Brad Schweig of Sunnyland Outdoor Living has been working to create a group of established, noncompeting independent casual retailers to share ideas, challenges and limited financial information to benefit their businesses. Schweig said he hopes the group can hold its first meeting in February 2027.
“I’ve liked the performance group idea for a long time, but I think there would be a lot of value in having one specifically for outdoor furniture retailers,” Schweig said. “We all deal with a lot of the same stuff. Inventory, seasonality, staffing, delivery, sales, marketing — there’s no reason we can’t learn from what other good retailers are doing.”
The group would essentially serve as an informal board of directors for one another, with members visiting each other’s businesses, comparing financial and operating benchmarks, sharing best practices and holding members accountable for goals.
Schweig said the current plan calls for four group meetings per year, two of which would be two-day, in-person gatherings hosted by member retailers. The remaining two would be two-hour virtual sessions. Each meeting would include a best-practice segment where every member brings an idea or strategy that worked for their business.
The group will be led by an experienced facilitator with a strong background in the home furnishings industry and working with retailer performance groups. Membership would be limited to independent retailers in noncompeting markets, with the group having a say in potential competitive conflicts. The group is primarily intended for brick-and-mortar retailers focused on their local or regional markets rather than companies aggressively pursuing nationwide e-commerce business.
And to ensure confidentiality, the group will require members to sign a nondisclosure agreement to protect information shared among members. Schweig said the goal is to assemble a group of retailers who are willing to be candid about both what’s working and what isn’t.
“I don’t think this works if everybody just shows up and talks about how great things are,” Schweig said. “I want us to be able to say, ‘Here’s something we’re struggling with. What are you doing?’ Or, ‘Here’s something that’s working really well for us. You guys should try it.’ That’s where I think the real value is.”
Last year, Schweig formed an advertising co-op for outdoor retailers that allowed them to share costs and create more polished marketing collateral for their stores. He also moderates a private Facebook group for retailers, and this new venture aims to take that idea offline and allow retailers to forge stronger connections.
The estimated annual cost of membership in the group is expected to be around $2,000-$2,5000 annually per company, plus travel expenses.
Sunnyland has offered to host the first in-person meeting in Dallas in February, allowing Schweig’s own operation to serve as the group’s first “guinea pig.” Schweig said he is currently talking with retailers who may be interested in participating, but no formal commitments are being requested yet.
“I’m really just trying to find the right group of people at this point,” he said. “I’d rather have eight really good retailers who are willing to share and participate than fill the group just to fill it. If we get the right people in the room, I think we can all get a lot out of it.”
