Tag Archives: REI co-op

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REI Co-op to support outdoor leaders in the second-ever “Confluence Summit” in Asheville this July

Co-op continues work to unite diverse stakeholders from across the country to help shape future of life outdoors

Kent, Wash., 2018-Feb-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — Earlier today (02.20.2018), the State of North Carolina announced its intention to host the second-ever “Confluence Summit” for state-level outdoor recreation leaders in Asheville this July. There are currently eight states – Colorado, Montana, North Carolina, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming – with an office, director or task force dedicated to the well-being of the outdoor recreation industry and to greater public access to outdoor experiences.

To assure robust participation from across the country, the REI Co-op has committed to fund travel for these outdoor leaders, and their delegations, who are developing a multi-state vision for connecting Americans with the outdoors.

“Gatherings like this can be a model for the future. They look to bridge across local, state and federal stakeholders to create a sense of shared mission and responsibility,” said REI CEO Jerry Stritzke. “This work can be foundational for creating a next generation that loves and cares for the outdoors, and is vital in shaping the future of our towns, states and country.”

In 2017, as several states were establishing these leadership positions, the State of Colorado saw an opportunity to foster a shared vision for the future of the outdoors, to share best practices and, ideally, create a set of cross-state policy principles for maximizing the sector’s many benefits. At the urging of Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, the state’s Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, led by Luis Benitez, set up the process for convening the “ORec 8” for this shared undertaking. The result of this work was the first-ever Confluence Summit, which took place in Denver on January 24, 2018, and was attended by approximately 100 delegates and staff.

Leading up to the summit and at the event, the delegations began to develop a collaborative working document titled “The Colorado Accords.” The document aims to define a collective vision and set of principles in four broad and important areas:

  • Economic development
  • Conservation and stewardship
  • Education and workforce development
  • Public health and wellness

The Asheville Confluence Summit will build on this groundbreaking work.

“It is imperative that the Confluence Summits migrate from state to state each year to celebrate each region’s robust outdoor recreation industry ecosystem and economy and continue work on shared principles,” said Luis Benitez, director of the Colorado office of outdoor recreation.

Once ratified, the Accords will remain a living document, open to adjustments and adaptations as best practices are identified and as other states enter the process. Additional states are considering creating their own outdoor recreation-focused offices. According to Benitez, as well as David Knight, who was appointed North Carolina’s Director of Outdoor Industry Recruitment in January, those states are welcome to join the effort, subject to a firm, unambiguous commitment to the sector from the state’s governor and/or legislature, and the designation of an outdoor recreation sector leader.

At the heart of REI Co-op is the belief that a life outdoors is a life well-lived and that access to enriching outdoor experiences is something every American has the right to enjoy. To support the first Confluence Summit, the Co-op made funds available to the Colorado Tourism Office so that it could offer travel stipends to delegates who lacked funding. REI has pledged similar support for the event in Asheville, subject to compliance with state and local ethics requirements.

“This gathering brings together thought-leaders from diverse backgrounds – from business, the nonprofit community, government and tribal communities. Given budget realities, many stakeholders could not attend without a travel stipend. We see it as part of the co-op mission to bring together advocates for the outdoors,” said Marc Berejka, REI’s director of government and community affairs.

About the REI Co-op
REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation’s largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of more than 17 million members who expect and love the best quality gear, inspiring expert classes and trips and outstanding customer service. REI has 151 stores in 36 states. If you can’t visit a store, you can shop at REI.com, REI.com/rei-garage or the free REI shopping app. REI isn’t just about gear. You can take the trip of a lifetime with REI Adventures, a global leader in active adventure travel that runs more than 170 custom-designed itineraries worldwide. The REI Outdoor School is run by professionally-trained, expert-instructors who teach beginner to advanced-level courses about a wide range of activities. To build on the infrastructure that makes life outside possible, REI invests millions annually in hundreds of local and national nonprofits that create access to—and steward—the outdoor places that inspire us all.

Media contact:
prrequests@rei.com

Source: REI

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REI Co-op will close stores on Black Friday; will pay all 12,000 employees to #OptOutside with family and friends

Outdoor co-op launches experiential search engine powered by millions who have chosen to #OptOutside

SEATTLE, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — For the third year running, REI Co-op, the nation’s largest consumer co-op and specialty outdoor retailer, has announced that it will close its 151 stores on Black Friday, process no online sales and pay all 12,000 employees to #OptOutside with family and friends.

