FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Mann Group Partners with RunOps to Help Specialty Retailers Make Better Decisions, Sooner

Longtime specialty retail sales trainer pairs its coaching with RunOps' operating platform for staffing, inventory and marketing

ASHEVILLE, N.C. Oct 13, 2026— The Mann Group, a sales training and leadership development firm that has worked with specialty running, outdoor and bike retailers since 2003, today announced a partnership with RunOps, Inc., the Columbia, S.C.-based company behind an operating platform built for specialty retail. Through the partnership, The Mann Group will introduce RunOps to the retailers it serves and help owners and managers put the platform's information to work on the sales floor. 

Most independent retailers make their biggest calls from gut feel and last month's reports: who to put on the floor Saturday, what to reorder, which customers to reach out to. RunOps connects a store's point of sale, brand ordering portals and staff in one place, then drafts the schedule, the fill-in order or the campaign with the reasoning attached. Nothing goes out until the owner approves it.

"For twenty-three years I've told managers to stop hoping and start knowing," said Dan Mann, founder and president of The Mann Group. "The trouble was, most of them didn't have the numbers in front of them when it counted. RunOps does the legwork. The owner still makes the call. Now they make it with better information, while there's still time to do something about it."

Retailers working with The Mann Group and RunOps can expect help in four areas:

• Scheduling for sales, not just coverage. Schedules built against the store's forecast, its labor budget and each associate's sales per hour, so the best sellers are working when the most customers come through the door.
• Inventory decisions made in time. Slow movers flagged early with a markdown or transfer recommendation, and fill-ins drafted from live sell-through before a top seller runs out.
• Marketing to the right customers. Every shopper becomes one customer record, so a campaign reaches the people who buy that brand instead of the whole list, and every send is tied back to what it sold.
• Coaching grounded in the floor. Sales per hour, units per transaction and attach rates for every associate, which The Mann Group builds into its manager training and Mann University curriculum.

"The numbers tell you what happened. Coaching changes what happens next," Mann said. "That's where we come in. A dashboard doesn't build a culture of accountability. A manager who knows how to use one does."

"RunOps is built to help specialty retailers improve their bottom line, not simply understand their numbers," said Daniel Razin, CEO of RunOps. "With our customers, we've seen that impact begin early. Our AI-native platform connects the systems a store already uses, and our agents turn that information into concrete inventory, staffing and marketing actions for owners to review and approve. The Mann Group brings the retail expertise, training and coaching that help teams put those actions into practice and make them part of how the store operates. Together, we connect technology with the people who make it work, turning better decisions into better business results."

Retailers interested in learning more or seeing RunOps on their own store's data can contact The Mann Group at [email protected] or visit manngroup.net.

About The Mann Group

Founded in 2003, The Mann Group is a sales training and organizational development firm serving specialty retail, including running, outdoor and bike shops, as well as the brands that supply them. The firm helps businesses and individuals get unstuck, plan a better roadmap and build a meaningful culture of accountability through training, ongoing engagements, custom programs and Mann University, its leadership curriculum for specialty retail managers. Founder Dan Mann is the author of ORBiT: The Art and Science of Influence and Leading Change: How to Achieve Superior Results with Gentle Pressure Relentlessly Applied, and speaks frequently at industry conferences and trade shows. Learn more at manngroup.net.

About RunOps

RunOps is the operating platform for specialty retail. It connects a retailer's point of sale, brand ordering portals, e-commerce, accounting and payroll systems, including RICS, Lightspeed, Shopify and QuickBooks, and uses that data to draft orders, schedules and marketing campaigns for the owner's approval. RunOps is based in Columbia, S.C. Learn more at runops.ai. 

Media contact

Dan Mann, The Mann Group

[email protected]