Timberland Fosters Community Spirit in Retail Stores Nationwide

For global outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland, community is a key pillar for corporate responsibility along with making products responsibly and protecting and restoring the outdoors. Employees receive up to 40 paid hours per year to participate in service to their community, and have served more than one million hours to date. At the company’s Stratham, New Hampshire world headquarters, messaging boards throughout the building proudly display Timberland’s heritage of service and promote new ways for employees to engage in the community.

With more than 50 stores nationwide, the Timberland community stretches far outside the brand’s headquarters. Last fall, Timberland decided to bring the community spirit of headquarters to every Timberland retail store nationwide.

Building off Stratham’s idea, the retail team sent each location a 4’ x 8’ “Community Board” to post in-store. These blackboards are used to highlight special events taking place in the store, as well as in the local community. Topics range from “New Products” and “Staff Picks” to the weather forecast and areas of interest for visitors or people new to the area. 

The boards also highlight each store’s community service efforts, with pictures of how the store staff have used their Path of Service™ volunteer hours to support the local community, whether through urban greening projects, working at a local shelter, or participating in a charitable road race. In addition, the boards feature green initiatives such as new eco-conscious materials being used in products, or energy-saving or recycling efforts that help the store reduce its environmental footprint. Some stores have further engaged the community in the initiative, inviting students from local art schools to design and update the store boards.

“Building a sense of community is very important to us as a retail company,” says Kerri Cain, Timberland’s manager of retail marketing. “We want our customers to know that we care about the local culture where we work, and that we value their loyalty and commitment to us as a brand. Initiatives like the Community Boards keep customers engaged and coming back time and time again.”

To learn more about Timberland’s commitment to community, visit https://www.timberland.com/responsibility/community.html.