Each year, REI gives more than 70 percent of its profits back to the outdoor community. Rather than seek to pull shoppers inside for this Thanksgiving weekend, REI is launching a new experiential search engine at REI.com/opt-outside to help inspire and enable people to get outside. It’s powered by the individual and collective experiences of the outdoor community and free for all to use.

“We are doing this again to unite people and to find common ground in the outdoors,” said REI CEO Jerry Stritzke. “Right now, I think people are looking for a moment to take a breath, reground themselves and come together. More than 700 organizations and nearly 8 million people have joined #OptOutside over the past two years. We could not be more thankful. But last year we stepped back and said we can do more. We asked how we could offer new practical tools and inspiration. So we have captured the experiences of the outdoor community and organized them in a way that no one has done before.”

At the heart of this year’s effort, the new experiential search engine from REI is designed to inspire millions of people to #OptOutside. It features images pulled entirely from #OptOutside user-generated content (UGC) on Instagram, augmented with real-time information about locations and experiences across the country. For example, users who click on an image of a hiker can see the name of the specific trail featured, the trail’s difficulty rating, directions to the trailhead, recent user reviews of the experience and related expert advice from REI. Beginning today and leading up to Black Friday, the co-op will release 20 films featuring this community-created imagery to connect people through their shared #OptOutside experiences.

The co-op’s efforts to get more people outside do not begin and end with #OptOutside. Year-round, the co-op partners with hundreds of local and national organizations, nonprofits and governmental agencies, championing the outdoor life by implementing and encouraging others to adopt the highest sustainability standards and working to increase access to the outdoors for everyone.

About the REI Co-op
REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation’s largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of more than 16 million members who expect and love the best quality gear, inspiring expert classes and trips, and outstanding customer service. REI has 151 stores in 36 states. If you can’t visit a store, you can shop at REI.com, REI-Garage.com or the free REI shopping app. REI isn’t just about gear. You can take the trip of a lifetime with REI Adventures, a global leader in active adventure travel that runs more than 170 custom-designed itineraries worldwide. The REI Outdoor School is run by professionally-trained, expert-instructors who teach beginner-to advanced-level courses about a wide range of activities. To build on the infrastructure that makes life outside possible, REI invests millions annually in hundreds of local and national nonprofits that create access to—and steward—the outdoor places that inspire us all.

Source: REI

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REI Co-op unveils its next spring’s new gear collection

New gear collection designed using insights from co-op members and employees

SALT LAKE CITY, 2017-Jul-31 — /EPR Retail News/ — REI Co-op’s in-house brand released its plans for next spring’s new gear collection during the Outdoor Retailer industry tradeshow. Highlights include outerwear featuring GORE-TEX® Active fabric technology that will be on display at the show, a gathered-end elevated sleep system and an update to its iconic Half Dome tent series. The 2018 line will also feature a national parks-inspired series of Flash 18 packs to support our national public lands.

The co-op’s in-house design team continues to bring customers richer, more innovative ways to enjoy the outdoors. Every product the co-op designs goes through its Cooperative Design philosophy, where designers work with members and employees to gain inspiration throughout the design process.

“It really is what being a co-op is all about. Having members and employees influence design innovation throughout our process allows us to create gear our members really want instead of trying to fill gaps,” said Nasahn Sheppard, divisional vice president for REI Co-op Private Brands. “We’re encouraging our design team to think outside of the box, and it’s changing the way people play outdoors.”

REI will put women first as part of its #ForceOfNature initiative. For spring, the REI Co-op brand will offer women a wider selection of extended and tall/petite sizing in travel, outdoor wear and fitness apparel, as well as performance and technical outerwear, sleeping bags and packs.

Outerwear
This spring, the co-op will deliver a new series of outerwear using GORE-TEX technology.

“These jackets and pants will meet varying degrees of activity in the backcountry,” Sheppard said. “We are impressed with how Gore has innovated their new material, which will help us bring our outerwear offerings to the next level.”

  • The Drypoint GTX® Jacket for men and women is designed for minimalist performance for hiking and backpacking. This jacket uses the next generation of GORE-TEX Active fabric, a significantly lighter, more breathable three-layer fabric that improves comfort and durability. Price: $249.
  • The Stormbolt GTX Jacket, nicknamed the “backcountry bomber,” is ideal for various adventures. This is the burliest shell in the line, offering protection from all types of backcountry weather. This three-layer waterproof, breathable shell is a fully featured jacket with macro and micro ripstop fabric to withstand abrasion resistance. Price: $279.
  • The Vaporush WINDSTOPPER® soft shell jacket and pants offer maximum breathability and stretch mobility for men and women. The lightweight outerwear provides free range of motion and breathability, and repels wind and rain for quick-paced backcountry adventures. Price: $169 (jacket) / $139 (pants).

