B$Z: Top 50 Multisport Retailers Announced by Slowtwitch.com & TBI

Triathlon Business International (TBI), an industry organization dedicated to promoting the sport and the business of triathlon, and  Slowtwitch.com today announced the Top 50 Multisport Retailers in the United States. 

The Top 50 Retailer list was compiled by Slowtwitch.com publisher Dan Empfield through a voting process that is weighted 50 percent on suppliers' votes (run, bike, component/accessory, wetsuit and apparel manufacturers and/or distributors) and 50 percent on consumer votes, specifically the Slowtwitch.com readers. To be considered, the retailer must have a brick and mortar presence. The Top 10 Retailers will be announced at the 2016 North American TBI Industry Conference on January 25 at the Marina del Rey Marriott in Marina del Rey, California.

These are the Top 50 Multisport Retailers for 2015 (alphabetical order):

Ballots with approximately 300 retailer names divided among nine geographic areas -- West; Rockies; Prairie; Northwest; Northeast; Mid-south; Mid-Atlantic; Great Lakes; and the Deep South - were distributed to 75 suppliers. These suppliers were allowed to select 3 to 6 retailers per region depending on the size of the region, up to 47 retailers in total. 

Criteria that supplier voters were asked to consider included: technical and brand knowledge; significant triathlon-related in-store inventory; service to the local community; knowledge of the sport of triathlon; ability to work with and satisfy their customers when it comes to product match, size, fit and equipment set-up; and other value-added customer extras such as sponsorship of races; training rides; workshops and guest speakers.

Slowtwitch's readers voted for retailers based on nine parameters, from inventory breadth and depth, to staff product knowledge, to parking and hours.

"Triathlon Business International has been honored to partner with Slowtwitch.com the past six years to present the Top 10 and Top 50 Triathlon Retailers." said TBI board secretary Peter Hurley when the list was announced. "We think it's important to recognize the best shops throughout the United States, ones who have done a great job offering the top products, technical expertise and professional services to their triathlete customers."

From this list of 50, the Top 10 multisport retailers will be announced and honored at the TBI Awards Celebration and Banquet on January 25 along with the best published triathlon article, best triathlon photograph, best events and videos, and the Ron Smith and Steve Hed Award winners.

Sponsors of the 2016 TBI Conference include  The ACTIVE Network, Headsweats,  Endurance Sportswire, Bicycle Retailer and Industry News (BRAIN), Quintana Roo, Bonk Breaker, Endurance Films and Xterra Wetsuits. TBI Corporate Partners are Ashworth Awards and FinisherPix.

Companies interested in conference sponsorship or Expo space should contact Shannon Standefer.

Conference details, including schedule and list of attendees, and online registration are available at http://www.triathlonbusinessintl.com/2016-la-conference.html.