LAGUNA HILLS, CA (BRAIN)—Bicycle Retailer and Industry News has selected Leisure Trends Group to develop its annual list of Top 100 Retailers, one of the most popular annual features in the magazine.
This year the Top 100 will be announced at Interbike and honored at a special reception the first night of the show. The retail listing will be included in the first day’s Show Daily and the November issue of the magazine will contain a special section with a store-by-store profile of each retailer.
Leisure Trends takes over the project from Boulder Sports Research, a Boulder, Colorado, company owned by Thomas Prehn. Prehn’s group has compiled the annual list of the nation’s Top 100 since 2005.
“We’re very grateful to Thomas for championing this project from its infancy and building it into a respected retail recognition program,” said Marc Sani, the magazine’s publisher. Prehn, who also manages CatEye in the U.S., wanted to focus more on the CatEye brand and is advising Leisure Trends on the shift.
“Developing the list is a time consuming process, and Thomas has done a great job over the years. Leisure Trends has a long track record when it comes to research and will do a great job on this project,” he said. Leisure Trends also collects sales data for the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association and is well qualified to handle the Top 100, Sani added
Historically, sales representatives from a dozen leading bicycle and accessory companies were invited to nominate the top stores in their territories based on market share, store appearance and community outreach. Scores were then weighted and tallied to determine the Top 100 list.
To build on the existing methodology, Leisure Trends will more than double the number of industry companies whose reps will be invited to participate. By increasing the breadth and depth of voting representatives, it will create a larger pool of retail nominees.
In addition, Leisure Trends Group will add a measure of industry commitment to determine the final rankings. Nominated retailers will receive additional merit for membership in industry organizations, support of advocacy organizations and attendance at trade events.
“As Leisure Trends Group becomes more active in the industry, it’s very exciting for us to be a part of the Top 100 process,” said Charlie Cooper, president of LTG. “Our resources will help to more broadly represent the industry and recognize the best retailers in the country.”
Online ballots will go out to rep forces in early July. Companies interested in participating in the nominating process can contact Leisure Trends Group at 303-786-7900 x115 for Charlie Cooper (ccooper@leisuretrends.com) or 303-786-7900 x126 for JJ Rudman (jrudman@leisuretrends.com).
