by Board Retailers Association | Oct 17, 2019 | Industry, Resources, Skateboard, Snowboard, Statistics, SUP, Surf, Wake Surf, Wakeboard
PRESS RELEASES The National Retail Federation today said it expects holiday retail sales during November and December to increase between 3.8 percent and 4.2 percent over 2018 to a total of between $727.9 billion and $730.7 billion. The numbers, which exclude automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants, compare with an average holiday sales increase of 3.7 percent over the previous five years. “The U.S. economy is continuing to grow and consumer spending is still the primary engine behind that growth,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Nonetheless, there has clearly been a slowdown brought on by considerable uncertainty around issues including trade, interest rates, global risk factors and political rhetoric. Consumers are in good financial shape and retailers expect a strong holiday season. However, confidence could be eroded by continued deterioration of these and other variables.” “There are probably very few precedents for this uncertain macroeconomic environment,” NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said. “There are many moving parts and lots of distractions that make predictions difficult. There is significant economic unease, but current economic data and the recent momentum of the economy show that we can expect a much stronger holiday season than last year. Job growth and higher wages mean there’s more money in families’ pockets, so we see both the willingness and ability to spend this holiday season.” NRF expects online and other non-store sales, which are included in the total, to increase between 11 percent and 14 percent to between $162.6 billion and $166.9 billion, up from $146.5 billion last year. The effect of tariffs on holiday spending – either directly or through consumer confidence...
by Board Retailers Association | Aug 27, 2019 | Industry, Resources, Surf, Sustainability
By Tiffany Montgomery | Published Aug 26, 2019 Showing just how important sustainability has become to industry brands, SIMA had a great turnout for its Speaker Series event on the topic last week at Vans headquarters. More than 160 people registered, and a nice cross section of the industry turned out, including a wide range of brands and job titles. Speakers included Derek Sabori, a sustainability advisor and instructor who created Volcom’s forward-thinking sustainability programs years ago; Kim Matsoukas, Senior Manager of Sustainability and Social Responsibility at Vans; Wendy Savage, Director of Social Responsibility and Trace-ability at Patagonia; Megan Stoneburner Azim, Director of Sustainability and Sourcing at Outerknown; and Josh Reddin, CEO of Elastic. SIMA has posted videos of all the presentations here Doug Works, BRA Executive Director, was in attendance and asked a question related to Retailers at 43:09 here Click here to view the article on Shop Eat Surf Recap of SIMA Speaker Series “Sustainability in Our Industry: Moving Beyond Recycled” More than 160 apparel and surf industry leaders from Design, Product, Compliance, and Marketing gathered for the sold-out event on August 22nd. The afternoon featured a mini-masterclass, insights from experts, moderated discussions, and more on the topics of Foundational Sustainability Concepts, Sustainable Fibers/Materials, Fair & Decent Labor, and Differentiated Sustainability-Driven Marketing Opportunities. Attendees walked away with a better understanding of how the experts are talking about sustainability in our sector, what the hottest topics and our biggest concerns are, what solutions are readily available and utilized in the marketplace, and what steps you can take next to keep up with competitors. Full speaker videos & presentations at...
by Board Retailers Association | Aug 8, 2019 | Associate Members, Industry, News, Resources, Skateboard, Snowboard, Surf, Trade Shows, Wakeboard
PRESS RELEASES | Published Aug 7, 2019 BRA Names New Chairman, Executive Director The Board Retailers Association (BRA), a non-profit organization representing thousands of independently owned surf, skate, snow and wake retailers, is pleased to announce that it elected a new Chairman, George Leichtweis of Modern Skate & Surf this year. Having been on the Board of Directors as the Chairman of the Skateboard Committee for many years, George was a founding member of BRA and has been in the specialty retail business for 40 years. Former Chairman, Bruce Cromartie will remain on the Board of Directors. BRA Chairman George Leichtweis George is passionate about independent retailers being successful and believes that they are the backbone and feeder system for all the board sport industries. “It is where young kids have their first impression of each sport that will stay with them as they continue to grow into adults and pass on the ‘stoke’ to others. Board Retailers Association can provide smaller retailers with the tools to be successful and keep their doors open to continue to turn new kids on to the sports that they love.” George is the owner and president of Modern Sports, Inc, dba Modern Skate & Surf as well as Modern Skate Park. Over the last 40 years, he has operated multiple Modern Skate & Surf stores in Michigan and also the world-renowned Modern Skate Parks in Novi, Madison Heights and Grand Rapids, Michigan and has been involved in the “Extreme Sports” arena since 1979. He currently operates one location that consists of a retail store for Specialty Sporting Goods, a World Class Skate Park...
by Board Retailers Association | Jun 10, 2019 | Internet, Resources
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, might seem like an impossible-to-crack code. Yet SEO is incredibly important if you want your business to be found online. If your website is optimized for search engines, Google, Yahoo, and Bing will view it as a good source and offer it up to users who are searching for your products or services. If your website isn’t optimized, then it might as well be invisible. For many people, SEO is a full time job. You may think that due to your full-time job as a board retailer, you don’t have time to add SEO to your plate. This is where you’re wrong. Sure, you won’t be able to do all the things a digital marketing professional can accomplish, but everyone has time to make a few small tweaks to their website that will yield big results. Below are five things you can do this week to improve your SEO and make your website rise in the rankings. Try them out and see what a difference they make. Create unique content that people want to read and share. While filling your website with rich content isn’t exactly something you can do overnight, it is something you can start today. If you don’t have a company or business blog, it’s time to launch one! You can write “how to” posts, new product launches, behind-the-scenes information, or gift guides for various holidays. Use specific keywords in the title and first paragraph of your post so readers (and search engines!) immediately know what the post is about. Create internal links within your website. Internal linking helps SEO in...
