Aisle Talk Week Of June 1, 2020

<span style="color: #a8a7a7;">Top National Stories and the Latest Headlines from SGB Updates across the Active Lifestyle Market during the week of June 1, 2020.

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›Athleta’s Q1 Sales Slide 8 Percent | June 5
Gap Inc. reported sales at Athleta were down 8 percent in the first quarter. Store sales were down 50 percent with online sales up 49 percent. Read more

›Wendy Carey, CFO, Seirus and Chair Of The Board Of Directors SIA, Issues Letter Against Racism | June 5
Letter to the Active Outdoor Industry from Wendy Carey, CFO, Seirus Innovation and Chair of the Board of Directors of Snowsports Industries of America. Read more

›Grassroots Outdoor Alliance Launches Connect Hub For Spring ’21 Buying Season | June 5
In this season of business collaboration, Grassroots Outdoor Alliance has launched Connect Hub to bring vendor brands and specialty retailers together for the Spring ’21 buying cycle. Read more

›Vail Resorts Q3 Revenues Slide 28 Percent | June 4
Vail Resorts Inc. reported results for the third quarter of fiscal 2020 ended April 30, which were significantly impacted by COVID-19 and the resulting closure of the company’s North American destination mountain resorts and regional ski areas on March 15, 2020. Read more

›Gearlab Adds Canadian Sales Rep | June 4
Gearlab Outdoors has added new sales representation in Canada, expanding its global footprint in the paddle and watersports markets. Stepping into the Canadian sales role is Michael Gilbert who is the founder of B.C. Kayak Centre and life-long kayaking instructor and enthusiast. Read more

›NBA Approves Format To Restart Season With 22 Teams | June 4
The NBA Board of Governors approved a competitive format to restart the 2019/20 season with 22 teams returning to play and a tentative start date of July 31. The Board’s approval is the first formal step among many required to resume the season. Read more

›Wigwam Mills Reopens Factory With New Generation At The Helm | June 4
Wigwam Mills Inc. has reopened its factory as Wisconsin’s stay-at-home restrictions have been eased by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. In addition, the Wigwam Board of Directors announced that leadership of the 115-year old brand has shifted to the fourth-generation siblings Chris Chesebro and Margaret Newhard. Read more

›Caleres Sees 90 Percent Of Famous Footwear Stores Open By Late June | June 4
Caleres Inc., parent company to Famous Footwear, Sam Edelman, Allen Edmunds, Naturalizer, and… Read more

›Nike’s “Don’t Do It” Ad Earns Wide Praise But Some Pushback | June 4
Nike’s new “Don’t Do It” ad has drawn support from viewers although it falls short of the brand’s 2018 Colin Kaepernick ad on a couple of key measures according to findings from Ace Metrix which tracks advertising effectiveness. Read more

›Zumiez’s Q1 Sales Drop 35 Percent | June 4
Zumiez Inc. reported sales tumbled 35.3 percent in the first quarter ended May 2 and slid 8.6 percent in May.  The action sports retailer closed the quarter with 9 percent of its stores opening and ended the month of May with 69 percent open. Read more

›Sportsman’s Warehouse Q1 Revenues Soar 41.8 Percent | June 4
Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings Inc.’s revenues jumped 41.8 percent in the first quarter due to surging demand for firearms and ammunition. Said Jon Barker, CEO, in a statement, “We introduced many new customers to the Sportsman’s Warehouse brand during the first quarter and we believe this bodes well for our long-term growth.” Read more

›Canada’s Sail Outdoors Files For Bankruptcy Protection | June 4
Sail Outdoors Inc., which operates 18 outdoor stores in Canada under the Sail and Sportium banners, has filed for bankruptcy protection in response to challenges posed by COVID-19 with a plan to restructure finances. Read more

›The Buckle’s Sales Drop 17 Percent In May | June 4
The Buckle Inc. announced that total net sales for the four-week fiscal month ended May 30 decreased 16.8 percent to $51.2 million from net sales of $61.5 million a year ago. Read more

