All REI articles
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Article
REI posts $3.76 billion in revenue in 2023, but loses $311 million net
US specialty outdoor retailer REI Co-op released its impact report and financial results for 2023 on April 30. The year closed with $3.76 billion in net sales and nearly $270 million invested back into the co-op community. Net sales were down 2.4 percent from 2022, and the co-op reported a ...
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Article
REI Path Ahead Ventures recognizes 16 emerging US outdoor companies
REI Path Ahead Ventures has announced that 16 emerging companies have completed the Embark program, a three-month curriculum developed in partnership with Founded Outdoors to help founders of color in the U.S. turn their early-stage ideas into viable businesses. The Embark program is part of REI Path Ahead Ventures, the ...
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Article
REI to offer non-gendered own-brand products to promote inclusivity in the Outdoors
US retail chain REI Co-op announced the launch of its new spring line of gear and apparel, which also includes the brand’s first non-gendered apparel assortment for adults. Additionally, REI shared plans for its in-house brand to move beyond a gender-specific designation where it makes sense. As part of this ...
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Article
REI reduces workforce
In a memo to affected REI Co-op employees, CEO Eric Artz announced that the US outdoor retailer will have to cut 357 jobs. This affects 200 employees at headquarters, 6 in S&CS, 30 in Experiences and 121 in distribution centers. “The coming days are going to be tough as we ...
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Article
DIY repairs: 12 brands making repairs easy
Our listicle highlights the outdoor and sporting brands and retailers who are already helping consumers repair their own outdoor gear at home.
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News briefs
REI cuts 275 retail jobs
U.S. outdoor retailer REI Co-op is cutting 275 of its 12,300 retail jobs as part of a broader plan to update its brick-and-mortar business model. The company’s employees were reportedly informed of the layoffs through a memo by REI’s VP of Stores, Mary-Farrell Tarbox, on Oct. 12. The cuts primarily ...
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Article
REI Co-op Studios to release new co-produced films this fall
REI Co-op Studios, the in-house content division of US outdoor retailer REI, has announced the release and expanded distribution of several feature films, shorts and podcasts. The projects include “Canary,” a documentary about climate that will be released in the US on Sept. 15; “Frybread Face & ...
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News briefs
REI wants every American within 5 minutes of outdoor space
REI Co-op has announced a multi-year, nationwide initiative across the U.S. to ensure that every person has immediate access to outdoor spaces. Dubbed “Outside in 5,” the community-led project will support local projects and national legislation. The co-op will also be putting $5 from every co-op membership into the REI ...
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Article
U.S. Outdoor Industry Association launches PFAS phase-out advisory service and program
The U.S. Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) has launched its new Clean Chemistry and Materials Coalition (CCMC), a comprehensive program, working group and advisory service that provides OIA members with strategies, scalable action plans and solutions for thoughtfully phasing out PFAS and other harmful chemicals in their products, and guides members ...
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Article
Outdoor brands top desirable resale items in latest report
U.S.-based ThredUp, an online resale service provider and platform for women’s and kids’ apparel, has released its eleventh annual Resale Report. The report examines the current market as well as the expected value of the sector. Although based on American consumers, it is expected similar figures would apply in Europe, ...
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Article
Trove releases first Brand Resale Index for 2023
Trove, the U.S.-based service provider whose technology powers the resale services of several sporting goods manufacturers, has released its first Brand Resale Index, titled “Defining the Resale Experience.” The index is the first report of its kind, agnostic to the resale platform provider, and it evaluates the adoption of leading ...
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Article
REI updates product standards for its vendors, addresses climate change, bans PFAS and more
U.S. outdoor retailer REI Co-op has released its latest Product Impact Standards report to promote more sustainable and inclusive business practices. The report is the third since 2018, and the latest guidelines were developed in consultation with partner brands, building on three key areas: Addressing climate change, promoting inclusion in ...
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Article
New OIA study: How to save money and reduce emissions
Five members of the U.S. Outdoor Industry Association’s (OIA) climate action corps have now released the results of a jointly commissioned study on the feasibility of electrifying the textile and apparel industry. Burton, New Balance, Patagonia, REI Co-op and W.L. Gore’s fabrics division partnered with the OIA for the study, ...
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Article
Shoes and sustainability: For Aku footwear the two belong together
Sustainability in the footwear industry is still in its infancy but one pioneering Italian brand isn’t shying away from the difficult issues
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News briefs
New resale platform for Canada Goose
Canada Goose has launched a new DTC secondhand offering powered by Trove, the service provider who also runs the secondhand stores of Patagonia, Lululemon, REI, Arc’teryx, On and Allbirds. Canada Goose’s new authorized reselling platform “Canada Goose Generations” is stocked with post-consumer product that is traded in online. Items are ...
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News briefs
REI to close its stores permanently and forever on Black Friday
U.S. outdoor specialty retailer REI Co-op has announced that its Opt Outside movement for all employees will be permanent. On this Black Friday and every other Black Friday in the future, the co-op will forgo profits and sales at all stores and instead pay its more than 16,000 employees to ...
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Article
REI's Path Ahead Ventures launches first founders of color support program in the U.S.
U.S. retailer Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) is launching its Navigate accelerator program with an inaugural cohort of six companies. Path Ahead Ventures partners with founders of color as they further their growth in the outdoor industry, offering them a 16-week program that provides funding, mentorship, curated programming and access to ...
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News briefs
REI expands its adventure travel program in the U.S.
U.S. retail co-op REI is expanding its line of multi-day adventure trips, guided day tours, rental outlets and adventure centers as part of a multi-year strategy to get 3 million people outside each year. Consumer interest in the outdoors and related activities has surged across the country in recent years, ...
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News briefs
Full Circle Everest Expedition summits and sets a sign of diversity in climbing
Seven members of the all-black climber’s team of the Full Circle Everest Expedition reached the summit peak on May 12, 2022, roughly 60 years after the first U.S. citizen climbed Everest for the first time. The Full Circle Everest Expedition (counting eleven experienced climbers) set out to make history with ...
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News briefs
NRDC rolls out eliminate PFAS campaign targeting Columbia Sportswear
The U.S.-based activist group Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), together with the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, have launched a new campaign urging Columbia Sportswear to eliminate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals from their products and supply chain by 2024. The campaign will engage everyday consumers through a petition drive ...