tool<br />
An all-in-tool for the skier in the family,<br />
the Brooks-Range Ski Binding Tool has<br />
all the bits needed to tighten or adjust<br />
ski bindings while on the slopes. Eight<br />
bits fit inside the handle then snap<br />
into the quarter-inch hex drive that<br />
can be set to ratchet tight, loose<br />
or hold steady in a neutral, nonratcheting<br />
position. Weighing<br />
just 3 ounces, suggested retail is<br />
$9.95. www.brooks-range.com
Eureka Warrior 230 Lantern<br />
Sure to score high<br />
in cool points on<br />
Christmas morn, the<br />
new Warrior 230<br />
Lantern features a<br />
remote control that<br />
also functions as a<br />
flashlight. Need to<br />
find your tent in the<br />
dark or just want<br />
to impress the<br />
kids,<br />
hit the<br />
remote<br />
from a distance<br />
and take<br />
in the high-output LED lighting. Powered<br />
by three D-size batteries, the Warrior 230<br />
offers an SOS flashing mode, a dimmer<br />
control and rugged housing. Battery life<br />
is 50 hours on high and 200 hours on<br />
low or flashing mode. Suggested retail is<br />
$59.99. www.eurekatent.com<br />
Chaheati Heated Camp Chair<br />
A gift idea that warms more than the<br />
heart, the Chaheati may look like your<br />
average collapsible canvas folding chair,<br />
but it hides a cordless, carbon<br />
fiber, non-wire heating element<br />
throughout the chair. The patent<br />
pending technology of<br />
the four-season<br />
Chaheati offers<br />
four temperature<br />
settings ranging from<br />
98° up to 145°F, and it<br />
heats up in less than<br />
20 seconds. No more<br />
turning like a rotisserie<br />
in front of the campfire.<br />
Chaheati’s heating system is optimally<br />
positioned to produce a comfortable, even<br />
heat across the entire back, buttocks and<br />
the back of the thighs. Its high-efficiency,<br />
lithium-ion rechargeable battery provides<br />
up to six hours of heat per<br />
charge and lasts for more<br />
than 500 uses. SRP is<br />
$89.99. www.chaheati.com<br />
Marquette<br />
Backcountry “Ski”<br />
A two-for-one bonus any<br />
winter warrior would appreciate,<br />
the Marquette Backcountry<br />
combines the climbing of a<br />
Your Shoes. Our Traction.<br />
Great for walking,<br />
running, hiking,<br />
working outdoors,<br />
ice fishing, shoveling<br />
and any winter activity<br />
where traction on icy<br />
terrain is needed.<br />
Redefine Winter.<br />
(866) 330-8030 • kahtoola.com<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> 2011 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | 35
holida gift guide<br />
snowshoe and the glide of a ski into a<br />
new fun way of getting around in the<br />
snow. Depending on the boot/bindging<br />
being used, the Marquette Backcountry<br />
“Ski” will behave differently. A stiffer<br />
boot creates more of a ski experience,<br />
while a softer boot will allow for more of<br />
a snowshoe feel. It’s perfect for walking<br />
the dog, exploring the backyard or even<br />
getting a jump on ski season before<br />
taking those expensive skis out. Made<br />
in the USA and 100 percent recyclable,<br />
suggested retail is $189. www.marquette-backcountry.com<br />
Gerber Fit Multi-tool<br />
Dad’s Christmas Day is not complete<br />
without the unwrapping of some type<br />
of tool. Featuring smooth lines within<br />
a shoulder-mounted foot-bar to distribute<br />
the child’s weight at the wearer’s<br />
core, enabling a more natural and upright<br />
walking posture. The child stands<br />
safely on the wide textured foot-bar,<br />
holding integrated shoulder handles<br />
and secured to the adult by a safety<br />
harness. Built from industry leading<br />
climbing components and over-engineered<br />
for safety, the Piggyback Rider<br />
recently won the “Best New Product”<br />
award at the Outdoor Retailer Summer<br />
Market Show and a Gold Medal in the<br />
Mom’s Choice Awards. www.thepiggybackrider.com<br />
Gorrilla Camo Tape<br />
Using brightly colored duct tape to<br />
make children’s crafts has been a fad<br />
for a few years now, but this tape certainly<br />
ain’t no kids’ stuff. A fun idea for<br />
CALL THE ZIPPO SALES TEAM AT<br />
814-368-2840 TO LEARN MORE.<br />
a compact design, a host of smart<br />
tools and a 25 lumen LED flashlight,<br />
the Gerber Fit offers all the tools you<br />
need and none you don’t. It features<br />
a large, locking main screwdriver<br />
complete with an interchangeable bit.<br />
Additional micro flathead and cross<br />
drivers are ideal for working on a variety<br />
of today’s electronics to kids’ toys to<br />
everyday eyewear. A partially serrated<br />
blade, scissors and bottle opener<br />
round out the list of amenities.<br />
The Fit comes in<br />
orange and blue. Suggested<br />
retail is $40.<br />
Full Sail International<br />
Piggyback<br />
Rider<br />
A gift that’s sure<br />
to have both child and<br />
parents anxious for<br />
