[ad_1]
Gazelle Sports CEO Jennifer Bramit I came to her position at an interesting time. The 40-year-old, who has worked with Gazelle in various capacities since 2003, became the Kalamazoo-based company’s first CEO in July 2020. Drought caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Gazelle has her two locations in Grand Rapids, Northville, Birmingham, Kalamazoo and The Netherlands. Brummitt has spoken with Crain’s about the resurgence of his athletic wear company since the start of the pandemic.
- You were appointed Gazelle’s first CEO during a turbulent time in Gazelle. Are you ready for this role in July 2020?
I didn’t feel ready to step into my role during the pandemic. This situation gave me the opportunity to lean into vulnerability as we were all facing new and varied situations every day that companies and communities had never faced before. It felt more comfortable to lean back and say “I don’t know” and get feedback on how to do our best in times of real uncertainty. I learned to react quickly to situations.
- What kinds of changes (structural, product, etc.) have you made in your roughly three years as CEO of Gazelle?
Our product mix has remained virtually unchanged, keeping the core of our business focused on running shoes and walking footwear. During the pandemic, we are honored to see more people integrating health into their lives and to support their journey. In terms of our structure, we have moved to a regional model of managing brick-and-mortar businesses. The state he divided into three regions: metropolitan Detroit, metropolitan Grand Rapids, and southwestern Michigan. He promoted three store managers to newly created regional roles. Each of our stores has its own uniqueness that stems from its respective team and community. Moving to this regional model has improved connectivity and collaboration between stores within a region. Especially since we keep adding doors.
- How bad were Gazelle’s poor sales early in the pandemic?
The doors to our five locations were closed for 76 days. From March 2020 to his May, our overall sales were down about 60%. Luckily, we had a pretty strong e-commerce business, so during the pandemic, we saw customers turn to our website to find shoes and apparel.
- Everyone was scared when things closed in 2020. Much of what Gazelle offers is for external activities. Was there any internal shock when sales fell in 2020?
I don’t know if there was a shock that sales fell during that time. They were missing opportunities to connect with customers through in-store experiences and community events. That’s what makes Gazelle Sports so special to us. When we were able to reopen our doors, we were pleasantly surprised to see new customers walking and running through our doors during the pandemic. Decreased. A meager 13% drop after being closed during our busiest two months felt like a huge win.
- Gazelle did not expect to be profitable in 2020, according to a 2020 Crain report. Has the company become profitable since then? Will sales recover after the summer of 2020? Can you tell me how sales have grown each year since then?
The last two years have seen a significant increase in overall sales. In 2021, he increased by more than 39% compared to 2020. Last year he increased by 13.5% compared to 2021. This growth can be attributed to several different factors. People are back to shopping in brick and mortar stores. E-commerce sales and sales continue to grow through third-party sites such as Amazon. The opening of his second store in Grand Rapids in May is also effective.
- Do you have plans to expand further in the future?
I’m starting another project this month. Gazelle has owned and operated the New Balance store in Grandville for the past 20 years. This spring, he will transform that space into his seventh Gazelle Sports location.
- What lessons would you share with others in leadership positions on how to emerge from the pandemic and build a company for lasting success?
First, stay true to your core values and intuitively check your decisions against them daily. Do you agree with this? If not, you can easily pass. Second, know what makes your business special and be passionate about it. For Gazelle, it’s our store experience and our team. Customers can buy most of our products anywhere and they’ll be on their doorstep the next day, but what they can’t find anywhere is a caring, caring, and truly listening to why they walk through our door. They are knowledgeable people. More than ever, people crave connection, care and want to help their communities. Finally, I am happy to let go of things that no longer work post-pandemic. We had some of these, which we always did pre-pandemic, but they didn’t meet the needs of our business and our customers. It’s hard to let go of them, and we sometimes get pulled back into that behavior. We will do our best to keep an eye on
- I have had a long relationship with Gazelle. Are you super active?
Active living is our core value. It means something different for everyone. I work with my family and value regular physical activity through running, walking, and strength training.
- Do you think working for a company like Gazelle will boost staff engagement?
I can’t say I encourage our team to be more active, but we do have a group of like-minded people who believe in exercise as part of their daily lives. The team talks about their athletic journeys, from those who have been running and competing their whole lives, to those who started running as a way to quit smoking or make friends, or who started running because someone dared to do a 5K. I have some of the most incredible stories. We all started and started again. I think that’s what makes our team special. We truly understand what it’s like to struggle, challenge, exhilarate, and achieve goals or set new (personal records), and we share these stories and knowledge with others. I love sharing with people.
[ad_2]
Source link