›G-III Apparel Group To Close Wilsons Leather And G. H. Bass Stores | June 4
G-III Apparel Group announced plans to close its 110 Wilsons Leather and 89 G.H. Bass stores. Separately, the company reported a first-quarter loss amid COVID-19 related revenue declines. Read more

›Duluth Trading Sees Modest Q1 Revenue Decline | June 4
Duluth Holdings Inc., the holding company of Duluth Trading, reported only a modest sales decline in the first quarter of May 3 as an acceleration of online sales helped to make up for store closures tied to COVID-19. Losses doubled in the traditionally-slow period for the brand. Read more

›The Running Event Confirms 2020 Dates | June 4
The Running Event (TRE) has confirmed that it is moving forward with the 2020 planned event in Austin, TX from December 1-3, 2020. Event registration will open in mid-August. Read more

›Slinger Bag Taps Paul McKeown For CFO Post | June 4
Slinger Bag has named Paul McKeown as CFO effective immediately. Most recently, McKeown served as VP of finance for Precor Fitness. Read more

›Columbia Sportswear Closes Stores During George Floyd’s Memorial Services | June 4
Columbia Sportswear in an internal memo said it will be closing all its stores for two hours during George Floyd’s memorial service, make donations to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Marshall Project, and double-match contributions by employees to non-profits addressing racism. Read more

›MLS, Players Reach New Agreement, Sets Stage For Resuming 2020 Season | June 4
MLS and the MLS Players Association completed a new collective bargaining agreement on Wednesday after the MLSPA voted to approve a revised plan, paving a way for a return to play in July. Read more

›Nike Renews Sponsorship Of Stade Toulousain | June 4
Nike has renewed its sponsorship deal with Stade Toulousain, the French rugby club. Read more

›Rab and Lowe Alpine Join Fair Wear Foundation | June 4
British outdoor brands Rab and Lowe Alpine, owned by Equip Outdoor Technologies UK Ltd., are now an approved member of Fair Wear Foundation. Read more

›Adidas Business In Greater China Returns To Growth In May | June 4
Adidas said that in Greater China, the company’s first major market on the road to recovery, all its own- and partner-operated stores have been open since mid-April. While store traffic remained below the prior-year level in May, targeted efforts to revitalize retail has led to sequential improvements since stores reopened. Read more

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›Nike EYBL Cancels 2020 Events | June 3
The Nike EYBL, one of the most prominent AAU basketball organizations in the country, announced that it is canceling all of its scheduled events for 2020. Read more

›Catsports Acquires Sports Equipment Of Toronto Ltd. | June 3
Catsports has completed the purchase of Sports Equipment of Toronto, further strengthening its position as a Canada-wide leader in the sale of sports and recreational equipment for the institutional market. Read more

›Wolverine Seeing Online Sales Surge In Second Quarter | June 3
Wolverine World Wide Inc., in a business update, said owned e-commerce grew more than 90 percent in the first nine weeks of the second quarter of fiscal 2020, helping the company deliver a better-than-expected performance so far in the period. Read more

›NBA Expected To Approve 22-Team Plan To Restart Season | June 3
The NBA plans to resume play on July 31 with 22 of its 30 teams competing for the final seeds of a 16-team playoff, according to a report from ESPN. Read more

›Tilly’s Inc. Looks To Rebound From Ugly Q1 With 67 Percent Of Stores Now Reopened | June 3
Tilly’s, Inc. saw total net sales decline 40.7 percent the first quarter of fiscal 2020 ended May 2 as store closures halfway through the period cut into sales for the period. Total net sales were $77.3 million compared to $130.3 million in the prior-year quarter. Read more

›L.L. Bean Repens Flagship In Freeport | June 3
L.L. Bean announced it is opening its flagship store in Freeport, ME along with outlets also in Freeport, Bangor, and Ellsworth, ME respectively. Read more

