Geneva Running Outfitters named a top store in America

GENEVA - Geneva Running Outfitters was named one of the 50 Best Running Stores in America for 2016.

The 50 Best Running Stores in America is sponsored by the running magazine Competitor, Gatorade Endurance and Running Insight, a trade publication for the running business.

The selection of Geneva Running Outfitters capped off a yearlong search to determine the running stores that offer excellent in-store service and have powerful connections to their local communities.

"Runners can buy shoes anywhere, but specialty running stores provide more than a transaction. They provide an educational, inspirational experience," said Mark Sullivan, editor of Running Insight. "And the very best of those stores are the ones that make the list."

Geneva Running Outfitters was selected after an evaluation process that began when runners nominated their favorite stores for consideration through www.competitor.com. More than 16,000 nominations for almost 200 different stores were submitted by runners throughout the country.

Those nominations were vetted and more than 120 stores were evaluated for their connections and service to their local communities. That process included an analysis of the stores' work with local charities and running groups, as well as the clinics and education they provide to their customers.

The final step in determining the list was a "Mystery Shopping" report conducted by The Franklin Retail Solutions, the leading in-store merchandising company in the sports industry. Franklin mystery shoppers anonymously visited the stores to buy a pair of shoes and rated the stores on the service they provided using 25 different criteria. The criteria started with "how promptly were you greeted?" and continued through shoe fitting techniques all the way to the check-out process.

"Geneva Running Outfitters should be very proud to be on this list," Sullivan said. "And the runners in their hometown are fortunate to have such a great store available to them."