spring thaw, the Piggyback<br />
Rider is a mutually<br />
enjoyable, effortless<br />
way to carry a child on<br />
your back. It functions<br />
like a backpack, utilizing<br />
any outdoor handyman, Gorilla Camo<br />
Tape combines the “world’s toughest<br />
tape” with Mossy Oak’s widely<br />
popular Break-Up Infinity<br />
camouflage pattern. For<br />
those unfamiliar, Gorilla<br />
Tape adheres to most<br />
surfaces other tapes<br />
won’t and features<br />
a permanent adhesive<br />
layer that will<br />
withstand outdoor<br />
elements. The tape<br />
is protected by an<br />
all-weather shell that<br />
is water-resistant and<br />
blocks UV damage, making<br />
it perfect for repairs<br />
to hunting, camping and<br />
backpacking gear. www.<br />
gorillatough.com.<br />
36 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011
National Ski Patrol Cookbook<br />
Satisfy the “foodie” on your list while<br />
helping out the men and women who<br />
keep us safe on the slopes. The NSP<br />
Injinji Outdoor Series<br />
For the hikers or trailrunners<br />
in the family who like<br />
things a bit funky but<br />
don’t want any funk<br />
on their feet, the new<br />
Injinji Outdoor Series<br />
complements both<br />
hiking boots as well as<br />
minimalist performance<br />
footwear. Featuring<br />
temperature-regulating<br />
NüWool, the company’s exclusive,<br />
sleek and cozy Merino<br />
wool, which keeps feet<br />
comfortably cool<br />
or warm, depending<br />
on the<br />
climate, the Outdoor<br />
Series is offered in Original Weight<br />
and Lightweight designs in a variety<br />
of lengths. Styles start at a suggested<br />
retail of $16. www.injinji.com<br />
Cookbook features recipes for every<br />
course and for every taste, submitted<br />
by patrollers across the country. If you<br />
thought patrollers made it through winter<br />
on beer and stale chips, you’re in for<br />
a surprise. The mouth starts watering at<br />
the mention of Song Mountain Caviar,<br />
or how about pan seared tuna with<br />
avocado, lime, soy and ginger? At only<br />
$18, this stomach stuffer also fits into<br />
any stocking. www.nsp.org<br />
Joshua Tree Organic<br />
Embrocation Collection<br />
A personalized and inexpensive<br />
present for performance athletes, these<br />
new organic embrocations get muscles<br />
warmed up and ready for training and<br />
competitions. JTree’s organic embrocation<br />
line includes three potencies and<br />
aromas: Eucalyptus No Heat, Spiced<br />
Mid Heat and Citrus Full Heat, and,<br />
unlike similar products on the market,<br />
come in a hands-free applicator stick<br />
instead of as a liniment in a jar, so no<br />
gloves are needed to apply the hot<br />
compound. Each 10 ml stick retails for a<br />
suggested $12. www.jtreelife.com<br />
Cycle Dog Trail Buddy Bowl<br />
No more drinking from a Frisbee for<br />
Fido. Cycle Dog has added soft bowls to<br />
its line of recycled pet products. Made<br />
from reclaimed materials and an FDA approved<br />
food-grade lining, the Trail Buddy<br />
Bowl is leak-proof, won’t topple over<br />
and folds flat. And the family dog will be<br />
happy to know it is made in the USA.<br />
www.cycledog.com<br />
Stop Sleeping<br />
Hot & Cold<br />
Slip Cocoon’s new Thermal Liner into your<br />
bag to actively regulate temperature and<br />
moisture for a better nights sleep!<br />
• Superior temperature<br />
regulation with<br />
Outlast ® technology<br />
• 100% CoolMax ® for<br />
quick-drying moisture<br />
management<br />
• Mummy or<br />
Rectangular-shaped<br />
sleeping bag liners<br />
• MummyLiner in<br />
Women’s and<br />
standard length<br />
Available at Outdoor & Travel Shops Nationwide<br />
www. cocoonusa. com 1.800.254.7258<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> 2011 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | 37
2011 Holiday Outlook & Gift Guide<br />
Coghlan’s S’mores Grill<br />
Why wait for the next camping trip? Put<br />
the yuletide log to good use right away. This<br />
compact grill is all you need to make perfect<br />
S’mores over your campfire or backyard grill.<br />
Put the s’mores into one of the three cooking<br />
cavities and hold above the flames until the<br />
graham cracker is lightly toasted. It<br />
features a sliding lock ring to keep<br />
the grill closed while cooking.<br />
www.coghlans.com<br />
Dahlgren Footwear Sno Socks<br />
Nothing ruins a day in the snow<br />
like cold wet feet. And nothing ruins a<br />
night in the lodge like unfashionable attire.<br />
Dahlgren Footwear’s Sno Atmosphere<br />
winter sports socks use a blend<br />
of alpaca and Merino wool to keep<br />
feet warm, dry and blister free along<br />
with beautiful prints that complement<br />
even the sleekest on-snow or après<br />
apparel. Suggested retail is 22.95.<br />
www.dahlgrenfootwear.com<br />
Kiva Designs<br />
Aircraft Toiletry<br />
Got a world traveler<br />
on your gift list? Kiva<br />