›Walmart Removes Firearms From Sales Floor Amid Protests | June 3
Walmart removed ammunition and firearms from floor displays at some of its stores in the wake of the protests sparked by the death of George Floyd. Read more

AseanBike 2020 Cancelled; Will Reset as 2021 Show | June 3
Messe Friedrichshafen and N.C.C. Exhibition Organizer (NEO) have decided to cancel the AseanBike bicycle trade show in Bangkok, Thailand originally scheduled to run October 29-31, 2020. Read more

›Duke’s Sporting Goods Merges With H+W Sports | June 3
Duke’s Sporting Goods and H+W Sports, two team-sports retailers based in Kentucky, have decided to merge. Read more

›ADP: Private Payrolls Down 2.76 Million In May | June 3
Private sector employment decreased by 2.76 million jobs from April to May according to the May ADP National Employment Report. Read more

›Rock Ridge Outdoors Adds To Marketing Team | June 3
Rock Ridge Outdoors has added Micah Denesse to its sales and marketing team, effective immediately. Read more

›Canada Goose Posts 15 Percent Revenue Growth In Fiscal 2020, Led By DTC | June 3
Canada Goose Holdings Inc. saw full-year revenues increase 15.4 percent, or up 15.9 percent currency-neutral, to CN$958.1 million in the fiscal 2020 year ended March 29, 2020, compared to CN$830.5 million in the prior fiscal year period. Read more

›Golf Emergency Relief Fund Delivers Over $4 Million In Phase 1 Grants | June 3
In the face of overwhelming need from workers across the golf industry suffering hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Golf Emergency Relief Fund has awarded over $4 million to more than 3,300 individuals seeking assistance during Phase 1 of the initiative. Registration limits were reached within 24 hours after the fund was opened on April 15. Read more

›Delta Apparel Joins Cotton Leads Program | June 3
Delta Apparel Inc. has joined the Cotton Leads program signifying its commitment to sustainability and acknowledging the ongoing improvements U.S. and Australian cotton growers continue to make under both countries’ strict regulatory environments. Read more

›More Than Three Million Athletes Compete In Spartan’s Virtual Race | June 3
Spartan succeeded in hosting its biggest event to date in collaboration with World OCR with more than 40,000 athletes posting results in 24 hours across the virtual finish line in more than 100 countries during “Project Unbreakable: The World’s Largest Virtual Race, powered by Rakuten.” Read more

›Camping World’s CFO Resigns | June 3
Camping World Holdings Inc. announced the promotion of five executives within the company including the promotion of Karin Bell to CFO succeeding Melvin Flanigan who is resigning from the company for personal reasons. Read more

›Asics Study Shows Uplifting Power Of Running Amid Pandemic | June 3
Timed for Global Running Day, June 3, Asics released a global survey showing that more than one-third (36 percent) of regular exercisers are more active now than they were before lockdown. Read more

›NGF Sees Golfers ‘Scratching Their Itch to Play’ | June 3
National Golf Foundation President and CEO Joe Beditz said a survey completed over the weekend indicated that 86 percent of core golfers reported that they’ve teed it up in the past couple of weeks. Read more

›Thorlos and Experia Brands Licensed | June 3
Thorlos and Experia brands have been licensed on a worldwide exclusive basis to Trimfit Global, a division of Lamour Group, based in Montreal, Canada. Read more

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›Wigwam Mills Lays Off Employees Due To COVID-19 | June 2
In a letter to the Department of Workforce Development, Wigwam Mills said approximately 121 of its 142 employees will be laid off due to the “adverse impact” COVID-19 has had on its operations and sales. Read more

›RSR Group Chairman Announces Retirement At Month-End | June 2
RSR Group, Inc.’s Founder and Chairman Robert Steger announced his plans to retire on June 30, 2020 after 42 years of service with the company. Read more

