Sperry and Lamo Join Merrell in Opting Out of Outdoor Retailer Amid COVID-19 Surge
Although the upcoming Outdoor Retailer Snow Show in Denver is a go, several leading footwear brands in the market have backed out due to the recent nationwide COVID-19 surge.
Sperry and Lamo have confirmed with FN that they will no longer attend the event, scheduled for Jan. 26-28 at the Colorado Convention Center, over Omicron concerns.
Merrell announced Monday that it will not attend this month’s trade show because of the increased infection rate of COVID-19. Instead, it will shift its focus to help those impacted by the late-December wildfires in Boulder County, Colo., that ravaged roughly 1,000 homes in the area. Merrell stated a portion of the savings from backing out have resulted in a $25,000 donation to the Boulder County Wildfire Fund.
FN will update the story as more brands confirm they will no longer attend. Requests for response from Outdoor Retailer were not returned by time of publication.
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Outdoor Retailer confirmed on Jan. 5 that amid COVID-19 surges, its January show is still on.
“We understand the decision to attend may be difficult right now, but we are here to support the retailers and brands looking to get their business done quickly and efficiently in this critical winter timeframe. We stand with Surf Expo, CES, NRF and the other shows serving their communities in January, and we hope you will too,” Marisa Nicholson, Outdoor Retailer SVP and show director, said at the time in a statement.
Additionally, Outdoor Retailer announced that masks are required at all times while indoors, regardless of vaccination status. And on a separate health and safety protocol landing page on its website, Outdoor Retailer listed several other suggestions for attendees before arriving including getting vaccinated for COVID-19 or the booster shot, getting a flu shot and getting tested for COVID-19.