recently added the<br />
Aircraft Toiletry<br />
to its collection<br />
of Packing Genius travel solutions.<br />
Made of 100 percent recycled fabric,<br />
the patented design includes a<br />
zip-off clear compartment to help<br />
simplify the TSA process. Suggested<br />
retail is $29.95 (USD). www.kivabags.<br />
com<br />
EcoQue Portable Camp Grill<br />
Offering a bit of camping chic, with a dash of green, the<br />
stainless steel EcoQue Portable uses only nine briquettes of<br />
charcoal to cook a<br />
meal for a family of<br />
four (on the 12-inch<br />
model). It collapses<br />
down to just more<br />
than one-inch thick<br />
and comes with its<br />
own carry bag made<br />
of recycled water bottles.<br />
It’s conceived as<br />
“greener” because it<br />
uses much less charcoal<br />
than other grills<br />
and can burn any biomass fuel, including sticks and<br />
twigs, to cook a meal. www.ecoque.com<br />
Redington Kids Minnow Outfit<br />
Redington’s mission is to take fly-fishing beyond<br />
the 40-something, avid enthusiast and introduce<br />
the sport to a wave of mainstream users. A step<br />
in that direction is the affordable Minnow Outfit<br />
designed for kids six to 12 years old. An easy rod to<br />
learn to cast, it features a smaller grip and casting<br />
games on the box. For kids 12 and over, there’s<br />
the Crosswater Youth Outfit, a four-piece rod with<br />
a case, reel and line. www.redington.com<br />
Spenco Polysorb Flow<br />
Insoles<br />
For folks who like to<br />
run, jog or even walk<br />
in a winter wonderland,<br />
Spenco’s<br />
latest performance<br />
insoles provide<br />
added comfort and cushioning<br />
while combined technologies<br />
circulate natural body heat for<br />
lasting warmth. Made with<br />
reflective foil layers to retain<br />
body heat, Outlast-treated<br />
topcloth to store and<br />
release heat, air channels<br />
that optimize warmth by<br />
limiting hot spots and<br />
Spenco’s EVA Contour<br />
that provides both<br />
cushioning and insulation,<br />
Polysorb Flow<br />
Insoles are literally a gift that<br />
keeps on giving. www.spenco.com<br />
Polk Audio UltraFit Sport<br />
Headphones<br />
Outdoors,<br />
exercise and<br />
music, every<br />
gift list has<br />
a lover of all<br />
three, and<br />
that person is<br />
sure to appreciate<br />
Polk’s high-performance<br />
headphones specifically<br />
designed for athletes and<br />
active individuals. The Polk Audio<br />
Performance Line Up features four<br />
UltraFit sport headphones in a variety<br />
of colors that include in-ear, on-ear<br />
38 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011
and in-ear canal models. The headphones stand apart<br />
from other brands with Polk Audio’s acclaimed audio<br />
quality and unique attention to detail, including water<br />
resistant designs, contrast-colored cables for<br />
instant left/right recognition, Kevlar-reinforced<br />
hinge points to eliminate the number one<br />
product-failure in many headphones, plugs<br />
conformed to fit through the opening of all<br />
iPhone/iPod/iPad covers, and comfortable,<br />
non-slip materials where the headphone<br />
engages the ear. SRPs range from $49.95<br />
to $99.95.<br />
trilipiderm All-Body Natural Moisturizing<br />
Creme<br />
Cold, dry, winter weather can inflict<br />
serious damage on one’s skin, but trilipiderm<br />
comes to the rescue by offering<br />
the best of science and nature working<br />
in harmony to keep skin looking<br />
great year-round. Formulated from<br />
plants rather than petrolatum, trilipiderm<br />
helps heal and prevent the dry,<br />
cracked skin that we all associate<br />
with the winter months. An<br />
eight-ounce pump retails for<br />
a suggested $24.95, while<br />
a travel pack of three oneounce<br />
tubes sells for $14.69.<br />
www.trilipiderm.com<br />
Bamboo Bottle Company’s<br />
Original Reusable Bottle<br />
BPA-free, safe for drinking<br />
at all temperatures, made<br />
from practically inexhaustible<br />
resources of bamboo and glassthere<br />
are lots of ways that the<br />
Bamboo Bottle can add to the<br />
holiday cheer. Not only is bamboo<br />
strong, but it also brings an<br />
element of style. Glass means<br />
its dishwasher safe, and now<br />
the reusable Original bottle<br />
comes with a flip-top opening.<br />
For sustainability, just add<br />
water. Suggested retail is 25.<br />
www.bamboobottleco.com<br />
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<strong>Fall</strong> 2011 | 10/24/11 11:53<br />
<strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | AM39
Back Office<br />
Why Cash Flow is King<br />
A strategy for driving sales profitably<br />
By Tracy Eden<br />
One of the biggest financial<br />
mistakes many small business<br />
owners make is focusing too heavily<br />
on profitability at the expense of<br />
cash flow. There’s an old saying that<br />
sums it up well: “Profit is Queen,<br />
but cash is King.”<br />
