• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, April 1, 2025

REI Co-op has named Kristin Shane as new chief merchandising officer, continuing a wave of changes under president and CEO Mary Beth Laughton. Shane joins the outdoor retailer from the Guitar Center, where she led marketing and merchandising, and previously held senior roles at Target and PetSmart.

The Washington-based company says Shane will oversee efforts to expand product categories, strengthen regional relevance, deepen brand relationships, and invigorate REI’s private-label lines. She will report directly to Laughton, who took the top role earlier this year.

The appointment comes as REI contends with growing internal and external pressures. Like many retailers, the co-op is grappling with cautious consumers and tighter discretionary budgets. The retailer’s full-year financial results are expected later this month, but Fortune reports the company is on track to break even for 2024, excluding member dividends.

REI has recently eliminated 600 jobs, first shuttering the "Experiences" division and then laying off an additional 200 employees. While Laughton was brought in to help right the ship, she faces headwinds from longtime customers and employees who believe the brand is drifting from its core values.

Contract negotiations with unionized workers have dragged on since 2022. The United Food and Commercial Workers union, which represents roughly 600 of REI’s 16,000 employees, says the company is not only stalling on issues like pay and safety but also betraying its progressive, member-first ethos.

Union organizers are now calling on members to vote “Withhold” in the co-op’s ongoing board election in protest of a proposed new slate of directors. The vote is widely seen as a referendum on REI’s direction and leadership credibility.

Compounding tensions is a recent political controversy. REI executives reportedly signed a letter of support for Doug Burgum, former North Dakota governor and Secretary of the Interior under President Trump. Burgum has endorsed expanded drilling on public lands, rolled back climate protections, and proposed revising national monument boundaries.

REI did not respond to a request for comment.

For many outdoor brands, those positions cut against the grain. In 2017, REI was also vocal in its opposition to President Trump’s efforts to shrink the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. Along with rival Patagonia, REI joined in a “Hands Off Our Public Lands” campaign, urging members to take political action.

Whether REI will maintain that activist stance under its current leadership remains unclear. But for many longtime customers, the company’s identity as a values-driven co-op—not just a retailer—is now in question.

Patagonia, meanwhile, is standing firm on the issue. In a recent editorial in Time, CEO Ryan Gellert urged people to push back against the new administration’s efforts to sell off parts of public lands.

“As we have for decades before, Patagonia will mobilize our community and use our position as a business and supporter of grassroots conservation groups to protect public land and water regardless of who is in the White House,” he wrote. “In the long run, all businesses stand to lose more than they gain from these policies due to their reckless disregard for planetary health.”