The Timberland Co. has become the 75th vendor partner of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance (Grassroots), a buying group of 47 outdoor specialty retailers with about $225 million a year in sales.
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The Timberland brand was established in 1973 in New Hampshire when Abington Shoe Company introduced the iconic yellow Timberland work boot. In 1978, they changed the company name to The Timberland Company, and emerged at the forefront of the corporate sustainability movement through, among other things, its Path to Service program, which pays employees for up to 40 hours of community service work every year. The company was acquired by VF Corp. in 2012. "Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is respected not only for promoting the outdoor industry as a whole, but also for its commitment to protecting the outdoor playground for future generations," noted Timberland President Patrik Frisk. "This is right in line with our values at Timberland. Beyond that, joining Grassroots gives us a great opportunity to collaborate with our industry peers as we all seek to understand the intersection of sport and fashion. Today's consumers are looking for gear that offers both performance and style, which is heavily influencing design and the need for more versatile products. We're excited to work with Grassroots Outdoor Alliance to explore the opportunities for supporting specialty retailers and growing the outdoor market."
One of the reasons Grassroots was interested in developing a vendor partnership with Timberland is their commitment to doing the right thing. Whether it's making products with the environment in mind, volunteering in their communities, or having one of the toughest Codes of Conduct around, Timberland cares about their colleagues, their community and their planet. They truly believe that HOW they do their business matters.
"Timberland is one of the Outdoor Industry's Iconic brands with more brand recognition than any other brand in our industry," said Dawson Wheeler, Chairman of Grassroots Vendor Committee and co-owner of Rock/Creek, a Chattaooga, TN based retailer. "Their drive to become a growing part of Outdoor Specialty Retail is exciting to us and we also share many core values."
