Gerfried Schuller, the founder of Blue Tomato, is reportedly leaving the action sports retailer he established nearly three decades ago. He will step down as managing director from the start of February, although he will remain involved with Blue Tomato as a strategic consultant. Ispo.com reports that Schuller's function as managing director is to be taken over by Adam Ellis, currently senior vice president of global retail initiatives and business development at Zumiez, the U.S. retail group that purchased Blue Tomato in 2012. Schuller, who established Blue Tomato in 1998 as a skiing school, shared the news in an email to partners and friends, saying it would give him extra time for travel, action sports and friends. He previously stated that he wanted Blue Tomato to become the leading omni-channel retailer in Europe in the board sports and free skiing categories. Blue Tomato reported a turnover of €69 million in 2015, up by 36 percent, and it currently runs 30 stores in the German-speaking countries, along with its online store.

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