Earlier this week, the ICFA responded to a recent opinion piece I wrote about the Apollo Awards and what the seemingly similar lists of finalists mean for the industry.
My goal was not to discredit the ICFA, the awards, or the amazing retailers that win them. In fact, the award is rather prestigious in our industry and should be coveted and sought out by industry members.
That’s why I argued that there should be an award for full-line retailers. The more people we recognize and get involved in the industry, the stronger we’ll be.
I stand firm that I simply said the quiet part out loud — what sources say and believe but are hesitant to say on the record.
As an intelligence source, Casual News Now wants to help lift up the industry, challenge it with new ideas, and shine a light on topics not being talked about as much.
All of this is done with the purpose to help move the industry forward — because outdoor business is not slowing down anytime soon.
Talking with industry members at the market this week, it’s clear that no one is sure just how many casual specialty retailers there are in the U.S. for two reasons.
One, there hasn’t been enough research done on retailers specifically in the outdoor category.
But the second reason is because the meaning of “casual specialty retailer” is interpreted differently by everyone. Is it just retailers who only sell outdoor? Do ski and hearth shops that carry outdoor count?
And if those stores do, then do full-line furniture stores count? Because depending on how you look at them, even many of those retailers — like Furnitureland South, Nebraska Furniture Mart and Rooms To Go — specialize in the category in their own way.
But here’s what we do know. According to IBISWorld, there are 27,708 furniture stores in the U.S as of 2022 and 20,771 “outdoor furniture businesses” in the U.S. as of 2022.
So unless there are only 7,000 more furniture stores than there are casual specialty stores in the U.S., that means there are 20,771 furniture stores that also sell the outdoor category.
But regardless of how many specialty casual retailers there are or how they’re defined, there’s no denying that indoor retailers and manufacturers are entering the outdoor space at a rapid pace because they realize the value of the category.
That’s unquestionably changing the industry, so isn’t it reasonable to believe that we will need to change as well?
And that if we don’t do it sooner, then there might not be a later?
Now that everyone is expanding into casual, the industry can grow in a way that’s never been seen before. Casual News Now isn’t here to bring down the industry with negativity or tell people they’re doing things wrong.
Our goal is to provide retail intelligence to the industry, as our tagline says, and show the industry not only what others are doing differently, but what we can do differently as an industry as well.
Perhaps if we keep saying the quiet part out loud we can push the industry forward and help everyone in it thrive.