This is especially true in the<br />
post-financial-crisis world that<br />
continues to linger, with economic<br />
growth remaining tepid and most<br />
banks still reluctant to loosen the<br />
purse strings. Unfortunately, many<br />
small businesses that were enjoying<br />
record profits, at least on paper,<br />
back before the financial crisis hit<br />
didn’t have sufficient cash flow to<br />
see them through the downturn.<br />
Regardless of where your small<br />
business stands today, it’s critical<br />
that you understand the difference<br />
between profit and cash flow. Doing<br />
so may be the difference between<br />
whether your business survives,<br />
much less thrives, in today’s challenging<br />
business and economic environment.<br />
Understanding<br />
the Cash Flow Cycle<br />
If sales were made “cash on the<br />
barrel,” then cash flow wouldn’t be much<br />
of an issue. You’d sell your product, collect<br />
payment at the time of sale and deposit<br />
your cash in the bank. No fuss, no muss.<br />
But that’s not how most small<br />
businesses operate. Instead, most<br />
operate on what’s known as a cash<br />
flow cycle, which is the time between<br />
when cash is paid out (for raw materials,<br />
equipment, salaries, etc.) and when<br />
accounts receivable are collected from<br />
customers. For a manufacturing business,<br />
the cycle usually works like this:<br />
• Cash is used to buy raw materials.<br />
• Raw materials are converted into<br />
finished goods.<br />
40 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011<br />
• Goods are sold and accounts<br />
receivable are generated.<br />
• Accounts receivable are collected<br />
and converted back to cash again.<br />
A simple example helps show what<br />
a lack of cash flow can do to what<br />
appears, at least on the surface, to be a<br />
thriving small business:<br />
XYZ Company launched with<br />
$100,000 of cash on hand and a hot new<br />
product. The product was so popular, in<br />
fact, that it flew off the shelves during<br />
the first few months of operations, and<br />
the owners were reaping profits right out<br />
of the gate—at least on paper. Buoyed<br />
by their success, the owners opened a<br />
second manufacturing facility to increase<br />
production and sales even more.<br />
Six months after starting production,<br />
sales were still booming, averaging<br />
about $50,000 a month, and the profit<br />
margins remained healthy. But a<br />
problem was looming: the owners<br />
discovered that, rather than<br />
collecting accounts receivable in 30<br />
days like they had projected, it was<br />
taking closer to an average of 60<br />
days. And a few customers were<br />
taking as long as 90 days to pay<br />
their invoices.<br />
From here, the dominos quickly<br />
started falling: the company fell<br />
behind in paying its suppliers,<br />
which soon refused to ship raw<br />
materials. Without materials to<br />
manufacture more products, sales<br />
soon plummeted. And when<br />
it started missing payroll, key<br />
employees walked out the door.<br />
Less than one year after opening<br />
with so much potential, XYZ<br />
Company shut its doors – another<br />
victim of the destructive effects of<br />
a lack of cash flow.<br />
Commercial<br />
Financing Alternatives<br />
In a perfect world, small businesses<br />
would be able to access a bank line of<br />
credit to provide the working capital<br />
they need to see them through cash<br />
flow shortfalls like the one experienced<br />
by XYZ Company. But in the current<br />
economic environment, many<br />
companies that would have qualified<br />
for bank financing a few years ago no<br />
longer meet banks’ more stringent<br />
underwriting guidelines.<br />
Instead, many are now turning<br />
to alternative financing vehicles to<br />
provide the financing boost they need<br />
to manage their cash flow cycle. These<br />
alternative financial vehicles include<br />
factoring, accounts receivable (A/R)<br />
financing and asset-based lending.<br />
With factoring, small businesses sell<br />
their outstanding accounts receivable<br />
to a commercial finance company
Back Office<br />
(or factor) at a discount. Instead of<br />
waiting 60 to 90 days or longer to get<br />
paid, the business receives most of<br />
the cash (usually 70 to 90 percent<br />
of the receivable) when the invoice<br />
is generated. The factor remits the<br />
balance (less the discount) after it<br />
collects the invoice.<br />
A/R financing is similar to a bank<br />
loan or line of credit. The business will<br />
submit its invoices to the lender, which<br />
establishes a borrowing base of usually<br />
70 to 90 percent of the qualified<br />
receivables – this is the amount the<br />
business can borrow against the<br />
eligible A/R. The lender will usually<br />
charge a collateral fee and interest on<br />
the amount borrowed.<br />
With asset-based lending, the loan<br />