Hammock Sleep Systems
As a new category, the co-op has seen sales for suspended sleep systems increase more than 100 percent compared with last year. To complement this trend, and deliver yet another comfortable sleeping option for backpacking, the co-op will introduce a new Flash Air hammock that features a lightweight, traditional gathered-end design. This style offers side sleepers a different suspended sleep option, compared with the flatter bridge-style hammock that comes with the Quarter Dome Air.

Tents
The Half Dome tent will receive an update to increase overall volume and livability. This two-vestibule dome series includes one-, two-, three- and four-person tent options. These plus-sized tents add additional length and width to the floor space, as well as additional volume throughout the tent. The fly has been improved and expanded to provide an easily customized covered area for livability and gear storage. REI will offer various colors as well as a Mount Rainier specialty design, available online in early spring.

Packs
REI’s Flash 18 packs are necessary accessories for any outing or backcountry adventure. The co-op has partnered with the National Park Foundation to offer eight customized national parks designs highlighting Mount Rainier, Denali, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Acadia, Voyageurs and Rocky Mountain. Each store will offer its two closest national parks designs regionally, but all designs will be offered on REI.com. The co-op will give 10 percent of profits of these packs back to the National Parks Foundation. This builds on the co-op’s historic multi-year, multi-million dollar partnership promise to help protect and preserve our beloved public lands.

The Traverse pack series is designed for maximum comfort during multi-day backpacking adventures. In 2018, a 35-liter version will be added to the collection, while the entire series (65-, 70- and 85-liter packs) will offer an updated, improved design for added comfort.

These highlights, as well as active wear and travel collections, will begin arriving in REI stores and on REI.com starting in January 2018.

About REI Co-op
REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation’s largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of more than 16 million members who expect and love the best quality gear, inspiring expert classes and trips, and outstanding customer service. REI has 149 stores in 36 states. If you can’t visit a store, you can shop at REI.com, REI-Garage.com or the free REI shopping app. REI isn’t just about gear. You can take the trip of a lifetime with REI Adventures, a global leader in active adventure travel that runs more than 170 custom-designed itineraries on every continent. REI’s Outdoor School is run by professionally-trained, expert-instructors who teach beginner- to advanced-level courses about a wide range of activities. To build on the infrastructure that makes life outside possible, REI invests millions annually in hundreds of local and national nonprofits that create access to–and steward–the outdoor places that inspire us.

Source: REI

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REI co-op invested a record $9.3 million in nonprofits in 2016 and opened the country’s most sustainable distribution center

REI co-op invested a record $9.3 million in nonprofits in 2016 and opened the country’s most sustainable distribution center

 

Co-op invested $9.3 million in nonprofits and continues to operate 100% on renewable energy

SEATTLE, 2017-Mar-17 — /EPR Retail News/ —  Today (03.15.2017) REI, the outdoor co-op, announced record revenues for 2016 and highlighted how it gives back nearly 70 percent of its profits to the outdoor community. In his message to members, REI CEO and President Jerry Stritzke talked about the co-op’s sustainability work and its efforts to deliver inspiring outdoor experiences to local communities by creating access to the outdoors for all.

REI reported annual revenues of $2.56 billion in 2016, a 5.5 percent increase from $2.42 billion in 2015. Comparable store sales, which include direct to consumer sales, were up nearly 4 percent and digital sales grew by nearly 18 percent. The co-op invested a record $9.3 million in nonprofit partners in 2016 and opened the country’s most sustainable distribution center. Since 2008, REI’s demand for energy from the grid has grown only 4 percent while sales have grown 78 percent.

“There is no doubt that the current retail landscape is challenging, but we had another good year,” said Stritzke. “I am grateful to our employees, our members and our customers for their passion and commitment to the co-op community. Your involvement and commitment to REI allows us to do things like help build the nation’s trail network, protect public lands, and innovate in sustainability. Together we can continue to keep the outdoors healthy and accessible for the next generation.”

