Author: SGB Executive

REI Co-op announced it is pursuing a sale of its newly completed corporate campus in the Spring District neighborhood of Bellevue, while shifting to a mix of multiple satellite campuses in the Seattle area and remote working to support its corporate staff. Ben Steele, REI’s EVP and chief customer officer, told SGB Executive, “To take advantage of all the flexibility that remote working allows, we think that’s going to have an impact that will benefit every employee.”

Canada Goose Inc. reported sales collapsed 63.3 percent in its seasonally-slow first quarter while predicting a significant decline in the second quarter and lower wholesale revenues for the full fiscal year. Continued investments in digital and retail are expected to support DTC growth. Said Dani Reiss, CEO, “We made the call early in the pandemic to temporarily put our wholesale business on pause. This helped us maintain whole price integrity in what became a promotional environment for many other brands.”

Propelled by a spike in bike sales, Dorel Sports delivered record profitability in the second quarter as sales jumped 18 percent despite significant supply chain restraints. Martin Schwartz, president and CEO at Dorel Industries, told analysts, “As the factories were ramping back up, demand for bikes took off to an extent never seen before.”

Nautilus Inc. reported its strongest year-over-year growth since becoming a public company as the at-home fitness trend took off during the coronavirus crisis. On a conference call with analysts, James Barr, CEO, said he sees temporary and long-term boosts for the company.

Clarus Corp. reported sales slumped 36.2 percent in the second quarter, to $30.0 million. A sales plunge of 47 percent at Black Diamond was only partly offset by a 7 percent gain at Sierra Bullets. Black Diamond’s climbing business is expected to slowly improve in the second half while the ski side is projected to find a boost from heightened interest in backcountry skiing.

Recent retail surveys and studies included McKinsey finding consumers optimism eroding amid spikes in COVID-19 cases in several states and an IBM study detailing concerns over heading back to work as well as to malls and other public places. Other surveys explored expectations for back-to-school and holiday spending, consumers increasing their saving behaviors and changing purchasing behaviors amid the downturn.

Callaway Golf reported second-quarter results came in better-than-expected as the golf equipment business quickly bounced back as stores and golf courses reopened and golf participation spiked. The apparel businesses, Jack Wolfskin and TravisMathew, have also recovered albeit to a lesser degree.

Canadian Tire Corp. reported sales dropped 24.9 percent at its SportChek segment during the quarter while sales sunk 21.4 percent at Helly Hansen as both were impacted by store closures. Both businesses turned positive in June, led by online growth.

Benefitting as people spend time outdoors during the pandemic, Yeti Inc. reported earnings and sales in the second quarter that handily topped Wall Street targets. Said Matt Reintjes, president and CEO, “Yeti’s product performance, durability and versatility are key as customers rely on, and invest in, brands that help them enjoy outdoor activities.”

Adidas said it expects revenue to recover in the third quarter as stores continue to reopen and digital sales thrive after the coronavirus lockdowns pushed the company into a net loss in the second quarter.

Emerald Holding Inc., the parent of Outdoor Retailer, Surf Expo and other trade shows, saw second-quarter revenues collapse as it was forced to cancel 60 events and postpone 14 others due to COVID-19. But company officials said it’s making “significant progress” with an ongoing organizational restructure and its virtual events are seeing a strong response.

Newell Brands said sales at its Outdoor & Recreation segment, which includes Coleman and Marmot, fell 20.3 percent in the second quarter but Coleman’s sales are reviving since June as interest in camping has taken off. Two industry executives, Jim Pisani and Bill Kirchner, are helping guide the segment’s turnaround.

VF Corp. reported results for the first quarter ended June 30 that were significantly sidetracked by COVID-19 but still ahead of internal expectations due to strength in international and digital. The highlight of the challenging quarter was the widespread digital momentum that drove both sales and consumer engagement.

Compass Diversified Holdings said it’s 5.11, Velocity Outdoor and Liberty Safe businesses all exceeded expectations to lead better-than-expected performance in the second quarter. Momentum in those business units helped offset softness at newly-acquired Marucci Sports as well as its non-sports businesses.

Shares of Big 5 Sporting Goods were trading up about one-third after the sporting goods chain reported that the strong recovery in sales seen in the latter part of the second quarter only accelerated in the third quarter with same-store sales soaring 31.9 percent in July. Steve Miller, CEO, told analysts, “One of our biggest challenges in recent months has been keeping up with robust consumer demand.”