is secured by business assets (e.g.,<br />
equipment, real estate, accounts<br />
receivable and inventory) with interest<br />
also charged on the amount borrowed,<br />
as well as certain fees. The business<br />
is able to borrow against more of the<br />
assets of the company, giving it access<br />
to more capital.<br />
The business collects and manages<br />
its own receivables, instead of selling<br />
them to the factor, while submitting<br />
a monthly aging report to the lender.<br />
There are usually tighter constraints by<br />
the lender due to the greater leverage<br />
that is allowed.<br />
Real or Paper Profits?<br />
The takeaway is simple: Don’t focus<br />
disproportionately on all the profits that<br />
are showing up on your profit and loss<br />
statement. Sure, every business wants<br />
to make money, but make sure your<br />
profits are real, not just on paper.<br />
You also need to anticipate<br />
and forecast your cash flow cycle.<br />
Understand both the constraints that<br />
can be placed on you by key suppliers<br />
and the ramifications of expansion,<br />
and where that capital needs to come<br />
from. Anticipate what challenges key<br />
customers can throw at you with slow<br />
pay, disputes, etc. And always overestimate<br />
the cash gap so that there<br />
will be no unpleasant surprises.<br />
If you’re experiencing a cash flow<br />
crunch, or see one coming down the<br />
road, don’t hesitate to take steps now<br />
to secure working capital financing,<br />
including alternative financing vehicles<br />
like factoring, A/R financing and assetbased<br />
lending. Such vehicles may<br />
be the lifeline that helps ensure your<br />
business’ survival.<br />
Tracy Eden is the National<br />
Marketing Director for Commercial<br />
Finance Group (CFG), which has<br />
offices throughout the U.S. CFG<br />
provides creative financing solutions<br />
to small and medium-sized businesses<br />
that may not qualify for traditional<br />
financing. Tracy’s direct email is<br />
tdeden@cfgroup.net.<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> 2011 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | 41
Back Office<br />
A Clean Exit<br />
Understanding earnouts in a business transaction<br />
by Phil Josephson<br />
“If you don’t want to work you have<br />
to work to earn enough money so that<br />
you won’t have to work.” - Ogden Nash<br />
An earnout agreement is useful<br />
between a buyer and a seller of a<br />
closely held business, particularly when<br />
the seller and the buyer have different<br />
views on the price of the business or<br />
when used as a financing device to<br />
consummate a transaction. An earnout<br />
agreement is a portion of the selling<br />
price which is made contingent upon<br />
attainment of identified thresholds.<br />
While useful, earnouts have downsides<br />
and are inherent with litigation risk.<br />
Drafting an earnout can be difficult,<br />
especially when anticipating all possible<br />
future scenarios. As a result, earnout<br />
language may be ambiguous, and<br />
those that do not draft adequately may<br />
invite and encourage future litigation.<br />
Loosely drafted earnouts may lead<br />
to litigation issues such as implied<br />
covenants to use reasonable efforts<br />
to develop and promote the acquired<br />
business, making representations that<br />
buyer can make earnout payments,<br />
revenues of another target acquired<br />
during the earnout period applied to<br />
the earnout, integration of the acquired<br />
business as a trigger to an acceleration<br />
of the earnout due to a merger, or<br />
misrepresentations by the seller that<br />
lead to skewed earnout payments.<br />
Another issue arises when trying<br />
to enforce an earnout. In such cases,<br />
courts have had trouble proving or<br />
calculating damages.<br />
But earnouts do not need to be<br />
invitations to litigation. Parties should<br />
pay close attention to the accounting,<br />
tax, securities, financial and non-financial<br />
consequences of each aspect of the<br />
earnout agreement. They should specify<br />
in detail the nature of the threshold<br />
42 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011<br />
• Accounting<br />
• Availability of Capital<br />
• Management<br />
• Change in Control<br />
• Tax Impact<br />
Structuring an Earnout<br />
Issues for Consideration<br />
• Earnout Amount<br />
• Earnout Period<br />
• Performance Goals<br />
• Payment Schedule<br />
• Operational Integration<br />
giving rise to the earnout obligation, the sellers, since they will not be affected<br />
methods that will be used in ascertaining by operating expenses or acquisitions.<br />
whether Would the earnout your buying has been patterns achieved, change Buyers generally favor net income<br />
the for inclusions large and brands exclusions that from you already thresholds stock on the ground that they are<br />
