Modern R.E.I. Logo

The REI store in Mountain View, California

REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) is an American consumer cooperative that sells outdoor gear and sporting goods via the Web, catalogs, and 90 stores in 25 states. It opens six to eight new stores each year. 2005 sales exceeded US$1 billion. Image File history File links Logo_REI.jpg‎ http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1320x886, 316 KB) A R.E.I. sporting goods store in Mountain View, California just across U.S. Highway 101 from the Googleplex. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1320x886, 316 KB) A R.E.I. sporting goods store in Mountain View, California just across U.S. Highway 101 from the Googleplex. ... Mountain View is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. ... This article is about consumers in economics. ... Co-op redirects here. ... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Virgin Islands, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 3. ...

Lloyd and Mary Anderson founded REI in Seattle, Washington in 1938. The Andersons imported an Academ Pickel ice axe from Austria for themselves, and decided to set up a cooperative to help outdoor enthusiasts acquire good quality climbing gear at reasonable prices. Through the 1970s it identified itself prominently as REI Co-Op, focusing primarily on equipment for serious climbers, backpackers and mountaineering expeditions. However, in the 1980s, with changes to its Board of Directors, the emphasis shifted toward family camping and branched out into kayaking, bicycling, and other outdoor sports. Although it is still a cooperative, providing special services to its members, the "co-op" moniker has been dropped from much of its literature and advertising as it solicits business from the general public, even if they are not members. REI is now the largest consumer cooperative in the United States, with over 2.5 million active members who made a purchase in the past 12 months, and a total of about 8 million members since its inception. Nickname: The Emerald City Location of Seattle in King County and Washington Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County King County Incorporated December 2 1869  - Mayor Greg Nickels Area    - City 369. ... Ice axe 1 â€“ pick 2 â€“ head 3 â€“ adze 4 â€“ leash 5 â€“ leash stop 6 â€“ shaft with rubber grip 7 â€“ spike An ice axe is a multi-purpose mountaineering tool carried by practically every mountaineer. ...

There is a one-time fee of $15 to join the co-op. REI normally pays an annual dividend (or, in REI parlance, a "patronage rebate") check to its members equal to 8-10% of what they spent at REI in the prior year, although this is not guaranteed. The rebate, which expires on December 31 of the second calendar year following the calendar year in which purchases are made, can be used as credit for further purchases or taken as cash (or check) between July 1^st and December 31^st of the years that the dividend is valid. In recent years, REI's annual financial statements, summaries of which are mailed with the member's dividend statement and which are posted on the REI website (see link below), have shown several million dollars in unclaimed annual dividends, suggesting that not all members avail themselves of this significant membership benefit. // This article is about corporate dividends. ...

REI is headquartered in Kent, Washington. Its flagship store is in the Cascade neighborhood of Seattle at the southern end of Eastlake Avenue East. It has a distribution center in Sumner, Washington and is planning to open a second distribution center in Bedford, Pennsylvania sometime in 2007. Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County King Founded May 28, 1890 Mayor Suzette Cooke Area    - City 73. ... Bold text Cascade Cascade is a small neighborhood abutting Downtown Seattle. ... Sumner is a city located in Pierce County, Washington. ... Bedford is a borough located in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. ...

REI employs over 7,000 people, most of them in the stores, many of whom are part-time. REI has been ranked in the top 100 Companies to Work for in the United States by Fortune Magazine since 1998, which earned them a place in the Fortune Magazine's "Hall of Fame". Their most recent placing was, in 2005, ninth [1]. Employees receive discounts of up to 50% on REI merchandise, 30% on others and free use of rental gear. Categories: Magazines stubs | Time Warner subsidiaries | Business magazines ...

Although the majority of what it sells is brand-name merchandise from other companies, REI designs and sells its own private-brand gear under either the REI brand or under another, such as Novara bicycles. These products are often made by well known manufacturers such as the trekking pole maker Komperdell. The REI brand is primarally focused on value and durability. REI branded products are tested extensively by REI staff in house using specially designed tests that closely simulate outdoor use. There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

REI competes as a full-service retailer, with a fully integrated web site, including order-on-the-web and free delivery to a nearby store, rather than as a low-price retailer. Local stores host free clinics on outdoor topics and organize short trips originating from the store to explore local hikes and cycling paths. REI also is heavily involved in local communities, offering meeting space free of charge to non-profit organizations, supporting conservation efforts, and organizing yearly outdoor service outings. REI donates millions of dollars annually to conservation groups in the US. They also send volunteers to help the groups with cleaning up the environment, building new trails and teaching children the importance of caring for the enviornment. [2]

In 2006, REI purchased 11 million kilowatt hours of green power, enough to offset twenty percent of its overall power consumption. This purchase placed REI on the Environmental Protection Agency's top ten list of retailers who purchased cleanly generated electricity.[3] By 2007, REI promises to make its trips through REI Adventures carbon neutral through the purchasing of green power credits "Green Tags" [4]. REI Adventures is the first US travel company to introduce this type of program [5]. Green energy is a term used by some environmentalists to describe what they deem to be environmentally friendly sources of power. ... EPA redirects here. ... A carbon audit regime is an effective means of accounting for greenhouse gas control efforts. ... Green tags are a voluntary subsidy of the additional cost involved in generating electricity using various renewable energy methods. ...

REI has diversified its offerings into global adventure vacations though the REI Adventures branch which began in 1987 [6].

In 2006 REI started the Outdoor School in selected markets. The Outdoor School is a series of one day trips in the local area, topics include mountain biking, road biking, kayaking, family hiking and others. The current locations of the Outdoor School are the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Sacramento, Philadelphia and Washington D.C./Virginia/Maryland area.

Major competitors in the United States include the for-profit national and regional stores Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, Mountain Gear, Eastern Mountain Sports, Gander Mountain, L. L. Bean, Sierra Trading Post, Sport Chalet, and Sportman's Warehouse, as well as national sporting goods retailers such as Sports Authority, Big 5 Sporting Goods, and Dick's Sporting Goods, web retailers such as Moosejaw.com, Altrec.com, Backcountry.com, and a host of local independent retailers. Bass Pro Shops is a privately held sporting goods and outdoor goods store headquartered in Springfield, Missouri. ... Cabelas (NYSE: CAB) is a Sidney, Nebraska-based direct marketer and specialty retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor merchandise. ... The new EMS logo Eastern Mountain Sports (or EMS) is an outdoor apparel and equipment retailer in the U.S. Northeast. ... L.L.Bean, Inc. ... Based in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Sierra Trading Post sells outdoor and adventure gear, shoes and boots, casual clothing, fine suits and apparel, childrens clothing and home decor. ... A location in Eden Prairie, MN Sports Authority is a full line sporting goods retailer. ... Big 5 Sporting Goods (NASDAQ: BGFV) is a sporting goods retailer headquartered in El Segundo, California with 309 stores in ten western states. ... Dicks Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS) is the largest full-line sporting goods retailer in the world. ... Moosejaw. ... Backcountry. ...

Mountain Equipment Co-op is a comparable cooperative in Canada. Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) is a collectively owned retail co-operative, selling quality outdoor wear and clothing in Canada. ...

External links

• REI official site
  • Financial information - balance sheet, income statements, executive compensation, etc.