Industry
ATA-Member Buyer Groups to Consider Joining
Discover the buyer group options available to you and the benefits of each.
Photo Credit: ATA
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Author: Cassie Gasaway
A buyer group harnesses the buying power of individual archery and bowhunting retailers into a cooperative membership group to receive manufacturers’ best wholesale pricing. These groups also work on concerns specific to managing independent retail businesses. If you’re not already a member, consider joining one today.
Joining a buyer group is advantageous for many reasons. For example, most buyer groups:
- provide networking opportunities so members can collaborate and share information;
- offer year-round discounts and specials to help members save money;
- focus on member care and support through education and advocacy efforts;
- and host buying trade shows to bring members and vendors together to write orders.
The ATA-member buying groups include Nation’s Best Sports, the Archery Range and Retailers Organizationand the National Archery Buyers Association. Let’s look at the membership requirements and benefits of each so you can determine which one(s) to join.
NBS members have access to members-only Facebook groups. Photo Credit: NBS
1. Nation’s Best Sports
Who Can Join: The requirements differ according to the categories and products each retailer carries. Julie Cerza, NBS’s executive director of membership, invites retailers to contact her at jcerza@nbs.com, and she’ll help them find the best category for their operation.
Cost: Varies based on membership category. Cerza said the membership benefits more than cover the cost of membership, which is minimal.
Membership Benefits:
- Access to over 1,300 vendors and manufacturers across all sporting goods categories.
- Access to NBS markets for exceptional buying and pricing, plus additional year-round buying opportunities.
- Rebate and Co-Op programs.
- Extended terms and freight programs.
- Access to closed Facebook groups for member interactions.
- Vetting for point-of-sale software and e-commerce service providers.
- View all benefits.
How to Join: Contact Julie Cerza, NBS’s executive director of membership, at jcerza@nbs.com or (817) 605-2212.
“NBS is truly a family of retail members, vendors and manufacturers, and industry colleagues working together to strengthen the independent retailer,” Cerza said. “NBS is incredibly diverse as we service every category of sporting goods. Our members have the opportunity to diversify their product mix to grow their business.”
The ARRO Hot Show at the ATA Show offers some of the best discounts of the year. Photo Credit: ATA
2. Archery Range and Retailers Organization
Who Can Join:
- Must be a brick-and-mortar archery retailer in business for three years (ARRO doesn’t accept internet-only retailers).
- Must make $125,000 annually in gross sales volume.
- The organization’s board individually reviews retailers that don’t meet the requirements and sometimes makes circumstance-driven exceptions.
Cost: $400 due annually with a $200 one-time stock purchase. ARRO offers travel reimbursements to members who attend the ARRO Hot Show and annual meeting at the ATA Show.
Membership Benefits:
- Access to approximately 175 of the archery industry’s top manufacturers.
- Central office and staff take care of billing for you.
- Patronage dividends that pay all members for supporting ARRO manufacturers.
- Travel reimbursement for attending the ARRO Hot Show and ATA Show.
- The ARRO Hot Show offers members the deepest discounts of the year.
- View all benefits.
How to Join: Email Deb Colgrove, ARRO’s chief administrative officer, at deb@archeryretailers.com or complete the online application and email it to Colgrove.
“ARRO is a member/stockholder cooperative buying group that has been in business since 1981,” Colgrove said. “When retailers join ARRO, they become an owner. By working and buying together, ARRO members are able to prosper in today’s competitive marketplace. If your shop qualifies for an ARRO membership your chances of succeeding in a tough archery industry are much higher!”
3. National Archery Buyers Association
Who Can Join:
- Must have a storefront for a minimum of two years.
- Must have open business hours a minimum of five days a week.
- Must have good personal and business credit for five years, meaning no collections and a history of paying on time.
- Must attend a show every year, including the NABA Western Show held before the National Field Archery Association Vegas Shoot or the NABA Show held at the ATA Show.
Cost: $500 due annually on July 1 with a $100 initiation fee. Retailers who belong to another buyer group and want to try out a NABA membership for a year can join for $300.
Membership Benefits:
- Access to over 200 brands annually in the archery industry.
- Margins range from 50% to 70% with some manufacturing partners.
- Works with long-term manufacturing members to create special makeup units or exclusive products available only to collective members.
- Early order discounts on programmed orders and special deep discounts on trade show specials.
- View all benefits.
How to Join: Visit www.naba-archery.com or call Kelly Kelly, NABA’s executive director, at (903) 675-2233.
“When you join the NABA family, you’re joining the largest, most prestigious, nonprofit organization with little to no overhead to pass on the savings to you,” Kelly said. “In our business climate, our retailers continue to ask for ways to keep their shops open, thriving, and competitive with big-box stores. When inflation is high and overhead is higher, the fiscally responsible choice is to join NABA and make the archery industry and the sport stronger together.”
Final Thoughts
Each buyer group has unique benefits and requirements. Conduct your own research to find the best fit for your business. A buyer group membership is a good complement to an ATA membership. Contact the ATA business, membership and Trade Show office for more information at (507) 233-8130.
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