the if earnout they calculation, decided and to who start will selling the direct best indicator of the target’s success.<br />
determine to customers whether the on earnout their threshold Web siteWhen net income, EBIT or EBITDA are<br />
had been met. Careful planning and used as the performance measures, the<br />
Yes, I would stop buying<br />
consideration of all from possible that Brand scenarios<br />
11%<br />
seller should ascertain what administrative<br />
at the Yes, initial I would drafting buy as little will, as in possible the future, or general overhead expenses the buyer<br />
from the brand<br />
19%<br />
minimize risk, avoid conflict and help will allocate to the target after closing and<br />
Yes, I would reduce my buying<br />
resolve any disputes. from that brand<br />
determine 34% how those expense will impact<br />
No, I would not change my buying<br />
from that brand<br />
13%<br />
Earnout language may be<br />
I am not sure<br />
23%<br />
Source: Shopatron<br />
ambiguous and those that do<br />
not draft adequately may invite<br />
and encourage future litigation.<br />
Outdoor Participation, 2006 to 2010<br />
In the earnout agreement, the the post-closing figures.<br />
identified thresholds used may be<br />
Other areas for drafting consideration<br />
Total Outdoor Outings<br />
fixed or variable, and they may be nonfinancial<br />
11.6 Billion or financial, 11.4 Billion or a 11.2<br />
include whether the seller will require<br />
combination Billion<br />
of that the buyer adequately fund the target<br />
all. Non-financial thresholds may include 10.1 Billion 10.1 Billion<br />
during the earnout period so that it will<br />
reaching certain Number milestones of Participants or achieving be able to capitalize on opportunities,<br />
other identifiable 138.4 Billion goals.<br />
or whether the seller will request a<br />
137.8 Billion 137.9 Billion<br />
Financial thresholds 135.9 also Billion<br />
134.4 Billion<br />
may vary provision that prevents the buyer from<br />
in their composition. Revenue-based making subsequent acquisitions that<br />
Participation Rate<br />
thresholds are more attractive to<br />
would affect the acquired business, or<br />
49.1% 50.0% 48.6% 48.9% 48.6%
Back Office<br />
whether the target or a portion of it may<br />
be sold to a third party during the earnout<br />
period and the effect of such a sale<br />
should it happen, or whether anything<br />
happens if a third party acquires the<br />
buyer during the earnout. If the acquired<br />
business will be fully integrated into the<br />
buyer’s business or when the business<br />
lines of the buyer and the target are<br />
essentially the same, it may be harder to<br />
measure the financial performance of the<br />
acquired business accurately. Therefore,<br />
the buyer may want to consider<br />
including a provision whereby the seller<br />
acknowledges that the buyer has the<br />
right to control the acquired business in<br />
its sole discretion and the seller waives<br />
certain duties. Also, knowing that conflict<br />
may be inevitable, the parties should<br />
also consider how they want to resolve<br />
any possible future disputes, whether by<br />
accountants, lawyers, business valuators,<br />
the courts, arbitration or otherwise.<br />
Earnout periods vary and risk shifts<br />
as the length of time extends, therefore,<br />
the parties must consider the impact on<br />
the business over this time. In addition,<br />
the parties should consider events<br />
that may terminate the earnout. That<br />
could include a buyer wanting the right<br />
to terminate the earnout and paying<br />
the seller a predetermined amount<br />
if the buyer, for example, finds that<br />
the earnout would interfere with an<br />
acquisition or reorganization it would<br />
like to accomplish. A seller may want<br />
to terminate an earnout if the buyer<br />
subsequently has a change in control<br />
that could jeopardize the relationship<br />
or payments. Also, an equity raise, an<br />
IPO, a recapitalization or other change<br />
in resources, management or line of<br />
business may be used as a trigger to<br />
terminate or accelerate an earnout.<br />
Earnout agreements are an often<br />
used and effective vehicle in the sale of a<br />
business. Each earnout is unique and has<br />
nuances. Therefore for each earnout, it is<br />
important to consider future scenarios,<br />
make the language clear, confer with<br />
advisors and draft accordingly.<br />
Philip Josephson is the founder of<br />
Sterling Business<br />
Law, which focuses<br />
on providing general<br />
counsel and strategic<br />
planning services to<br />
business leaders and<br />
business owners.<br />
Josephson earned<br />
a bachelor of business administration<br />
degree in finance from the University<br />
of Miami, a juris doctorate from the<br />
University of Miami School of Law,<br />
and a master’s degree in business<br />
administration from Columbia Business<br />
