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SAVING
OUR SHOPS
BRA
PRESIDENT ROY TURNER OFFERS SUPPORT TO BOARDSPORT RETAIL
By Chris Towery Although
the phrase "surf business" may sound like an oxymoron, in
reality, our industry is a well-oiled, money-making machine.
While surfers were able to fend off the corporate world for
some time, the suits eventually found a way to profit from
our stoke. In many cases, the merger has been positive: better
materials, easier travel, and enhanced safety. However, the
economic evolution has also caused a pillar of our industry--independently
owned surf shops--to face possible extinction. But one East
Coaster is stepping up to save our shops.
For 25 years, Roy Turner owned Wrightsville Beach, NC's, hugely successful Surf City Surf Shop, but last year he sold the business to found Board Retailer's Association (BRA). As a nonprofit entity, BRA provides all independent boardsport retailers with a cohesive voice within the industry, while also offering members financial and functional benefits. Though it may sound impossible for a 45-year-old former shopowner to take on the surf biz barons, as BRA's president, Turner is already making an impact. Recently named one of the "Seven Most Influential People In The Surf Industry" by Transworld Surf Business and organizing the first-ever manufacturer/ retailer summit at this spring's SIMA Summit convention, Turner is fighting to make independent boardsport retail a profitable part of the big business bottom line.
RT:
Every
year, a group of shopowners would get together at the tradeshows
to discuss our problems and concerns. We soon realized that
we all had the same issues. And when things started getting
tougher for us with mall stores running rampant, and groups
like Target and Wal-Mart starting to buy our look, I began
thinking of ways to protect us. I asked, "What's special
about specialty retail anymore?" A lot of guys didn't have
an answer, but some pointed out that they still sold surfboards,
skateboards, or snowboards instead of just clothes. I said,
"Right. But what can we do to ensure that it stays that
way?" That's how the BRA took shape.
ESM:
What are the association's major goals?
RT:
Our main goal is survival. The retail playing field is really
changing. Manufacturers are starting to open their own stores,
companies are going public, and big chains are coming on
the scene. It's a natural time for us to get together and
secure, or at least define, our place in the industry. You
can do this partly through involvement. If you're part of
the process, then you're important to the industry. Whereas,
if we don't participate--either on a style or function level--why
shouldn't there be company-owned stores?
ESM:
Outside of survival, what are BRA's other benefits?
RT:
For $125 a year, members get insane freight deals, great
insurance programs, credit card discounts, payroll processing,
cheap web hosting, and access to educational programs. At
both tradeshows, we're doing something called Retail University--a
series of seminars teaching retailers how to do things right.
We eventually want to make these into a series of ten, where
if you attend all of them and are able to pass a test at
the end, you get certified in a certain area. Our industry
leaders are graying, so we want to teach the young guys
to carry the industry forward. Because in 10 or 15 years,
most of the older guys won't be around.
ESM:
On your website, you point out that BRA is not a union.
How are you different?
RT:
Unions usually work solely for the membership, but we're
working for the industry. We don't force any issue. We'd
never say, "If you don't work with us, we're not going to
buy your lines." That's not our mentality. The idea is to
find a cohesive voice, but at that same time, be a platform
for all voices. Being a member of BRA doesn't mean you have
to agree with everything we say. Try telling that to a union.
ESM:
So
how are you going to ensure manufacturers comply?
RT:
We give back whenever we get something. When we negotiate,
we strive to ensure that there's something in it for everyone.
For example, we're currently trying to standardize shipping
protocols. Whenever you have returns to a manufacturer,
there are a lot of hours lost on both ends. So we're putting
a price on the problem and saying to companies, "Okay, every
time this happens, it costs both of us $500 per store, per
month to resolve. Can we work together on this to save us
both time and money?"
ESM:
But how can small, independent retailers ever compete with
big chains?
RT:
Shops provide service on the back end. The chains give you
great price and distribution, but somebody has to show customers
how to fit into those snowboard boots or know what size
surfboard someone needs. So we're coming up with things
like the SAT, or Surfboard Aptitude Test, where we systemize
a program for new employees, so they know how to sell boards
correctly. By making better retailers, it helps everyone.
ESM:
BRA had its first industry summit at this year's SIMA convention.
What went down?
RT:
We had the first-ever formal meetings between shops and
manufacturers, where we discussed a lot of issues. For one,
we voiced our concerns with e-commerce. If you look at other
industries, mail order and e-commerce became major problems.
It almost killed the tennis industry, and it severely impacted
golf. We also talked about company-owned stores on a realistic
level. We understand that publicly owned companies will
always have their own stores, so we looked at ways to exist
together. Most importantly, we're trying to establish protocols
and working relationships with manufacturers, so we can
better communicate. Until now, there's never been a way
to initiate negotiation--we all negotiated on a one-on-one
basis. But the companies can't logistically do that anymore.
ESM:
How have the manufacturers reacted?
RT:
Most of them have been very receptive. Some question our
strength. It would be different if we had 3000 shops, but
there's the potential to get to that level. Right now, we
have 150 members with about 300 storefronts. We're like
the who's who of retailers. Our first-year goal was to get
the top 100 surf shops, and we hit that goal, so companies
are seeing that we accomplished what we said we would.
ESM:
What are you planning for the second year and beyond?
RT:
We want the top 50 snowboard accounts, the top 100 skate
accounts, and the second tier of surf accounts. Ultimately,
I'd love to see BRA broken down into sector committees--a
southeast, northeast, west, and maybe a central group. If
we need to be vocal on local issues, we'd have a strong
enough membership to function as a subgroup. The certification
program is also important because many guys are doing this
as a career and need something on their resume other than
that they worked at a surf shop for ten years.
ESM:
That's if shops can survive that long...
RT:
You're right. When I was a kid, you bought clothes at men's
wear stores. But now, you buy your clothes from big chains
because there aren't any men's wear stores. We don't want
our kids saying, "Remember when you used to buy surfboards
in surf shops?"
ESM:
But
because surfing and other boardsports have counterculture
roots, don't you think that there will always be factions
operating outside Wal-Mart?
RT:
I
call that the "deviance advantage." But the problem is that
you get a sameness across the industry. While the fringe
will always be different, as you apply it to the masses,
or as the market expands, it loses its cool.
ESM:
Like a band that becomes too mainstream...
RT:
Exactly. That's the same problem we face. It's so difficult
for upstart manufacturers to get in the game that we no
longer find the different items with that cool. Over-distribution
eliminates the cool. I mean, all eight shops in my town
have the same posters, the same fixtures, the same everything.
In the old days, every shop was different. One was hardcore
and catered to punkers. One was for frat boys. One was for
rednecks. They were all surf shops, but they each had their
own vibe.
ESM:
But in the beginning, didn't most shops fight to get the
same lines?
RT:
That's the paradox. I think we've homogenized and begun
to play it safe as businesspeople. But I'd love to see the
individuality ooze again. Specialty retailers need to push
the envelope and develop something new or at least create
an atmosphere that's different. I want to walk into a store
and go, "Wow, this is Quiet Flight!" Or go, "Wow, this is
Natural Art!" It could be that somebody is more music-oriented
or somebody is more goth. But in the end, boards are the
great equalizers, not the clothes. I mean, why is it called
a surf shop? Easy. Because it has surfboards.
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