Since taking over the CEO role at rental and outdoor retailer Christy Sports in November 2023, Pete LaBore and Chief Marketing and Merchandising Officer Danielle Quatrochi have worked to clean up Christy’s bloated inventory, optimize store labor in a challenging labor market, and refresh its mission and marketing to focus on inclusivity.
“In many ways, it’s been back to some basics for Christy Sports,” LaBore said in an interview with SESO.
Retail was sluggish through much of last year, LaBore said, but has shown signs of improvement.
“Customers were reluctant to purchase at retail, whether it was hardgoods or softgoods,” LaBore said. “Whether that was [due to] macroeconomics effects or from other places, it’s hard to say. But it was just a tough, tough year in terms of retail.”
Since upgrading its rental experience in January 2024, renter numbers have increased after a poor snow season last season, particularly in Colorado where the retailer is headquartered. But those rentals are, on average, for one day less than in previous years, he said.
“We’ve seen a little bit of a slowdown in skier visits in the early part of this season so far, which I think has been similar across the industry,” LaBore said.
Over the past year, Christy Sports has also increased communication across the company and functions, aligned the merchandising and marketing calendar, and refreshed its assortment.
Challenges in New Mexico led the team to exit its four stores in the state in April 2024. Last year, Christy expanded by four stores, adding locations in Telluride and Aspen, bringing the current total to 55.
Exiting New Mexico and Smaller-Footprint Expansion
“We’ve been in that New Mexico region for four or five years, and despite all the great, hard work of our employees, we just couldn’t make that region work financially,” LaBore said. The stores weren’t profitable on a cash basis over the five years, he said.
Christy Sports will continue refining its rental services this year. Photo courtesy of Christy Sports.
Fortunately, Christy Sports found a competitor to take over the locations, and LaBore said most of its employees were able to transition to that retailer.
This year, LaBore is looking at expanding into smaller-footprint locations now that they’re on better footing, he said.
“We would love to continue to explore new stores in some of our existing markets,” he said, which are Montana, Utah, Washington, and Colorado.
Staffing stores in mountain towns continues to be a challenge because of the high cost of housing and increasing wage expectations among seasonal workers or employees who don’t want to stay at the retailer for more than one or two years. Christy’s aims to differentiate itself on service and expertise and wants to continue to invest in employees who will stay with the retailer long-term.
“We’ve got employees that have been with us for 25, 30 years,” LaBore said. “And so we want to build that tenure of employees.”
That means helping those that have the right passion and commitment to secure housing as well as paying them a reasonable wage.
“I don’t think it’s a unique challenge to us, but it’s a challenge for the industry that isn’t going away any time soon.”
What Brands are Selling
Going into this year, inventory is in a much healthier place than it was when LaBore and Quatrochi joined Christy, they said. The retailer had “a little too much of everything” post-COVID, they said, because demand decreased so dramatically as the world returned to normal.
They discounted and offloaded a lot of inventory, which included hardgoods and softgoods, and carried some over while buying more appropriately for the new era.
Quatrochi said bigger brands such as Salomon on the hardgoods side and Helly Hansen on the softgoods side are both in-demand this season. But there’s also a lot of demand for newer brands bringing unique offerings such as Halfdays ski apparel and Airblaster snowboard gear.
“It could be fun prints or something unique to the overall aesthetic because they are looking for something slightly different,” she said.
Christy is also seeing success with its own logo among tourists who want to remember their trip, Quatrochi said. That could be a blanket with the ski runs on it or a branded water bottle, she said.
Demand for footwear is strong, too. Staple footwear, such as cold weather boots, move well, but so do trendier products by brands such as Ugg and Birkenstock. Christy Sports will continue to balance fashionable offerings with the core specialty ones.
“People seem to get really excited about the newness,” Quatrochi said.
Inviting Everyone to Mountain Life
Christy Sports’ refreshed vision, mission, and values statements put inclusiveness at the core of the business, LaBore said, which is designed to welcome new faces to mountain life and sport who will hopefully become long-term customers.
Christy’s new tagline, Outside is Better, brings its values to life. Photo courtesy of Christy Sports.
The new vision, “We welcome everyone to experience the joy of mountain life and sport,” guides all banners under Christy Sports, which includes Alpineer, Boot Doctors, Powder Tools, Sturtevant’s in the Pacific Northwest, and Leisure Living. It also now encompasses both the snow and patio business, which makes up about 10% of Christy’s revenue.
“We have to make sure we are mom-and-pop in the front and the way our guest experiences the type of service that we offer,” LaBore said. “But given some of the economics, we have to have scale in the back, because the economics are challenging.”
That comes to life in its offerings, which aim to be varied, high-quality, and affordable, and in its services and marketing efforts.
“You can walk into a ski shop or snowboard shop and feel a little bit intimidated, right? ‘I don’t know the gear. I don’t know what I’m going to do,’” LaBore said. “We try to provide the opposite. We don’t care what level you are. We don’t care what your experience or background is. We want you to basically go out on the mountain, enjoy the process. We strive to be really inviting.”
The future of the snow industry depends on new participants getting involved, LaBore said.
Kids Ski Free at Christy Sports means kids get free ski rentals. Photo courtesy of Christy Sports.
Christy’s new tagline, Outside is Better, also brings those values to life. Marketing efforts showcase why it’s important to get a boot fitting, for example, and access other specialty services to ensure new participants have a comfortable day on the slopes. Marketing copy is fun, inviting, and doesn’t exclude anyone, he said.
Christy’s Kids Ski Free program for rental gear is also designed to make skiing more affordable for families.
“We as an industry have to find ways to ensure that new, younger generations, folks across all backgrounds have a chance to experience the fun of sliding on snow,” LaBore said.
Looking Ahead
Christy Sports anticipates that March will be a strong month for the ski business because historically there’s good snow and kids get spring break.
That should help Christy finish its fiscal year, which ends in April, on a positive note.
The retailer is also adding more lifestyle apparel and footwear to complement its patio inventory, to serve guests from trail to town this summer.
“They want to find casual apparel that they can wear to go for a hike, but also still wear on a walk into town,” LaBore said.
For the snow season next year, Christy will continue to focus on providing stellar specialty service, having the right assortment, and being in the right locations. It will also streamline its rental business to make it more convenient by making online reservations easier in addition to pickups and drop-offs.
“The majority of our consumers, more than 70%, start online by creating that online reservation and then drive to the store for pickup,” Quatrochi said. But rather than just handing off gear like some rental outlets, it’s important to provide convenient, fast service to ensure everything fits well and customers don’t have a miserable time on the mountain. “And then we have another opportunity to engage them, of course, at drop off. So that’s just something that we’re always looking to refine and make better year over year.”
Kate Robertson can be reached at kate@shop-eat-surf-outdoor.com.