School. He is a member of the Florida<br />
Bar, the Arizona Bar and the Federal<br />
Communications Bar. Phil can be<br />
reached at 305.443.3444 or josephson@<br />
sterlingbusinesslaw.com<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> 2011 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | 43
Back Office<br />
Swipe Fee Savvy<br />
An inside look at interchange reform and how to get the card<br />
processing savings you deserve<br />
by Robert Baldwin<br />
If, like most retailers, you’ve longed<br />
for relief from card processing fees,<br />
your hope is now a reality. The Federal<br />
Reserve Board has reduced the debit<br />
card “swipe fees” that retailers like you<br />
pay every time a consumer uses his/her<br />
debit card at your business.<br />
This could mean significant cost<br />
savings for you, but don’t take that<br />
benefit for granted. Some card<br />
processors are looking to profit at your<br />
expense, and if you don’t know how<br />
to ensure you’re actually getting the<br />
savings you’re rightfully due, you might<br />
miss out on a nice chunk of change.<br />
The costs for card processing<br />
services may be among the three<br />
highest expenses your business incurs,<br />
perhaps outmatched only by labor and<br />
merchandise costs. Total processing<br />
costs can be as high as 4 percent of<br />
the total sale for a single transaction,<br />
of which swipe fees (technically,<br />
interchange fees) comprise a large part.<br />
Swipe fees are a percentage of each<br />
transaction amount imposed by the card<br />
brands (Visa, MasterCard and Discover<br />
Network; American Express follows a<br />
different pricing model) that the issuing<br />
banks collect from retailers every time<br />
a consumer uses his/her credit or debit<br />
card. Currently, interchange fees can<br />
range anywhere between 1.5 to 2.5<br />
percent for each card-based purchase.<br />
In July 2010, President Obama<br />
signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street<br />
Reform and Consumer Protection<br />
Act, commonly known as the financial<br />
reform bill, that, among various other<br />
provisions, directed the Federal Reserve<br />
Board to ensure that debit-swipe fees<br />
are “reasonable and proportional” to<br />
the cost of processing transactions.<br />
With merchants and banks lobbying<br />
fervently on opposite sides of the table,<br />
this directive sparked one of the most<br />
heated debates on financial reform that<br />
our country has seen in recent history.<br />
After much deliberation and almost<br />
one year later, on June 29, 2011, the<br />
Federal Reserve Board issued its<br />
final ruling to lower the cap on debit<br />
interchange fees to 21 cents per<br />
transaction plus 0.05 percent of the<br />
volume of transaction, effective October<br />
1, 2011. Although this is nearly double<br />
the Fed’s initial proposal of 12 cents,<br />
this is a significant reduction from<br />
the average of 44 cents that retailers<br />
currently pay per debit card purchase.<br />
The rules also state that issuers can<br />
charge an additional one cent if they<br />
comply with certain fraud protection<br />
policies and procedures.<br />
The Whirling<br />
Durbin Amendment<br />
While this legislation was intended to<br />
offer financial relief to business owners<br />
like you, it doesn’t require that processors<br />
pass the fee reductions through — and<br />
some won’t. Some processors are looking<br />
to absorb the windfall to benefit their own<br />
bottom lines rather than pass the savings<br />
on. In fact, the CEO of a major processor<br />
recently told Wall Street analysts, “Just<br />
be assured that there will be opportunities<br />
for us to keep some of [the debit fee<br />
reduction]. I mean the thought that a very<br />
large merchant and a very small merchant<br />
are treated exactly the same is not how it<br />
works in a free enterprise system.”<br />
The industry encountered a<br />
similar situation in 2003 with the Wal-<br />
Mart settlement that lowered debit<br />
interchange rates by approximately<br />
one-third. Rather than pass the savings<br />
through to their merchants, many<br />
processors kept the savings to boost<br />
their own profits.<br />
While the ruling was scheduled to<br />
go into effect on October 1, it’s not too<br />
late to take action to ensure you get<br />
100 percent of the savings you rightfully<br />
deserve. Start by following these tips:<br />
1. Know the implications of the<br />
reform. There are more than<br />
300 pages of rules about the<br />
implementation of the Durbin<br />
Amendment, and while most retailers<br />
don’t have time to review them — nor<br />
would we necessarily recommend<br />
it — business owners need to know<br />
how the legislation affects them.<br />
Take the time to fully understand<br />
the information in this article and if<br />
you’re interested, you can also get<br />
more useful information from industry<br />