›Firearms Background Checks Surge Again In May | June 2
The FBI completed 1.6 million gun background checks on an NSSF-adjusted basis in May, a hike of 75.2 percent compared to the May 2019 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 910,910. The rate builds on gains of 69.1 percent in April and 41 percent in March. Read more

›Running Industry Association Announces Virtual Trade Show | June 2
The Running Industry Association (RIA) said that due to COVID-19 it will replace its in-person trade show, scheduled to run in Denver, CO earlier this month, with a virtual show. Read more

›The Buckle Suspends Dividend | June 2
The Buckle Inc. announced that at its quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors, held on June 1, the Board temporarily suspended the company’s quarterly dividend payments. Read more

›Arena Football League Assets Up For Public Auction | June 2
An online auction of the assets of the Arena Football League (AFL), which ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy last November, will take place through June 23. Assets include memorabilia, equipment and intellectual property from five AFL teams: Albany Empire, Atlantic City Blackjacks, Baltimore Brigade, Philadelphia Soul, Washington Valor, as well as the intellectual property of the Columbus Destroyers. Read more

›Commerce Secretary Ross Moves To Help South Atlantic Reef Fish Species | June 2
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross recently met with recreational fishing and boating industry leaders in Fort Pierce, FL to discuss marine recreational fishing access and the importance of marine recreation to the U.S. economy. His office is finalizing the rule requiring descending devices onboard vessels targeting snapper and grouper in the South Atlantic. Read more

›Prana Secures Top Rank In Textile Exchange Material Change Index | June 2
Prana, reported that it has achieved Level 4 in Textile Exchange’s Material Change Index published last week, the highest rank as a leading performance brand with a mention in every category of the Index. Read more

›Dick’s SG Swings To Fiscal Q1 Loss As Sales Fall 30 Percent | June 2
Dick’s Sporting Goods reported a consolidated net loss of $143.4 million, or $1.71 per diluted share, for the first quarter ended May 2, compared to a net income of $57.5 million, or 61 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Read more

›Nike’s CEO Speaks Out Against Racism | June 2
John Donahoe, CEO, Nike, sent a memo to employees regarding George Floyd’s death where he said, “Nike is opposed to bigotry” and supports nationwide peaceful protests. Read more

›Pure Fishing’s Debt Ratings Lowered | June 2
Standard & Poors lowered its debt rating on Pure Fishing to CCC+ from B- as it believes a weak economic and retail outlook in 2020 might cause Pure Fishing’s lease-adjusted debt to EBITDA to be above 10x before improving to below 10x in 2021. Read more

›True Spec Opens Denver Custom Fitting Studio | June 2
True Spec Golf announced the opening of its newest outdoor fitting location at The Ridge at Castle Pines North in Denver, CO. This new location is the result of a partnership between True Spec and Troon. Read more

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›Royal Robbins Named To The Textile Exchange Leaderboard | June 1
Royal Robbins has been named to the Textile Exchange leaderboard and is included in the 2019 Textile Exchange Material Change Insights Report published on May 27, 2020. Read more

›Safilo Closes On Majority Stake in Blenders Eyewear | June 1
Safilo Group announced the closing of the acquisition of the 70 percent stake in the equity Blenders Eyewear LLC. Read more

›Tread Labs Partners with Uber Group to Build Wholesale Business | June 1
The manufacturer of a two-part insole system has hired Atlanta-based Uber Group to develop a wholesale program with specialty retailers in the outdoor, run specialty and tactical channels. Read more

›Outdoor Industry Addresses Racial Injustices On Social Media | June 1
The North Face, REI, Patagonia, Merrell, and Columbia Sportswear all issued messages of support for those protesting racial injustice. Read more

›NRF Chief Economist Said ‘Uncertainty Abounds’ In Predicting Recovery From Coronavirus Pandemic | June 1
While the reopening of businesses shut down by COVID-19 is a significant step forward, it is too soon to say how quickly or smoothly the nation’s economy will recover, National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said. Read more

