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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Outdoors blog

Camping, hiking interest high, according to REI’s bottom line

Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) store.
Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) store.

OUTDOOR RETAILERS -- Expect to see more well-equipped paddlers on the water and hikers on the trail this year. Fueled in part by more than a million new members, REI reported record revenue in 2015 and a record amount given back to its members.

The outdoor co-op Tuesday reported revenue of $2.4 billion, up 9 percent from $2.2. billion in 2014, the Associated Press reports.

More than 72 percent of REI’s 2015 profits will go back to members, employees (who take part in a profit-sharing program) and nonprofit partners, REI said.

A record $185.3 million is being returned this week to members through annual dividends and credit-card rebates. That’s up from $168 million in 2014.

REI reached a total of more than 6 million members last year, according to the co-op’s 2015 Stewardship Report. That’s up from a total membership tally of 5.5 million in 2014, when 945,000 new members joined.

Sales in the camping, outdoor cross-training and climbing categories were strong in 2015.



Rich Landers
Rich Landers joined The Spokesman-Review in 1977. He is the Outdoors editor for the Sports Department writing and photographing stories about hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, conservation, nature and wildlife and related topics.

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