Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Retailers Report
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
This month we ask: Does your store use distributor services to
source product or manage inventory? If so, is there any particular
store department or product category that benefi ts most, in terms of
ease, speed, cost savings, etc.?
Northeast
“The only distributor I use for the outdoor
stuff—separate from bikes—is Peregrine,”
says John Bryan, owner of The Mountain
Goat, a 2,000-square-foot specialty retail shop
in Williamstown, Mass. Bryan says he uses
Peregrine Outfitters mainly for smaller items,
such as Nalgene bottles, which are the highest volume product it
orders from the distributor. Peregrine also supplies The Mountain
Goat with equipment-care products, such as Nikwax, as well as
handwarmers, thermoses and headlamps.
“Anything that has fast turns makes it very convenient for us
to use Peregrine because our orders get here in 24 hours,” says
Bryan, “and if we hit a certain freight point, we don’t pay shipping.
We usually order about three times per month.”
Al Saracene, owner of Nordic Sports, a 5,000-square-foot
specialty retailer in Cortland N.Y., says that during the last few years
he has phased out many camping products from his store but uses
Equinox to complete his stock of accessory items.
“It’s nice in that camping is not a focus for me, but I can open up
their catalog and get little things that our consumers shop us for,”
says Saracene, adding that merchandise orders include products
like gaiters, Nalgene bottles, mosquito head nets, fanny packs and
webbing.
Saracene says he orders from Equinox once every couple of
months. RJ
Southeast
Bobby McCain, owner of Buffalo Park
Outfitters, a 5,700-square-foot specialty
retailer housed in an upscale shopping center
in Jackson, Miss., says he buys from Adventure
16, Peregrine Outfitters and NRS. In fact,
McCain estimates that he buys 50 percent of
the inventory for his camping accessory department from A16 and is
attempting a similar strategy in his paddling accessories department
by buying through NRS.
“We probably don’t do enough volume with these smaller
individual lines to go out and actually buy the line directly from the
company,” he notes. “We also might not be hitting minimums so we
use A16 to help manage our inventory for that department.”
McCain emphasizes that A16’s on-time delivery helps his store
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keep its turns high and allows him the flexibility to try new products
without having to make a large commitment to a new company.
Black Creek Outfitters, a 10,000-square-foot standalone
specialty retailer in Jacksonville, Fla., utilizes either Peregrine
Outfi tters or Adventure 16 to supply basic camping accessories.
“We lean on A16 for Nalgene stuff and our basic accessories like
insect repellant,” says Matt Werth, a store manager at the 20-yearold
shop.
Werth estimates that Black Creek purchases about one-third of
its camping accessories through distributors and appreciates their
ability to provide quick turnarounds. “We order from Peregrine every
two weeks,” confi des Werth. “Their customer service is great. A lot
of times we’re doing our ordering on the fl y, so to be able to get a
hold of somebody on the fi rst shot is a big deal.”
Chuck Walker, general manager of Rockfish Gap Outfitters, a
standalone 6,000-square-foot specialty retail shop in Waynesboro,
Va., uses four distributors but does the majority of his buying with
Equinox and Peregrine.
“The logistics steer us toward Equinox or Peregrine most of the
time because it’s faster to get the goods from the East Coast rather
than shipping across the country,” says Walker. “We buy a lot of
little widgets and gidgets from those two companies—anything from
shoelaces and insoles, water bottles, lights, food and fuel.”
Distributor services are particularly useful in instances where
Walker says he wants to increase dollar turnover. “I’d rather tie up
fewer dollars, buy what I need and turn that department over more
often.” RJ
Rockies
Dave McAllister, hardgoods and climbing buyer
at Mountain Miser, a specialty retail shop in
Englewood, Colo., says he uses Liberty Mountain
and Adventure 16 to round out inventory in
the store’s camping accessories department,
particularly for products like Nalgene bottles and Nikwax.
“We probably buy 25 percent through distributors, and at the
very minimum, we order from Liberty once a week, usually twice
a week,” says McAllister. “I keep the freight minimums in mind,
but we’re such a small shop that often times it doesn’t pertain
to us.”
McAllister says Mountain Miser’s proximity to Liberty Mountain
allows him to receive orders in two days, and he particularly
appreciates the distributor’s 60-day dating policy.
“It offers us time to sell the product and allows me to buy more
intelligently,” he notes. “Also, I don’t have to worry about taking
multiple orders out with smaller companies. It’s one-stop shopping—
it’s the same reason people go to shopping malls.” RJ
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Northwest
Much like the rest of the nation, retailers
in the Northwest rely on distributors for small
accessory items and the benefi ts of quick
turnaround and low-to-no minimums.
