Industry Outdoor equipment Website www.mec.ca Number of locations 21 | Key people David Labistour, CEO Customer service 00 1 604-876-6221 | |
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CEO David Labistour (Jan 2008–) Profiles | ||
Mec haul mountain equipment co op
Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) is a Canadian consumers' cooperative, which sells outdoor recreation gear and clothing exclusively to its members. MEC is notable for its commitment to environmental protection and other causes. As a co-op, MEC sells only to customers who hold a lifetime membership, which is technically a share and can be purchased by anyone for $5. MEC bills itself as Canada's largest supplier of outdoor equipment. Since its founding in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1971, MEC has expanded across Canada and now operates stores in eighteen cities. Once catering to mountaineers and climbers, MEC now targets a broader clientele. This is evidenced by changes in its marketing imagery, which historically focused on high level climbing and alpinist imagery. MEC has over 4.3 million members in Canada and internationally.
Contents
- Mec haul mountain equipment co op
- Organization
- Elections
- Board of directors
- Annual general meeting
- Environmental social initiatives
- Business initiatives
- History
- Growth
- MEC festivals
- MEC expanded assortments
- MEC bikes
- MEC rebranding
- References
Organization
Members can shop at any of the twenty-two retail stores, on-line, or on the phone. MEC also operates a "Corporate & Group Sales" store for large orders. Among MEC's largest "corporate" members are the military, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, parks agencies and various search and rescue organizations. MEC stores are often known for their use of eco-friendly design features. The Ottawa and Winnipeg stores were the first and second retail buildings in Canada to comply with Canada's C2000 Green Building Standard, which acknowledges buildings that achieve energy consumption 50% less than similar conventional structures.
The co-op designs and produces the majority of its gear although also carries products by many other well-known companies. A significant proportion of the company's inventory is manufactured in Asia although they also have six contract factories in Canada. Furthermore, directed by the members, MEC fulfills its core purpose: inspire and enable everyone to lead active outdoor lifestyles. They accomplish this by selling outdoor gear, clothing, and services. MEC's head office and phone/service centre are located in Vancouver. Its distribution centre is located in Surrey, British Columbia.
Elections
Each year, every member of MEC has the opportunity to vote in the elections for its board of directors, as well as on "special resolutions", through a variety of methods. Before the election period, an information package with platforms of candidates and information on resolutions is distributed. Election results are announced at the annual general meeting.
In the 2014 elections had the highest voter turnout in 15 years, 47,523 members voted. Given that MEC has around 4.3 million members (2014), this represents a voter turnout of just over 1%.
Board of directors
MEC is governed by a nine-member board of directors. Each year, three directors are elected to three-year terms.
Annual general meeting
Each April, MEC holds its annual general meeting in Vancouver. At this meeting, the Chief Executive Officer and other staff deliver their annual reports, and answer questions from co-op members. "Other resolutions" may also be brought forward and voted upon. The AGM is typically webcast and members who log in can ask questions, although they cannot vote. Typically, members recite their member numbers before speaking and these numbers are recorded in the official meeting transcript.
Environmental & social initiatives
MEC has undertaken many initiatives in the name of attempting to fulfill its value of social responsibility, including:
Business initiatives
Among MEC's many business initiatives undertaken to better serve its members as well as secure long term financial sustainability are:
History
In 1971, four members of the University of British Columbia Varsity Outdoor Club, tired of shuttling south to REI in Seattle for decent climbing and wilderness gear, hatched the idea of a co-op when a snowstorm stranded them on Mount Baker in Washington State. Other Varsity Outdoor club members bought into the plan and MEC was born.
Growth
MEC's growth has been slow and methodical over the last 30 years. During Peter Robinson's tenure as CEO from 2000 to 2007, the chain targeted one new store opening per year. With a 2007 sales target of almost a quarter of a billion dollars, MEC continues to look for new ways to fulfill its mission statement of "getting people outdoors".
By early 2004 MEC culture, sales and internal financial health was once again thriving, posting surpluses in excess of 5% of sales.
MEC's long-term challenge is to remain relevant to a quickly changing demographic that prefers urban outdoor experiences to those that MEC traditionally caters to.
MEC has expanded across Canada as follows:
MEC festivals
In 2006 MEC began a national program of outdoor "festivals" in every MEC city across Canada. MEC Paddlefest was the first of these and billed itself as the most important date on the paddlers' calendar. In 2008, MEC Bikefest was launched in 6 cities and is now in every MEC city. MEC launched its third National Festival, MEC Snowfest, in all MEC cities during the winter of 2011.
MEC expanded assortments
From 2009-2011 MEC expanded its traditional back-country assortments to now include urban outdoor pursuits. Road running, bikes and yoga were successfully introduced and have now become a permanent mainstay of the assortment, and a significant component of MEC's branding focus.
MEC bikes
In November 2009 MEC began selling MEC-branded bikes in seven stores: Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Burlington, Toronto, Montreal, and Longueuil. Currently MEC offers a total of 58 different models including road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrid and urban bikes. Some models feature geometry specific for women or kids. In 2012 MEC also began selling a selection of Ghost Bikes. Ridley bikes were added to the assortment in late 2013.
MEC rebranding
On June 18, 2013 Mountain Equipment rebranded their logo, replacing the mountain with a green square containing the text "MEC" in bold.