Below you will find helpful and relevant articles that we carefully curate for the benefit of our B.R.A. Retail Members almost every day. Be sure to scroll through the most recent article or use the Search/Lookup feature to find topics and keywords related to articles that may help you to lower costs, increase margins or create more remarkable customer experiences.

“Do Wave Pools Actually Make Money? We Asked an Industry” by Evan Quarnstrom via The Inertia

by admin | May 6, 2026 | Customer Experience, Debate, Insurance, News, Opinion, Outdoor, Surf, Tourism

The Wavegarden pool under construction at DSRT SURF in Palm Springs, California. Photo: Wavegarden It feels like a lifetime ago that Kelly Slater unveiled his clandestine wave pool project in the Central California farmland. It’s been a little over a decade since...

“Why Specialty Retailers Are Adding The Beach Rooster To Their Shelves” by Maggie Raymond via TBR Blog

by Doug Works | May 3, 2026 | News

A Sun Care Brand With Strong Shelf Appeal, Smart Repeat Sales Potential, And A Story Customers Connect With Not every sunscreen belongs in every store. Big-box SPF may work in a supermarket aisle, but independent surf, skate, wake, SUP, and outdoor retailers know...

“How Digital Humans Are Transforming Frontline Retail Training” by Tyler Merritt via Total Retail

by Doug Works | Apr 30, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence / CHAT GPT, News

Credit: Getty Images by Paper Boat Creative Retail has always been a human-centered business. Every sale, return, upsell and resolution depends on an employee’s ability to read emotion, respond appropriately, and guide a customer through an experience that feels both...

“Retailers could close more than 40K stores in the next 5 years” by Daphne Howland via Retail Dive

by admin | Apr 27, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Clearance Sales / Discounting, Commercial Real Estate, Customer Experience, Customer Loyalty, Customer Service, E-Commerce, News

An Eddie Bauer store in March 2026 that is slated to shutter this year. Closures over the next five years could weigh on already struggling malls. Daphne Howland/Retail Dive Tariffs and immigration policies are weighing on the industry and could drive even more...

“Your Associates Passed the Training. So Why Can’t They Sell?” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Apr 24, 2026 | News, Resources, Sales Training

Retail training fails for one reason: it protects associates from failure instead of using it as the mechanism for learning. Videos, quizzes, and microlearning apps improve completion rates but do not change behavior on the floor. The only thing that does is repeated...

“Surf Expo Show Director on the Rising Active Lifestyle and What it Means for September 2026 Show” by Tiffany Montgomery via SurfExpo.com

by admin | Apr 21, 2026 | News, Surf Expo, Trade Shows

Surf Expo Show Director Roy Turner, second from left, with the Coastal Edge crew from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Photo by Surf Expo. As Surf Expo celebrates its 50th anniversary, the show continues to serve as a vital hub for the surf, resort, swim, and coastal outdoor...