Since the start of the pandemic, people have found alternate ways to stay active and fit even as many gyms implement restrictions or completely shut down. Running has emerged as one of the more popular hobbies people have taken up this year, according to Jim Weber, CEO of Brooks Running.
"We've seen, I think, 1.6 million new runners this year into our brand alone; so, there's no question that even with our sports shut down, we think more people are running than ever before," Weber told Cheddar.
The brand saw 49 percent global growth in Q3, a mark Weber attributes to new runners and its status as a subsidiary of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.
The likelihood that the trend continues beyond the pandemic, according to the CEO, is promising. Weber pointed to the Great Recession of 2008 as a measuring stick after people picked up running as part of their daily exercise regimens and appeared to stick with it.
"So, we think this is actually the beginning of a new running boom. Next year, hopefully, when our sport opens back up from 5Ks to the Olympics and marathons and group runs, we think that's going to be a turbocharger to the growth that we're seeing now," he said.
While the broader retail industry took a major blow this year, Brooks only faced a small hiccup at the start of the pandemic and "saw signals starting in April that people were going out the door and running," Weber said. Though major events were put on hold, people were likely running to take advantage of the health perks it offers, he suggested.
"Now, I think what's keeping people out there is literally the mental benefits. We all know the physical benefits and the like but taking a part of the day and getting outdoors, getting some fresh air, and moving is just such a key part in staying healthy in this environment that we're in right now," he said.
About 780,000 pressure washers sold at retailers like Home Depot are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada, due to a projectile hazard that has resulted in fractures and other injuries among some consumers.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
Ford is recalling more than 355,000 of its pickup trucks across the U.S. because of an instrument panel display failure that’s resulted in critical information, like warning lights and vehicle speed, not showing up on the dashboard.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
