Why REI Co-op Is Doubling Down on Running Shoes and Exiting Its Branded Footwear Business

April 25, 2024

REI Co-op confirmed that it is exiting its REI-branded footwear business after 2024, four years after the company  said that it would begin producing its own shoes. In the time since its initial launch, REI has delivered eco-friendly hiking boots, trail runners and more.

As the retailer exits one business, REI is doubling down on another: running.

Its multiyear strategy includes a new in-store experience that it tested in three of its California doors: Tustin, Burbank and Manhattan Beach. The following year, REI debuted three more of these shop-in-shops in Washington, D.C. locations.

For 2024, REI will increase the count by nine, and the new in-store running destinations will be located in Denver, Chicago and L.A. FN