REI Chief Merchant Kristin Shane on AI and Peak 28
March 2, 2026
Since joining REI as chief merchandising officer in March 2025, around the same time CEO Mary Beth Laughton took the helm, Kristin Shane has been tasked with helping turn around a co-op that rode the COVID outdoor boom before running into the same market contraction that has squeezed specialty retailers across the board.
In an interview last week with Omni Talk Retail at Etail, a retail conference in Palm Springs, Shane shared details about:
- how REI’s Peak 28 strategy, which was unveiled in September 2025, is taking shape across merchandising.
- why REI’s AI rollout puts the chief people officer, along with the chief technology officer, at the center of the conversation.
- how the co-op navigates competing with its own vendors.
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