Author: SGB Executive

The broader stock market tumbled early in 2020 as COVID-19 emerged but saw a faster-than-expected recovery in the back half of the year that carried many stocks in the active lifestyle space to greater heights. Triple-digit share gains in 2020 were scored by Peloton, Vista Outdoor, Smith & Wesson, Big 5 Sporting Goods, Sportsman’s Warehouse, and Escalade.

The Editors from SGB Executive present the first installment of SGB’s Annual Survey that gauges what the leaders in the active lifestyle market are projecting for 2021 with comments from K2 Outdoor, Backcountry Access, Polartec, Marquee Brands/Body Glove, Lowa Boots, SIA, and Oberalp.

Ed Stack’s plans to step down after a 37-year run as CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods headlined the major C-suite moves that transformed leadership across the active lifestyle industry in 2020.

M&A activity in the active lifestyle space screeched to a halt for a few months following the emergence of COVID-19, but it turned out to be a pause as several major and minor deals were completed in 2020.

Modell’s Sporting Goods, J.C. Penney, Neiman Marcus, and Stage Stores were some of the retailers that landed in bankruptcy court in 2020 amid a wave of store closures forced by the spread of COVID-19 infections in the U.S.

Friends who left us in 2020 included Johnny Mac’s John McArthur, W. L. Gore’s Robert Gore and Zappos’ Tony Hsieh.

SGB Executive reached out to Jack Wlezien, director of communications for Bass Pro Group, to elaborate on changes that may result from Bass Pro’s pending acquisition of Sportsman’s Warehouse and the potential impact on vendors and consumers.

A little over three years after completing its mega-acquisition of Cabela’s, Bass Pro is looking to shake up the Hunt & Fish channel again with its agreement to acquire the smaller Sportsman’s Warehouse chain. The acquisition could provide Bass Pro with a prime opportunity to capitalize on unprecedented demand for the Hunt & Fish categories coming out of the pandemic.

Nike Inc. reported both earnings and sales that came in well ahead of Wall Streets’ targets with a boost from triple-digit growth online in North America and a continued strong recovery in China. Nike raised its outlook for the year and said it planned to accelerate its move away from nonstrategic wholesale accounts.

Winnebago Industries Inc.’s earnings more than doubled on an adjusted basis in the first quarter ended November 28 as sales ran up 34.8 percent. Michael Happe, president and CEO, expects the robust appeal of the outdoors tied to the pandemic to continue to drive sales of recreation vehicles (RVs) in the year ahead.

At Compass Diversified’s 2020 Investor Day, Shawn Neville, CEO of Boa Technology, provided a bullish outlook on the lacing system’s growth potential, believing Boa could quadruple its market share over the next decade.

Stephens initiated coverage on Dick’s Sporting Goods with an “Underweight” rating. In a note, Daniel Imbro, Stephens’ analyst, highlighted the retailer’s recent same-store momentum while expressing concerns over potential gross margin pressures.

SGB Executive talked to Ken Hicks, chairman, president and CEO at Academy Sports + Outdoors, about the retailer’s record third-quarter sales and earnings in its first report as a public company. Hicks discusses the positive impact of the pandemic on Academy’s business and how many newer initiatives put in place over the last few years are positioning the retailer for sustainable growth.

Johnson Outdoors reported revenues surged 58 percent in the fiscal fourth quarter ended October 2 as pent-up demand drove significant sales gains across its fishing, camping and watercraft segments. The performance propelled the company to positive growth for the full fiscal year. Said Johnson-Leipold, “Overall, this year’s performance was fueled by demand created through people’s eagerness to get outdoors.”

Vail Resorts, North America’s largest ski resort operator, saw record sales of Epic Passes, but overall sales in the fiscal first quarter ended October 31 declined 50.8 percent, and CEO Robert Katz warned investors of a “very challenging” 2020/21 North American ski season ahead as COVID-19 cases spike across the country.