With the recent surge nationwide of the Omicon variant of the COVID-19 virus, Merrell has opted to pull out of the Jan. 26-28 scheduled Outdoor Retailer, planned at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.
At the same time, it is putting the money it will be saving to good use, as the Wolverine World Wide-backed brand it will donate $25,000 to the Boulder County Wildfire Fund.
The fund was created to help those affected by the Dec. 30 wildfire that destroyed nearly 1,000 homes in the area.
Merrell said in a statement that it will work to spread awareness on how to help the Boulder community through a social media campaign.
“While we are eager to see our industry partners in person again soon and are excited to get back to Outdoor Retailer in the future, the safety and wellness of our team is our number one priority,” the statement by Merrell global brand president Chris Hufnagel said. “With respect to the outdoor community in Boulder County who are now fighting wildfires alongside a global pandemic, we’re donating funds to help the city and surrounding towns during this challenging time.”
Outdoor Retailer confirmed last week its January event would take place as an in-person event, and announced masks will be required at all times while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
PHOTO CREDIT: AP Photo by David Zalubowski
