Revamping ISPO, Inside KMD's Strategic Review & The Truth Behind Recreation dot Gov
6/1/202648 min
Dive beyond the PR spin with Outdoor Unfiltered, your insider look into the outdoor industry's biggest shifts. In this episode, host Eoin Comerford breaks down why KMD Brands -- the parent company of global surf icon Rip Curl, retail giant Kathmandu, and hiking footwear favorite Oboz -- has launched a major strategic review.
Next, we call out the non-stop promotional spam from recreation.gov, peeling back the curtain on its operator, Booz Allen Hamilton, and how their contract impacts public lands' funding. On a brighter note, we highlight Mountain High Outfitters and their impressive 31-store expansion, showing why the "Big Os" specialty retail model is thriving.
Finally, Mike Seaman and Tracy Bebbington of Racoon Media Group join the show to discuss their massive €3 million investment to revitalize and completely revamp the iconic ISPO show as it moves to Amsterdam this November.
Timestamps:
- [00:22] – KMD Brands Strategic Review: What does the future hold for Kathmandu, Rip Curl, and Oboz under their New Zealand-based parent company?
- [04:45] – The Recreation.gov Spam Machine: Why a private contract with Booz Allen Hamilton is driving massive revenue away from our underfunded National Parks.
- [07:11] – Specialty Retail Success: How Mountain High Outfitters is bucking the trend with its 31st store expansion.
- [09:05] – Interview with Racoon Media Group: Mike Seaman and Tracy Bebbington lay out their €3 million plan to relocate, revamp, and revitalize the iconic ISPO show in Amsterdam.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsEoin Comerford· Host0:01
Welcome to Outdoor Unfiltered. Today we'll be covering the parent of Rip Curl, Oboz and Kathmandu launches a strategic review, why recreation.gov is spamming everyone, outdoor specialty expansion at Mountain High Outfitters, and then later in the show I'll be joined by Mike Seaman and Tracy Bebbington of Raccoon Media Group to talk about how they're investing three million euro in revitalizing the iconic ISPO show. This is Outdoor Unfiltered, where we dig beyond the PR speak to see what's really going on in the outdoor industry. Not just what happened, but why it happened and why it matters. I'm Owen Comerford, a former CEO, advisor to outdoor brands, and consigliere to The Rock Fight. Okay, let's get into it. So we're gonna start with KMD Brands. And if you're sitting there thinking, "Who the heck is KMD Brands?" Well, that's actually part of the story. So KMD is the New Zealand-based parent company behind three brands that matter in outdoor and action sports: Kathmandu, Rip Curl, and Oboz. So Kathmandu is the outdoor retail and apparel brand in Australia and New Zealand. Rip Curl is one of the most iconic global surf brands, and Oboz is the Montana-based hiking footwear brand that many US outdoor retailers know and love. So this isn't some obscure little holding company. This is a company that sits at the intersection of surf, outdoor,