“We use almost all of the major
distributors,” says Bill Davis of Idaho Mountain Touring in Boise,
Idaho. “The key is there’s usually no minimum order, and we can
get one-offs of small accessories, unlike going directly through
manufacturers that may have a minimum quantity requirement.”
One downside is that the margins sometimes aren’t as good as
they are with manufacturers, says Davis. “But the other bottom line
benefits of service and availability more than make up for that.”
“Sometimes customers come in wanting a very specifi c small
accessory that we don’t carry, and they’ll accept no substitutions,”
says Mari Friend of Sport Townsend in Port Townsend, Wash. “We
know right where to go for the quick special order. If one distributor
doesn’t have the item, another usually will. Basically we can order
as little or as much as we want, which is a big benefit for us. You
can’t always do that when you buy accessories directly from the
manufacturer.”
Staff at U.S. Outdoor Store, in Portland, Ore., say they rely on
Liberty Mountain because they like Liberty’s customer service and
product mix.
Incidentally, industry sales reps often turn down manufacturers’
requests to represent small-accessory lines, mostly because reps feel
they can’t compete with big distributors that also carry the products
and already have relationships with the rep’s accounts. B.H.
SKUs in the View
A forecast of top sellers for 1Q05, as seen by the folks at Liberty Mountain
Rockies
1. PIEPS DSP and DSP Advanced avalanche beacons
2. Outdoor Designs fl eece gloves in WindPro and
Windstopper
3. Nalgene bottles
4. Princeton Tec Aurora and Scout LED headlamps
5. YakTrax
6. Singing Rock Zenith climbing harnesses
7. Pedometers
8. Motorola radio two-packs
9. Katadyn Hiker or Guide Micro water fi lters
10. Atwater Carey Backpacker fi rst-aid kits
Southwest
1. Outdoor Designs Perma Gaiters
2. LekiSport Firn trekking poles
3. Nalgene bottles
4. Katadyn Hiker
5. Singing Rock Zenith climbing harnesses
6. Edelweiss Axis climbing rope
7. Princeton Tec EOS headlamps
8. Motorola T5500 radio two-packs
9. Atwater Carey Backpacker fi rst-aid kits
10. Brunton digital pedometers
Southeast
1. Alcohol stoves
2. Titanium fl atware and tent pegs
3. BodyGlide skin protectant
4. Granite Gear Air series stuff sacks
5. Mountain House and Backpacker’s Pantry freeze
dried foods
6. Dermatone and Aloe Gator sunscreen
7. Edelweiss Axis climbing rope
8. Nalgene bottles
9. New Guyot Designs Gription handle adapter for
Nalgene bottles
10. Princeton Tec LED headlamps
Northeast
1. Outdoor Designs Alpine and Tundra gaiters
2. Outdoor Designs fl eece gloves in WindPro and
Windstopper
3. Nalgene bottles
4. YakTrax
5. Princeton Tec Aurora and Scout LED headlamps
6. PIEPS DSP and DSP Advanced avalanche beacons
7. Katadyn Hiker or Guide Micro water fi lters
8. Motorola T5000 series radio two-packs
9. Pedometers
10. Atwater Carey Backpacker fi rst-aid kits
Midwest
1. Nalgene bottles
2. Princeton Tec Scout LED headlamps
3. Leatherman Juice series tools
4. Montane windshirts
5. Power Gel, Gu and Elete energy supplements
6. Nalgene Radius hydration packs
7. Katadyn Hiker water fi lters
8. KAVU strapvisors
9. Outdoor Designs Powerstretch hats
10. Granite Gear Air series stuff sacks
West Coast
1. PIEPS DSP and DSP Advanced avalanche beacons
2. SOS F1-ND avalanche beacons
3. Nalgene bottles
4. Edelweiss Axis climbing rope
5. Advanced Base Camp Huevos nut set
6. Liberty Mountain screwgate carabiners
7. Liberty Mountain emergency blankets
8. Outdoor Designs Windstopper softshell gloves
9. Nalgene Travel kits
10. Liberty Mountain Lexan cutlery
Source: Liberty Mountain. Projections are based on a synthesis of top-selling SKU data, by account and state reports, for
the same period in 2004, similar data from the previous quarter for non-seasonal items and an analysis of new items
available for Q1 that have quickly established momentum. For more information, write to sales@libertymountain.com.
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