Report: Backcountry Parent Weighs Sale of Outdoor Retailer
TSG Consumer Partners, which owns Backcountry, is weighing a potential sale of the outdoor e-commerce retailer, according to a report in Bloomberg citing people with knowledge of the situation.
A sale for the digitally-led retailer could be valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, Bloomberg reported, adding that Backcountry sees close to $1 billion a year in revenue.
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Backcountry’s roster of websites includes Backcountry.com, Competitive Cyclist, MotoSport, Bergfreunde and Steep & Cheap. Although digitally-led, Backcountry opened two physical stores in 2021 and continued to expand its fleet to a total of six stores through 2022. In 2023, the retailer is opening a total of three new stores to add to its existing fleet.
FN has reached out to Backcountry for a comment. TSG declined to comment.
Backcountry is helmed by CEO Melanie Cox, a fashion industry veteran who previously served stints at Rue21, Wet Seal and Urban Outfitters before assuming the Backcountry CEO role in June 2020. She is currently one of the few women at the helm of a major outdoor company.
Cox told FN in November 2021 that she hoped her role as a female CEO “signals to other women that they absolutely are welcome in the outdoors and everyone from all walks of life, race, creed, color, sexuality — doesn’t matter — they’re all welcome here at Backcountry.”
Backcountry was founded in 1996 in Park City, Utah as a website selling outdoor gear. TSG Consumer Partners acquired Backcountry in 2015 with a plan to expand the retailer into new categories and international markets.
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