A quarter of the way into the year and key industry account BC Surf & Sport’s business is chugging along.
If the multi-store operator is any barometer of how the overall industry is trending, 2023 could perhaps mean a normalization – and a new chapter – that places the pandemic years in the rearview mirror.
“Overall, we’ve been happy with what we have seen for spring break,” owner Bruce Cromartie said. “We were off low-single digits for March, but it’s virtually all from relative weakness in hardgoods and boardshorts.”
“For quite a while now, we have used 2019 as a baseline to measure post-COVID numbers, but four years out, that’s not really valid anymore. I think this year will have a lot to say about what we can expect for trends going forward.”
SES had a chance to visit Cromartie late last month and walk BC’s Fort Lauderdale store on Federal Highway. The location is one of nine stores in three states under Cromartie’s ownership. Seven of those operate under the BC name in Colorado, Florida, and Utah. The other two are Billabong stores in Boca Raton and Deerfield Beach, Florida.
Click on the following link to view the entire SES interview with Bruce Cromartie (BRA Board Member and owner of BRA Distinguished Retail Member BC Surf & Sport); https://shop-eat-surf.com/2023/04/bc-owner-on-business-sales-trends-and-a-move-away-from-covid-comparisons/
Kari Hamanaka can be reached at kari@shop-eat-surf.com
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