Giving back to the Co-op Community
This year, REI members received a record $193.7 million in annual dividends and credit card rebates. Members have the option of donating their dividend to The REI Foundation, if they choose. REI shared $57 million with employees through retirement and incentive program contributions, and the co-op’s record $9.3 million investment in more than 300 nonprofit partners benefited more than 1,000 outdoor places across the country. Many of the co-op’s community partners were among 700 organizations that joined the #OptOutside movement to inspire more than 6 million people to get outside last Black Friday.

Advancing Sustainability
REI prioritizes advancing sustainability in the co-op’s day-to-day business operations and throughout the industry. In 2016, REI established partnerships with 66 of its largest outdoor brands to advance product sustainability and gave more than 1 million products a second life through used gear sales, repair workshops and gear swaps. The co-op shared details about the design of its new distribution center in Arizona—the first in the country to achieve LEED Platinum and Net Zero Energy—to make it easier for other companies to build sustainability into their operations. REI also continued to operate 100 percent on renewable energy at all stores, distribution centers and headquarters.

Rewilding Projects
For nearly eight decades, REI has been committed to creating outdoor access for all. The co-op has helped build the nation’s trail network by investing more than $77 million in nonprofits that create access to and steward outdoor places across the country. As part of its investment in communities, the co-op launched five Rewilding Projects – a multi-year, multi-million dollar program focused on reshaping how people in large urban and suburban areas connect with the outdoors. REI is collaborating with nonprofits in five cities to help provide millions of people with easier access to nearby outdoor places.

The first set of Rewilding Projects include:

  • Bay Area Ridge Trail – When complete, the Bay Area Ridge Trail will total 550 miles and circumnavigate the Bay Area, surrounding 8 million people. Currently, 365 miles of the trail are open to the public. REI’s investment is helping accelerate completion by increasing the Bay Area Ridge Council’s capacity and supporting efforts to convene key stakeholders.
  • San Gabriel Mountains National Monument – The San Gabriel Mountains National Monument in the Angeles National Forest provides recreational opportunities for millions of people in the Los Angeles area. REI’s investment in the National Forest Foundation and The Wilderness Society supports sustainable access, restoring and rerouting trails, enhancing infrastructure, and increasing connectivity between the city and the national monument by linking urban trails and developing alternate transportation.
  • Seattle Duwamish River Valley Trail Connectivity – This project will create a 15-mile mixed-use trail from the Seattle waterfront to South Park and Georgetown when complete. In partnership with the Seattle Parks Foundation, Forterra, Cascade Bicycle Club, Trust for Public Land and Mountains to Sound Greenway, this project seeks to advance environmental justice, address racial and neighborhood-level disparities, reduce health inequities and create economic opportunities through trail and open space connectivity.
  • Southeast Chicago – REI is partnering with the Chicago Parks Foundation, Active Transportation Alliance and Friends of Big Marsh to support the long-term transformation of the Calumet area into a thriving outdoor recreation hub. This project will develop a brand and raise awareness for the area, plan and implement transportation that will improve access for the community, and develop the Big Marsh property to include one of the largest mountain bike parks in the country, with mixed-use trails and paddling opportunities.
  • Washington, D.C., Capital Trails Coalition – In partnership with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land, REI’s investment is supporting the completion of a multi-use trail network in the Washington, D.C., region. This project will connect existing trails with new ones to provide outdoor recreation and alternative transportation to more communities.

As a member-owned co-op, REI’s board of directors is selected by active members, who can exercise their rights to vote for the board March 17 through April 24.

REI’s 2016 audited financial report is available at REI.com/about-rei/financial-information, the 2016 stewardship report is available at REI.com/stewardship/report and additional details on the co-op’s stewardship efforts are available at REI.com/stewardship.

About REI
REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation’s largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of more than 16 million members who expect and love the best quality gear, inspiring expert classes and trips, and outstanding customer service. REI has 147 stores in 36 states. If you can’t visit a store, you can shop at REI.com, REI.com/REI-Garage or the free REI shopping app. REI isn’t just about gear. You can take the trip of a lifetime with REI Adventures, a global leader in active adventure travel that runs 170 custom-designed itineraries on every continent. REI’s Outdoor School is run by professionally-trained, expert-instructors who teach beginner- to advanced-level courses about a wide range of activities. To build on the infrastructure that makes life outside possible, REI invests millions annually in hundreds of local and national nonprofits that create access to–and steward–the outdoor places that inspire us.

Contact:

REI Public Affairs
(253) 395-5958
prrequests@rei.com

Source: REI

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