America’s Backyards & Outdoor Living makes big moves

Whether because of its large container volume or a president who isn’t afraid to take risks, America’s Backyards & Outdoor Living has always been a unique player in the casual industry.

Although it primarily imported products from its facility in China, the company opened a new plant in Vietnam in September to help avoid some of the tariffs put into effect by President Trump. 

“We’re vertically integrated like we were in China, and we’ll start building cast extrusions on site next year,” said company President John Hunt. “We’ve got the only true cast programs being built in Vietnam. A lot of people have made investments in Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and elsewhere, but all of those markets are volatile. There is a limited number of people, and everyone is trying to hire the same workers who aren’t skilled yet.”

The company isn’t 100% out of China, but Hunt says they are making moves in that direction.

“I came back from China not too many months ago; it was clear that the volume is off,” he said. “I’ve seen entire factories shuttered, and not just our industry.”

Hunt also made another bold move this year: He gave up America’s Backyards showroom space in AmericasMart and will no longer show at the Casual Market.

“After a slow show in July, I decided it wasn’t worth it for us to continue showing in Atlanta,” he said. “I don’t feel that the industry is meeting the needs of companies that do container business. They don’t take us seriously. And I don’t think there’s any reason that the industry needs two Casual Markets eight weeks apart.”

Hunt says he believes there has been a shift in how trade shows should be held. He calls it “long Covid” because decisions in the casual industry continue to be impacted by the effects of Covid.

“Historically, premarket for casual is kind of like High Point’s premarket — there are a limited number of players who do high volume with a limited number of retailers. July Casual Market is not a premarket anymore because every showroom is open, and the 10th floor has all of the temporaries out,” he said.

Overall, Hunt said business is off in the entire industry. Many retailers are still sitting on inventory from Covid, according to Hunt, and prices have gone up across the country.

“We don’t know what the prices are going to be tomorrow,” Hunt said. “So everything is very fluid right now and everyone is waiting for the decisions to be made for next year. And it’s not just outdoor. People bought so many products during Covid without tariffs; why would they need to replace that furniture so soon?

“I hoped that 2025-2026 would be a game changer, and now it looks like it will be 2026-2027,” he said. “I think a lot of people better tighten their belts and ride out the storm. And be very careful where you spend your dollars because it’s going be a long 16 to 18 months.”