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INSIDERUP FRONT × NEWSMAKERS × FN FACES × ON DEADLINEThe InsOf OutDespite shifting weather patternsand pesky tariff issues, buyersheading to OR still see lots ofopportunity. BY JENNIFER ERNST BEAUDRYPHOTO: COURTESY OF OUTDOOR RETAILERBuyers at lastwinter’s OR showRetailers are feeling bullish asthey make their way to Salt LakeCity for this week’s OutdoorRetailer show.New product, bright colorsand growth on the casual sideof the business have buyers upbeat about theseason ahead.“I get really energized when I go out [to OR],”said Dan Foster, owner of Mountain Chalet inColorado Springs, Colo. “There’s so much goodstuff, it’s just a question of what to bring in.”But there are a number of concerns as well.The continued mild temperatures across muchof the country will impact how retailers buyand what stores pick up for fall ’13. Uncertaintyabout tariff rates is a concern, too. (For more onthat, turn the page.)“With a second bad winter in a row, things areless exciting,” said Mike Dahlberg, merchandisemanager at Minneapolis-based Midwest Mountaineering.“If we were getting record snowfall,we’d be shopping for exciting new ways to dealwith that. I’ll order for semi-mediocre, lessthan-average[snowfall].”In terms of overall strategies, buyers for ParkCity, Utah-based e-tailer Backcountry.<strong>com</strong>and Boston-based chain City Sports said theirmain objectives for the show will be to reviewand tweak existing fall ’13 orders, as well as addsmaller and newer brands.And Travis Zarins, VP and GMM for Raleigh,N.C.-based independent Great Outdoor ProvisionCo., noted that going into the show he alreadyhas a “solid base” of orders confirmed. “We’re 80JANUARY 21, 2013 | | 3
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