REI to close all 143 stores on Black Friday

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Oct 27, 2015

REI will have no part of Black Friday this holiday season. Jerry Stritzke, President and CEO of REI, announced in a statement that REI will close all 143 of its store on Black Friday, November 27, and will pay its employees to go outside.

“For 76 years, our co-op has been dedicated to one thing and one thing only: a life outdoors,” Stritzke said in a statement. “We believe that being outside makes our lives better. And Black Friday is the perfect time to remind ourselves of this essential truth.”
 
REI, which stands for Recreational Equipment, Inc., is an award-winning provider of outdoor gear. It launched a website, optoutside.rei.com, to promote that all stores will be closed on November 27. The website features a countdown to Black Friday, challenges fans of the brand to see the outdoors on that day, and shares the outdoor plans of fans through the promotional hashtag, #optoutside.

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Stritzke said, “We're a different kind of company—and while the rest of the world is fighting it out in the aisles, we’ll be spending our day a little differently. We’re choosing to opt outside, and want you to come with us.”

REI is a privately held American retail corporation organized as a consumers' cooperative, selling outdoor recreation gear, sporting goods, and clothing via some 140 retail stores in 33 states, catalogs, and the Internet. REI's annual sales in 2014 were $2.2 billion, up 10 percent over its sales in 2013.