›NRF Issues Statement On Incidents At Retail Stores | June 1
In response to the incidents involving retailers following the death of George Floyd, NRF’s President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement, “Defacing, looting and plundering businesses, whether viewed as a direct outgrowth of fury or an opportunistic act of vandalism and theft, impedes progress and healing.” Read more

›VF’s CEO In Employee Memo Compares Racism To Virus | June 1
In a letter sent May 30 to all employees entitled, “Racism is another virus to eradicate,” VF chairman, president and CEO Steve Rendle called George Floyd’s death “tragic” and “stomach-churning” — and likened racism to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more

›Ironman Unveils Safe Return To Racing Event Guidelines | June 1
Ironman has announced its Safe Return to Racing event guidelines, “a series of comprehensive operating principles prepared in accordance with industry standards for open air mass participation sporting events.” Read more

›Columbia Sportswear’s CEO Speaks Out Against Racism | June 1
In a letter to employees, Tim Boyle, chairman, president and CEO, of Columbia Sportswear, said the company fully supports “all victims of racism and all who speak out and act against racial injustice.” Read more

›SweatWorks Acquires WodRocket | June 1
SweatWorks, the digital agency that created Conquest Events, has completed the acquisition of WodRocket, a functional fitness event platform. Read more

›L.L.Bean And National Park Foundation Receive 2020 Silver Halo Award | June 1
The National Park Foundation (NPF) and L.L.Bean were awarded the 2020 Silver Halo Award in the experiential/event category. In 2019, L.L.Bean leveraged its Find Your Park partnership with NPF to bring its S’more out of Summer campaign to life. Read more

›BPI Outdoors Hires Senior Marketing Manager | June 1
BPI Outdoors, a maker of muzzleloading rifles and accessories with the CVA, Powerbelt and Durasight brands hired Damon Bungard to as senior marketing manager. Read more

›NSGA Makes Changes To Board Of Directors | June 1
Three changes to the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) Board of Directors were made which include the start of a three-year term as Chairman for Pat Donnelley (Donnelley Sports, Inc.). Greg Miller (Universal Athletic) was selected as treasurer/chairman-elect and Ron Rugal (B&R Sporting Goods) joined the Board. Their appointments went into effect on June 1. Read more

›Roger Federer Ranked By Forbes As Sports Top Earner | June 1
Roger Federer became the first tennis player to rank as the world’s highest-paid athlete in Forbes’ 30-year history of ranking athlete earnings. Read more

›NPD Report: Consumers Ready To Hit The Road This Summer | June 1
According to a recent report compiled by The NPD Group, key camping, RV and road trip essentials are seeing double- and triple-digit growth as national parks and other areas around the country begin to reopen. Read more

›National Park Visits Show Some Recovery In May | June 1
National park visits were down 2.3 percent in May after falling 22.8 percent in April and 16.4 percent in March amid park closures and social-distancing restrictions, according to the National Parks Service. Read more

›NCAA Survey Shows Student-Athletes Grappling With Mental Health Issues | June 1
Since college sports were halted by COVID-19  in March, most respondents in an NCAA student-athlete well-being survey reported experiencing high rates of mental distress. The survey, which was open from April 10-May 1 and had responses from more than 37,000 student-athletes, also showed 82 percent of respondents reported feeling positive, or very positive, about the support they are receiving from their coaches. Read more

›Roots Appoints Meghan Roach As Chief Executive Officer | June 1
Roots, the Toronto-based Canadian outdoor lifestyle brand, announced that after completing a search conducted by an international recruiting firm, the company’s Board of Directors has appointed Meghan Roach as CEO replacing Jim Gabel. Read more

›NCAA Offers Guidance For Bringing Athletes Back To Campus | June 1
The NCAA Sport Science Institute, in collaboration with the NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel, has released Action Plan Considerations to help schools mitigate risks of a COVID-19 spread as staff and student-athletes return. Read more

Photo courtesy Happy Returns