The Great Escape
The Great Escape is a privately held US specialty retailer founded circa 1970 that sells patio furniture, pools, spas, billiards, and home wellness products through brick-and-mortar showrooms, a Shopify e-commerce site, and a B2B commercial sales channel serving residential and hospitality customers in the continental United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersAlgonquin, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What The Great Escape does
The Great Escape is a US-based specialty retailer of home leisure products, founded circa 1970 and headquartered in Algonquin, Illinois. The company self-describes as the largest retailer of leading home leisure products in the industry, with over 50 years of operating history. Its product portfolio spans patio furniture (seating, dining, sectionals, chat groups), umbrellas and shade structures, swimming pools and pool equipment, hot tubs and spas (Sundance, Jacuzzi, Viking, Dreammaker), billiards (Brunswick, American Heritage, Presidential, Rasson), indoor entertainment and game room furniture, basketball hoops, and a growing wellness vertical that includes saunas, cold plunge tubs, and massage chairs. The company holds exclusive or authorized retailer status with several premium brands including POLYWOOD, Sundance Spas, Jacuzzi, Brunswick Billiards, and Life Fitness.
The company operates a hybrid distribution model combining multiple brick-and-mortar retail showrooms with a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront serving the continental United States (with shipping restrictions to Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico). A dedicated commercial B2B sales team with a 12-hour response SLA handles enterprise and hospitality customers via quote-based pricing. The technology stack is conventional: Shopify for e-commerce, Affirm for consumer financing on orders over $50, and standard social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube) for marketing, supplemented by a content-driven Resource Center blog.
Revenue is generated primarily through one-time product sales of retail goods, supplemented by delivery and installation services and B2B commercial sales. Pricing is unit-based across all categories, with free delivery offered on orders over $999 and seasonal clearance events featuring discounts up to 75%. Customers are predominantly residential homeowners purchasing for outdoor living use cases, with secondary segments in commercial/hospitality procurement and nonprofit/community donations. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, and the company is privately held with no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, or public listing.
The Great Escape firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Great Escape
- Legal name
- The Great Escape
- Website
- https://shopthegreatescape.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- The Great Escape is a privately held US specialty retailer founded circa 1970 that sells patio furniture, pools, spas, billiards, and home wellness products through brick-and-mortar showrooms, a Shopify e-commerce site, and a B2B commercial sales channel serving residential and hospitality customers in the continental United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Great Escape industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Outdoor Living & Home Leisure Retail
- NAICS
- Furniture, Home Furnishings, Electronics, and Appliance Retailers (449), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)
- SIC
- Retail-Misc General Merchandise Stores (5399), Retail-Furniture Stores (5712)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pools, Spas & Hot Tubs Retail (Chemicals, Accessories) (CRAIAIAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Outdoor & Adventure Multi-Category Retail (CRAMABAB)
Keywords
Where The Great Escape is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Algonquin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Great Escape business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail Product Sales: Primary revenue from selling home leisure products including patio furniture, pools, spas, outdoor furniture, and billiards through retail stores and e-commerce channel.
- Delivery and Installation Services: Revenue generated from delivery services, including free delivery on orders over $999 and shipping fees for smaller orders.
- Commercial/B2B Sales: B2B sales to commercial customers including hotels, restaurants, and other businesses for bulk purchases of patio and leisure products.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual product pricing across all categories |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Free shipping on orders over $999 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Commercial/B2B quote-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
The Great Escape product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Great Escape manufactures and retails home leisure products — including patio furniture, umbrellas, pools and pool equipment, hot tubs and spas, indoor game-room furniture, billiards, basketball hoops, and home fitness equipment — through multiple brick-and-mortar showrooms and a Shopify-based e-commerce storefront serving customers across the continental United States. The company also operates a separate B2B commercial sales channel supplying hotels, restaurants, and hospitality venues with bulk outdoor leisure products.
