Grassroots Opens Buying Show to Non-Members

Influential buying group, the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, officially unveiled Grassroots Connect, an early buying show that has been added to the groups members-only Grassroots Summit taking place this November in Knoxville, Tenn. Grassroots vendors and retailers will attend the Grassroots Summit on November 8 to 11, which will be immeditately followed by Grassroots Connect buying event, set to run from mid-day on November 11 though 6pm on November 13.

A selected group of non-member retailers will be invited to the Connect event, and invited retailers will be reimbursed for the vast majority of their costs to attend, including hotel and transportation, says Grassroots. Former Outdoor Retailer Show Director Kenji Haroutunian will serve as the Grassroots CONNECT Show Director.

“CONNECT is about making it more efficient for the core of the outdoor industry to get it’s work done in a manner and timeframe that levels the playing field for specialty. It will bring together 100 iconic brands with 100 of the top specialty outdoor retailers in the United States,” said Wes Allen, president of Grassroots. “This is an opportunity for brands and retailers to get the heavy lifting of line showings completed at a time of year that makes sense for everyone. Brands can show early enough to get good reads on their orders, and retailers will be able to efficiently see and write their biggest vendors before they shift their focus to the crucial holiday sales season.”

Grassroots reportedly reached out to Emerald Expositions, owners of the Outdoor Retailer trade shows, about working together, but decided amicably that the two groups has different goals for their respective events. Grassroots, for its part, is focused on the role of specialty dealers, while OR serves a broader market.

“It’s a very focused vision – highly productive meetings between the best of retail and the best brands. No loud music, no trying to work around the lines forming for beer – but high quality interactions in a very professional environment,” Allen told Outdoor Magazine, about the event.

“I think that if we were somehow deeply involved in what [Grassroots] is looking at doing, it might add an element of confusion or complication,” added Darrell Denny, Executive Vice President for Sports & Apparel at Emerald. “It’s not an event that we’re endorsing, but it’s not an event that we feel any reason to be negative about either.”

Grassroots, formed 21 years ago as an independent specialty retailers’ buying group, is owned and operated by its retail members. Membership now numbers 56 independent specialty retail stores and 77 brands.

“At ExOfficio, we see the Grassroots Summit as a cornerstone event to our seasonal launch process,” commented Brian Thompson, the General Manager of Ex Officio. “The show is easily the most productive event we attend each season. With the introduction of Grassroots Connect, we now have the opportunity to bring this fantastic format to a greater number of top outdoor specialty retailers.”

For more information, contact Kenji Haroutunian kenji@kenjiconsults.com or Wes Allen wes@grassrootsoutdoors.com.