“At the levels most recently proposed, there is no question, prices will have to go up for consumers. The outdoor industry has absorbed inflationary pressures for too long. Prices will simply have to go up.” —Neil Fiske, President, Black Diamond Equipment
Author: SGB Executive
EXEC: VF Corp. Shares Fall Following Investor Day Part 2
Presentations during the meeting were conducted by the brand presidents from The North Face, Timberland, Dickies, Altra, and Vans who outlined key strategic objectives for each brand as well as the Emerging Brands segment.
EXEC: Athleta’s Parent Outlines Path to Reinvigorate the Brand After Tough Q4
Athleta had a challenging quarter for Gap, Inc., with comps down 2 percent while maintaining market share. The company said it has more work to do as management looks to continue efforts to reset the brand.
EXEC: Stifel’s 2025 All-Star Sneaker Survey Sees Nike Mentions Fall to All-Time Low
Stifel noted that Nike styles represented three of the Top 5 styles this year versus the 10-year historical average of 4.1 of the Top 5 in the report. New Balance registered as the second most popular brand ,and Adidas styles were mentioned as the most popular in 11.9 percent of stores surveyed.
EXEC: Rapala VMC Getting Big Hits with CrushCity Lures as Soft Baits Dominate
North American sales grew in almost all categories except hard baits, impacted by the trend shift in fishing techniques favoring soft plastics over hard baits. CrushCity was the driving force in the company’s soft bait business.
EXEC: Adidas Swings to Full-Year Profit in 2024; Job Cuts Loom at Herzo HQ
The company expects 2025 sales for the Adidas brand to grow at a double-digit rate in North America, Greater China, Emerging Markets, and Latin America. Europe and Japan/South Korea will increase at a high-single-digit rate.
EXEC: Foot Locker Execs Break Down Q4 Region, Banner and Brand Trends
Nike is still working to find its way back to a magic formula but found some energy around the NBA All Star festivities. Adidas is the focus in lifestyle and the Terrace trend while New Balance and Asics are gaining momentum and wall space.
EXEC: On Brand Sees Retail Stores and Apparel as Keys to Growth; Tariff Exposure Limited
On Holding reported in 2024 that it sourced about 90 percent of its shoes and approximately 60 percent of its apparel and accessories from Vietnam. The company last year sourced about 7 percent of its apparel and accessories from China.
EXEC: Fenix Outdoor Takes Majority Stake in Devold of Norway Wool Brand
The parent of Fjällräven, Royal Robbins, Hanwag, and Fenix Outdoor brands, has agreed to acquire 65 percent of the shares in Devold of Norway AS, which is described as a “pioneer in wool clothing for outdoor activities and protective workwear.”
EXEC: President Trump Pulls Trigger on China Tariffs; Market Asks What’s Next?
The expected tariff news hit on Monday, March 3, of a big news week related to the economy, starting with the Manufacturing PMI reports for February and ending with the Jobs Report on Friday, February 28.
EXEC: Sports Direct to Roll Out Stores in Gulf States and Egypt Via GMG Partnership
GMG has a strong presence in the Persian Gulf States (Gulf), North Africa and Southeast Asia, where it’s a key distributor and operator of Nike stores as well as its home-grown multi-brand sports retailer Sun & Sand Sports, among others.
EXEC: Velocity Outdoor Posts Full-Year Sales Decline After Crosman Divestiture
The decrease in net sales was driven by the divestiture of the Crosman air gun business, which the company sold on April 30, 2024. The remaining product categories reportedly decreased due to softness in the Hunting and Fishing market and retailers reducing their inventory-on-hand levels.
EXEC: Primaloft Posts Double-Digit Growth as Market Recovers from Inventory Woes
The textile partner for the outdoor market saw some upside in 2024 as inventory levels in the retail landscape began normalizing, increasing orders with retailers and with the company’s brand partners.
EXEC: BOA Posts Strong Double-Digit Increases in Sales and Operating Income for 2024
The 22.5 percent increase in sales was said to be the result of the improvement of end market inventory levels, coupled with market share gains in many of the brand’s key industries.
EXEC: 5.11 Tactical Posts Flat Sales in 2024 on Weak DTC Business; Takes PFAs Write-Down
Parent company CODI took a write-down of inventory of approximately $12 million at 5.11 related to PFAs regulations. CODI said the 5.11 sales decrease was driven by a $10.4 million decrease in direct-to-consumer sales due to less promotional sales and lower off-price selling, as well as a $0.5 million decrease in domestic wholesale sales due to inventory availability.
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