Product overview
The Great Escape is the largest retailer of leading home leisure products in the industry, operating as a physical and e-commerce retail business with over 50 years of experience. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of outdoor living products organized into categories: Patio Furniture (seating, dining, sectionals, chat groups), Umbrellas & Shade, Pools (swimming pools and equipment), Spa & Wellness (hot tubs, spas, fitness, saunas), Indoor Furniture (entertainment, game room), Billiards (pool tables and accessories), and Basketball Hoops. The POLYWOOD sub-brand provides recycled plastic outdoor furniture. Additional services include Commercial B2B sales and a Resource Center with expert how-to guides for pool and spa maintenance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Patio Furniture Outdoor seating and dining furniture including sofa groups, loveseat groups, sectionals, chat sets, chaise lounges, bistro groups, elevated/counter-height sets, gliders, benches, and dining groups in aluminum, wicker, sling, and woven materials — sold to residential homeowners and commercial buyers.
- Umbrellas & Shade Market umbrellas in multiple sizes (6' to 11' and 8'x10'), cantilever umbrellas (9' to 13' and 10'x13'), commercial umbrellas, umbrella bases, accessories, and gazebos for outdoor shade in residential and commercial settings.
- Pools Swimming pools (self-installation, above-ground, semi in-ground, in-ground) and a complete range of pool equipment including filters and parts, heaters (natural gas, liquid propane, electric), pumps, liners, solar and winter covers, ladders, steps, handrails, decks and fences, chemicals, sanitizers, balancers, algaecides, automatic cleaners, vacuum equipment, skimmers, lights, hoses, and accessories for residential pool ownership.
- Spa & Wellness Hot tubs and swim spas from authorized brands Sundance Spas, Jacuzzi, Viking, and Dreammaker, plus cold plunge tubs, spa chemicals and sanitizers, maintenance supplies, home fitness equipment (ellipticals, treadmills, bikes, rowers, arc trainers, home gyms from Life Fitness), saunas, and massage chairs for residential wellness and fitness.
- Indoor Furniture & Game Room Indoor home furnishings including theater seating, living room seating, recliners, occasional furniture, bars and bar accessories, and game room items such as foosball, air hockey, table tennis, shuffleboard, poker tables, arcade games, darts, and putting greens for residential entertainment spaces.
- Billiards Pool tables and billiard equipment from authorized brands Brunswick, American Heritage, Presidential, and Rasson, including conversion tops, cues, cue racks, billiard cloth, and billiard accessories for residential game rooms.
- Basketball Hoops In-ground and portable basketball hoops for residential outdoor use, featuring the Silverback brand and related basketball equipment.
- POLYWOOD Outdoor Furniture Recycled plastic outdoor furniture from POLYWOOD including Adirondack chairs, dining sets, benches, side tables, firepits, and kids' furniture, marketed as no-fading, no-cracking, no-maintenance durable outdoor pieces.
- Commercial Sales (B2B) Dedicated B2B sales service providing competitive quotes and bulk pricing on patio and leisure products for commercial customers such as hotels, restaurants, and hospitality venues across the continental United States, reachable via [email protected].
Companies that use The Great Escape
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Great Escape technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Great Escape partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- PolywoodcoreExclusive retailer partnership for POLYWOOD recycled plastic outdoor furniture. POLYWOOD furniture is made from recycled plastic lumber, offering durability without maintenance. The Great Escape promotes POLYWOOD as a key brand with dedicated landing pages and summer sales events.
- Sundance SpascoreAuthorized retailer of Sundance Spas hot tubs and swim spas. Featured prominently on website with lifestyle imagery and dedicated product categories.
- JacuzzicoreAuthorized retailer of Jacuzzi brand hot tubs. Featured on website alongside Sundance Spas for hot tub category.
- ShopifycoreE-commerce platform provider powering the company's online store. Mentioned in website footer as the platform powering the online store.
