As we’ve already gotten to mid-August, some things spring to mind: it’s ridiculously hot across much of the country, it’s raining way too hard in others, and kids are heading back to school.
In other words, we’re staring at the rapidly approaching end of another year. Based on feedback from industry contacts, this particular year can’t end soon enough for them. Most of them are involved in the service side of the business (advertising, marketing, public relations and such), but they’re not joking when they call this year “bloody 2025.” They’re citing the near-constant cutbacks across the industry in everything from ad budgets to staffing. Many are absolutely stunned by familiar industry figures simply being let go.
As one industry long-timer said on Wednesday, “I feel like George Burns…he said he read the obituaries first every morning to make certain he wasn’t in them.” Another said simply, “no sacred cows in the pasture this year.”
Apparently there are no sacred relationships either.
Big box retailers are characterizing their actions as “SKU simplifications” but what they’re doing is far more impactful than that. One big-box, I’m told, announced a fifty percent reduction in their SKUs. Several very well-known brands, in everything from clothing to cutlery, were summarily notified they were being eliminated in those “simplifications.”
It’s not really that simple. Granted, they’re cutting their brand-names, but they’re not eliminating those products. What they’re doing is replacing them with private label products.
That’s worked extremely well for Costco, but Costco has a simple rule for anything sold under their Kirkland private label: “equal or better.” It’s propelled the Kirkland brand to the top of their sales numbers, but it’s also caused a few lawsuits from former retail partners who say Costco knocked their products off. That’s a matter for the courts, but it’s become a generally accepted principal in many C-suites to keep working to find “minimal viable product levels without altering price.”
It doesn’t take consumers long to figure out whether house brands are legit replacements for brand names or not. If they’re not, it’s another example of the old auto repair expression: “Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick two.”
Across the outdoors, there are so many retailers discounting and marking down products that it’s starting to resemble the last hour of the day in a bakery. We’ve just come off one holiday sale -it’s been “extended due to popular demand” by many retailers (meaning: we couldn’t sell this stuff, but we’re still trying).
Now we’re heading into “Labor Day blowouts.” When I’m watching the near constant drumming of “big sales” on everything from furniture to automobiles, I remember another old rule of TV advertising: “the louder they shout, the dumber they think their customers are.” It’s very loud out there right now.
While slow times can be frightening for many, they’re viewed as opportunities by others. As is the way of business, the innovators will grow while others shrink.
So…let’s look ahead rather than looking back.
For example, the first news about SHOT Show 2026 broke with a joint NSSF/Grand View Outdoors announcement yesterday. Their joint SHOT project, the Archery Business & Hunting Retailer Pavilion, now has a presenting sponsor: Mossy Oak.
As you can imagine, both partners are excited at Mossy Oak’s decision to leave their solid spot on the main show floor to a presenting sponsor’s position in the burgeoning 16,000 square foot archery/hunting area. As their announcement said yesterday, the goal is to make that particular exhibit space “the place to exhibit for bowhunting and hunting-focused companies.”
And there’s one company that’s not hesitating to expand in this marketplace. Barrett Firearms, located just down the road from me here in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, officially broke ground on their newest expansion this week. It’s called the Barrett Manufacturing & Technology Campus and NIOA North American Headquarters. It’s a mouthful of name, but it’s also a lot of facility. The $76.4 million dollar campus will encompass a 170-acre facility for manufacturing, testing and development of advanced military weapons. Stage 1 will include corporate HQ, R&D facilities and more over 250,000 square feet. Barrett CEO Bryan James says the new facility will more than double the workforce over the next five years.
Finally, some news from our own world. This week, our Hispanic Wire editor, Raul Mas, is part of a fact-finding contingent of journalists in Israel. Raul’s a regular face on Newsmax, so it’s no big surprise to many that he was invited to check out what’s happening there. He’s on a very busy schedule, with meetings with key Israeli leaders and the opportunity to go boots-on-the-ground in one of the most unstable places on Earth.
We’re looking forward to his reports from Israel. They’re part and parcel of our promise to you: we’ll keep you posted.
— Jim Shepherd