VANCOUVER RUNNING CO. WELCOMES A NEW PARTNER

From distribution to multi-door retail Gary Bone brings a wealth of knowledge

Vancouver, British Columbia: Vancouver Running Company Inc. (VRC) today announces the completion of a deal that sees Gary Bone join the VRC team as the third shareholder and director of the four-year-old Vancouver based multi-brand run specialty retailer.

Gary Bone, best known for founding one of the worlds most successful lifestyle retail brands in Livestock, is also a Principle at Supra Distribution and President of software platform Omnium Business Solutions. “Gary brings over 25 years of retail experience ranging from brick-and-mortar to ecommerce to distribution. With his guidance and expertise we plan to take the foundation of what our team has built in run specialty and community engagement and elevate it to the world class level we have always envisioned.” Says co-founder of Vancouver Running Co. Rob Smith. With the addition of Gary to the team, Vancouver Running Co. will immediately begin improving retail operations and the overall retail experience, while deepening relationships with partners and vendors, and begin exploring expansion opportunities to strengthen the brands footprint in run specialty.

Since Vancouver Running Co. opened its doors in 2015 the focus has been to pioneer the evolution of the run specialty segment while maintaining a strong emphasis on brand and community. “I’m really excited about working with Rob, Becky and the Vancouver Running Company family. They have built a very strong community and brand. After getting to know Rob and Becky I have no doubt that with added resources and a good sounding board they can continue to build a business that matches the strength of their brand.” notes Gary. As the run segment continues to grow so does the influence from lifestyle and action sports. With Gary’s extensive background in these areas, coupled with his retail experience and the fact he is a long time runner himself, Vancouver Running Co. will force this influence and the natural evolution of run on a more calculated and thoughtful level.