- Brunswick BilliardscoreAuthorized retailer of Brunswick pool tables and billiard equipment. Featured in dedicated billiards section with multiple product lines.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Great Escape competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Wayfair: Largest pure-play online home goods retailer in the US with an extensive patio furniture and outdoor living assortment. Operates across all home categories but directly overlaps The Great Escape on patio sets, umbrellas, and outdoor décor at massive scale.
- Crate & Barrel: Premium home furnishings retailer with a curated outdoor patio assortment. Overlaps on higher-end patio furniture, dining sets, and umbrellas aimed at design-conscious homeowners, though Crate & Barrel does not focus on pools, spas, or game room categories.
- Lowe's: Major US home improvement retailer with significant patio, outdoor, and pool category presence. Directly competes with The Great Escape on outdoor furniture, grills, and certain pool/spa products, with substantially larger scale and store footprint.
- RH (Restoration Hardware): Premium home furnishings retailer with significant outdoor and patio category exposure. Competes for the same high-end residential customer and overlaps on upscale patio furniture and outdoor living products, though RH does not focus on pools or game room categories.
- Home Depot: Largest US home improvement retailer carrying patio furniture, pools, spas, grills, and outdoor living products at scale. Competes on price, assortment breadth, and project-completion services across many of The Great Escape's categories.
- Williams-Sonoma (Pottery Barn): Multi-brand home furnishings retailer (Pottery Barn, West Elm, Williams Sonoma Home) with a growing outdoor living category. Competes for the same premium-affluent homeowner segment on patio furniture and outdoor décor.
Direct peers
- Hayneedle: Online specialty retailer focused on outdoor furniture, patio, and home leisure products. Direct overlap in product categories (patio sets, umbrellas, game room, outdoor living) and customer base (residential homeowners shopping online for backyard upgrades).
- Frontgate: Premium outdoor furniture, patio, and home goods retailer running a comparable catalog + showroom + e-commerce model. Closely comparable product mix (high-end patio sets, umbrellas, game room) and target customer (affluent residential homeowners), with overlap in the B2B/hospitality segment.
- Leslie's Pool Supplies: Specialty pool supplies and equipment retailer with physical stores plus e-commerce, serving both residential and commercial customers. Highly comparable to The Great Escape's pool equipment, chemicals, filters, heaters, and accessories business, including recurring consumables economics.
- InTheSwim: Online pool supplies and equipment retailer with similar depth in chemicals, heaters, pumps, covers, and above-ground pools. Comparable direct-to-consumer e-commerce model and overlapping SKU catalog in the pool category The Great Escape serves.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Great Escape social profiles
Digital presenceThe Great Escape financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Great Escape leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Great Escape funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Great Escape M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Great Escape
What does The Great Escape do?
The Great Escape manufactures and retails home leisure products — including patio furniture, umbrellas, pools and pool equipment, hot tubs and spas, indoor game-room furniture, billiards, basketball hoops, and home fitness equipment — through multiple brick-and-mortar showrooms and a Shopify-based e-commerce storefront serving customers across the continental United States. The company also operates a separate B2B commercial sales channel supplying hotels, restaurants, and hospitality venues with bulk outdoor leisure products.
Is The Great Escape a public or private company?
The Great Escape is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was The Great Escape founded?
The Great Escape was founded in 1970. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is The Great Escape based?
The Great Escape is headquartered in Algonquin, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Great Escape make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Retail Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are delivery and Installation Services and commercial/B2B Sales.
Who are The Great Escape's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Wayfair, Crate & Barrel, Lowe's, RH (Restoration Hardware), Home Depot and Williams-Sonoma (Pottery Barn). Direct peers are Hayneedle, Frontgate, Leslie's Pool Supplies and InTheSwim.
Does The Great Escape have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Great Escape.
What industry is The Great Escape in?
The Great Escape's product category is Outdoor Living & Home Leisure Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAIAIAK, Pools, Spas & Hot Tubs Retail (Chemicals, Accessories), with a secondary code of CRAMABAB, Outdoor & Adventure Multi-Category Retail. Its NAICS code is 449 and its SIC code is 5399.