associations and online.<br />
2. Get your processor’s guarantee<br />
in writing. Ask for written<br />
confirmation from your processor<br />
that it will pass 100 percent of the<br />
Durbin rate decrease directly to your<br />
checking account starting the first<br />
day the legislation is implemented.<br />
No excuses.<br />
3. Verify that you are on interchangeplus<br />
pricing model. There are two<br />
basic types of card processing<br />
pricing models. Tiered pricing or<br />
discount rate models group together<br />
interchange fees and processor<br />
fees, making it difficult for business<br />
owners to determine who is charging<br />
what. Alternatively, interchange-plus<br />
is a simplified model that passes<br />
interchange fees directly to the<br />
44 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011
Back Office<br />
merchant and charges a separate<br />
fee for processing charges. Contact<br />
your processor to ensure you are on<br />
an interchange-plus pricing model<br />
so you can clearly see if card brand<br />
fee reductions are truly being passed<br />
through to you as this reform intends.<br />
4. Check the terms and conditions of<br />
your processing contract. Review<br />
your processing agreement to figure<br />
out how you can terminate your<br />
contract with your provider if you find<br />
you are not being credited with the<br />
full interchange rate reduction.<br />
5. Evaluate your statement to help<br />
control other processing costs.<br />
Statements are often rife with hidden<br />
“junk” fees that offer you no added<br />
value and eat away at your bottom line.<br />
Take advantage of this opportunity<br />
when you’re evaluating your processing<br />
charges to better understand your<br />
statement and control your costs. One<br />
useful tool is CostofaBurger.com, an<br />
educational site that offers a fictional<br />
monthly statement to use as a tutorial<br />
when reviewing yours. You can also<br />
check out the resources available at<br />
MerchantBillofRights.org, the online<br />
home of a public advocacy initiative<br />
designed to enable merchants who<br />
don’t have the resources of large<br />
purchasing organizations to effectively<br />
manage their costs, determine which<br />
processor best meets their needs and<br />
realize significant savings.<br />
Interchange reform will surely be a<br />
boon to retailers like you, if you know the<br />
facts and how to navigate around potential<br />
pitfalls. Take the time to get swipe fee<br />
savvy and you’ll be well prepared to reap<br />
the financial benefits of reform that was<br />
designed to provide you relief.<br />
Robert Baldwin is president at<br />
Heartland Payment Systems, the fifth<br />
largest payments processor in the United<br />
States. Heartland delivers credit/debit/<br />
prepaid card processing, gift marketing<br />
and loyalty programs, payroll, check<br />
management and related business<br />
solutions to more than 250,000 business<br />
locations nationwide. Heartland is the<br />
founding supporter of The Merchant Bill<br />
of Rights, a public advocacy initiative that<br />
educates merchants about fair credit<br />
and debit card processing practices.<br />
For more information, please visit<br />
HeartlandPaymentSystems.com and<br />
MerchantBillOfRights.org.<br />
Ad index<br />
3M Thinsulate (www.thinsulate.com) 17<br />
Agion (www.agion-tech.com) 11<br />
ASF Group (www.asfgroup.com) 25<br />
Balconi (www.balconigear.com) 30<br />
Body Glide (www.bodyglide.com) 19<br />
Cam Commerce (www.camcommerce.com) 13<br />
Coast Cutlery (www.coastportland.com) 39<br />
Cocoon by Design Salt (www.designsalt.com) 37<br />
Coghlan’s (www.coghlans.com) 24<br />
CORDURA (www.cordura.com) 3<br />
Cre8 Group (www.Cre8groupinc.com) 45<br />
Durapeg (www.durapeg.com) 37<br />
Full Sail Int’l (www.thepiggybackrider.com) 35<br />
Glacik (www.stonemansports.com) 43<br />
Grip Pro (www.gripprotrainer.com) 34<br />
ISPO (www.ispo.com) 23<br />
Kahtoola (www.kahtoola.com) 35<br />
Kiva Designs (www.kivadesigns.com) 21, 36<br />
Mad Water (www.madwater.com) 41<br />
Modern Postcard (www.modernpostcard.com/samples) 7, 34<br />
Optimer (www.drirelease.com) 9<br />
Outdoor Retailer (www.outdoorretailer.com) 27<br />
Outlast (www.outlast.com) 47<br />
Overboard (www.ROCgearWholesale.com) 43<br />
Schoeller Textiles (www.schoeller-textiles.com) 21<br />
SIA (www.siasnowshow.com) 33<br />
Sorona (www.dupont.com/sorona) 15<br />
SpareHand Systems/Stoneman Avenue (www.sparehandsystems.com) 41<br />
Sterling Business Law (www.sterlingbusinesslaw.com) 29<br />
SuperFabric (superfabric.com) 18<br />
Teflon (www.teflon.com/fabricprotector) Back cover<br />
Yaktrax (www.yaktrax.com) 5<br />
Zippo (www.zippo.com) 2, 36<br />
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46 | <strong>InsideOutdoor</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> 2011
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