Apres and skiing and riding go hand-in-hand. A growing number of craft ski and distillery brands are taking advantage of that connection by partnering on everything from products to educational programs to increase brand awareness among consumers. (Read More)
Hydration systems are doing more than keeping their users hydrated on the trail and road. They’re also helping retailers’ bottom lines, with improvements targeting a wide range of outdoor consumers. (Read More)
Southlake, TX Solo Stove recently acquired Chubbies Shorts, Oru Kayak and ISLE SUPs under its new Solo Brands banner. SGB Executive spoke with CEO John Merris before the announcement to learn more about the acquisitions and its direct-to-consumer business model. (Read More)
There has been a changing of the guard of sorts in the paddlesports category in the past few years, with new CEOs and companies behind such venerable brands as Hobie, Jackson Kayak, Confluence Watersports Kokatat, MTI/Ocean Kayak, and more. But what do these new owners think of the industry and its future, and what are their plans for their brands? To find out, SGB Executive canvased the companies and retailers to shed light on this new wave of ownership coming to the watersports world. (Read More)
YKK goes high-tech, producing a zipper pull with a digital component, Touchlink, allowing consumers to interact with brands and brands to engage their consumers, creating a digital footprint of every purchase. SGB Executive catches up with Brian La Plante of YKK USA’s global marketing group for more on the innovation and how brands are receiving it. (Read More)
Smartwool, now owned by VF Corp., continues its long-held practice of sustainability. Lately, however, with its environmental ethos emboldened by VF's push for product circularity in its brands, the company has stepped up its game. In speaking with its Sustainability and Social Impact Senior Manager, Alicia Chin, SGB Executive learned about recent initiatives that continue the brand's commitment to being a steward for the planet. (Read More)
With the Canadian government opening its borders to U.S. tourists on August 9, after being closed since March 2020, outfitters north of the border are rejoicing, but is it enough to save a second straight season of losses? SGB Executive checks in with Canadian outfitter Madawaska Canoe Centre to get its outlook on the outdoor industry amid the pandemic. (Read More)
Recently adding Ocean Rodeo and MTI to its brand portfolio, Mustang Survival is enjoying a growth spurt. SGB Executive caught up with Josh Horoshok, recreation division vice-president, to discuss its recent acquisitions when other companies are downsizing and bringing its offshore safety role into new markets. (Read More)
Shuttering its doors in late 2017 after 20 years in business, merino wool apparel brand Ibex is back up-and-running under GM and mountain athlete Bonie Shupe, who spoke with SGB Executive on the struggles in relaunching the brand during the pandemic and plans to make it relevant once again. (Read More)
In July, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the addition of Ski Mountaineering (Skimo) to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. SGB Executive touched base with a few industry players in the category to see what it could spell for the burgeoning backcountry market, a sector already growing before the COVID-19 pandemic. (Read More)
With RMR surviving a competitive market, drought and the pandemic, it celebrates the milestone with a new 24,000-square-foot facility in West Virginia to continue growing in its market share. (Read More)
With the pandemic-fueled explosion in outdoor participation, apps helping consumers to get outside are also booming. onX, an outdoor digital navigation/GPS mapping app that recently expanded into the offroad, ski and trail markets. Founded in 2009 for hunters, the company recently acquired Adventure Projects, whose mobile services offer guidebook details and photos, and the company recently added onX backcountry and offroad to its suite of apps. SGB Executive sat down with VP of Growth Chris Bate for her take on the company's appetite for navigation apps. (Read More)
After two buy-outs, most recently by VF Corp. and a cadre of world champion trail runners and Olympians in its fold, Altra is celebrating ten years of helping runners hit the trails. Founder Brian Beckstead discusses everything with SGB Executive from ownership under VF to what’s on the horizon for the brand. (Read More)
Two of summertime's biggest tradeshows for paddlesports are just around the corner, The Big Gear Show and Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, with iCAST at the end of July. But after a hard-fought year during the pandemic and a changing tradeshow landscape, is the industry, and are retailers attending? To find out, SGB Executive takes a look at all three. (Read More)
Two decades after an era of consolidation in the paddlesports category, Laval, Quebec's Pelican International, resurrected the trend, creating a new powerhouse in the space. (Read More)
While retail sales of new outdoor gear boomed during the pandemic, cash registers also rang for secondhand gear at brick and mortar, online and from manufacturers' efforts to resell used equipment. (Read More)
While VF Corp.'s decision to shutter travel luggage brand Eagle Creek this fall came as a blow to its employees and its founders for the adventure travel category, it's hardly a death knell for the category or the adventure travel market. (Read More)
Earlier this year, after more than 40 years as a French-made watersports icon, BIC Sport merged with Tahe Outdoors to become a new brand, TAHE. North American Marketing and Product Manager, Jimmy Blakeney, discussed the merger with SGB Executive. (Read More)
In a retail sales study conducted by the NPD Group from August 2020 to February 2021, the past pandemic year saw growth in specific outdoor categories, with golf and cycling in the lead. (Read More)
From Montgomery, AL, to the Midwest and the Rocky Mountains, artificial whitewater parks are sweeping across the U.S. as communities embrace the economic potential of their local waterways and recognize the recreational and revenue value. (Read More)