A Change for the Better
When the pandemic upended its business model, Nation’s Best Sports adapted.
By Shannon Farlow
Jim Chandley, president of Nation’s Best Sports, a purchasing group based in Fort Worth, Texas.
Three years ago, the confluence of a global pandemic and nationwide civil unrest stood the shooting sports industry on its head and forever changed the way many manufacturers and retailers do business. The events of 2020 transformed the landscape for buying groups, such as Nation’s Best Sports (NBS), too. Prior to that year, the Fort Worth-based purchasing group supported their members largely through annual in-person events. When public gatherings were suspended due to the pandemic, the long-time industry leader quickly pivoted and developed a new business model, which has generated growth and enabled NBS to better serve retailers.
COVID Changed Everything
In 1956, a group of businessmen led by E. Claude Manning founded Nation’s Best Sports. When NBS president Jim Chandley came onboard in 1997, the buying group had 130 members. Today, NBS supplies more than 400 members with a much deeper and broader range of products.
For decades, NBS hosted three to four buying events each year. The shows featured a variety of brands and products as well as the largest manufacturers in the shooting sports industry. Then COVID-19 changed everything.
“All of a sudden, our model was taken away from us. We had to figure out how to continue with our business and do things completely different than we've ever done before—and it actually worked out quite well,” Chandley says. “We learned how to do a lot of events away from our traditional timeframes, which turned out to be a huge advantage to us.”
Reimagining Buying Events
Although NBS has returned to holding in-person events, the structure has dramatically changed. Before 2020, members would devote their time at a show to researching products and writing several months’ worth of orders. It was exhausting, to say the least. Now, NBS events have become more of a social gathering where dealers can enjoy themselves while they build their businesses.
“It used to be that almost everything happened within three to four weeks of the show. Today, we have 12 months of regular events that actually have become much better for us, and much more efficient for the membership,” Chandley says. “It's just turned into a totally different way that we run our business. It actually improved our business and our efficiency.”
Strengthening Vendor Relationships
The NBS team has been working harder than ever to strengthen relationships with manufacturers. When the industry faced historic shortages due to a broken global supply chain, NBS helped manufacturers distribute their products evenly across the group. They ensured that NBS members received their share of products, all the while enabling the manufacturers to maximize their output.
“We became much closer to our vendors, and we were a much better partner for them,” Chandley says. “Using the combined buying power of the entire company, we were able to get members a lot of product. It really made a huge difference for a lot of them. We were probably their only real source of firearms and ammunition throughout COVID. They really weren't getting any from distribution.”
Diversify to Thrive
Every industry faces inherent challenges, and the shooting sports industry is no different. Chandley points to legislative hurdles the firearms industry continues to encounter and the possibility of future regulations. To help retailers prepare for such uncertainties, NBS works with members to broaden their offerings.
“We encourage our membership to diversify and not be dependent on a single product or a single product category. We try to help them sell things that they normally wouldn't attempt to try,” Chandley says. “It doesn't mean you have to carry all of that stuff, but you have to diversify your product mix, and you've got to appeal to a broader range of customers. As the internet continues to take away brick-and-mortar business, the more you can diversify, the more you can be an appealing destination store.”
Chandley believes the retailers who will succeed long-term are the ones who are currently investing in their storefronts and catering to all customers—especially women. Chandley predicts buying groups will play an even larger role in supporting these retailers going forward.
“I think the future looks good,” Chandley says. “I think buying groups have become increasingly important, and I think we're increasingly necessary.” (nationsbestsports.com)
Editor’s Note: Additional research for this article conducted by Miles Hall.
